AccuCut Craft Blog

Store Spotlight: "Sew" Creative at Croppinsville + 25% Off All Flower Dies!

Posted by Tara Smithberg

Allie Gower from Croppinsville in Collinsville, Ok., shared this really cool project with us that she made using our dies. I love the old fashioned, vintage feel of this tag.

Here's what Allie had to say about it:

"This tag was inspired by the wonderful memories of my mother's sewing room, the ironing board always up and a myriad of projects going on at once. There was always a pattern in the process of being cut, and the stamp set, Pattern Pieces by Ranger® Tim Holtz™, evoked those memories."

Here are the steps on how to make it:

1)      Cut your tag out of clear plastic sheets using the A6 Tag Cards Pinnovation die.
2)      Remove one side of the protective coating.
3)      Apply alcohol inks of choice. Allie used Butterscotch alcohol ink and Gold Metallic Mixative by Tim Holtz.
4)      Stamp image, if desired, on same side, with an archival ink, and dust with a pearl powdered pigment, such as Pearl by Jacquard or Perfect Pearls by Tim Holtz.
5)      Remove opposite side of protective coating.
6)      Apply alcohol ink and gold mixative around the edges of tag.
7)      Add a backer, a tag cut from paper, if desired.
8)      Add ribbons and embellishments.

Allie used AccuCut Flowers #4 and Flowers #22 to create the fun flower embellishment. (See below! All flower dies are 25% off!)

She uses her GrandeMARK machine and dies to provide inspiration to her customers.

"Because we can cut a variety of materials using our GrandeMARK, such as chipboard and clear plastic, shown here, we are able to create endless opportunities for thrifty creativity."

Allie is also a firm believer in displaying samples to spark creativity.

"We always have all of our cards on display, along with cuts from our larger dies, so customers can see not only what we have, but how to use. While the economy continues to experience a low on its roller coaster ride, you will find that people are still out shopping but spending more time at home creating, and AccuCut allows us to provide quality materials and inspiration at prices all people can afford."

Here are some photos of some great projects using AccuCut dies and products they display to inspire their customers to start creating. 

 

Find featured samples and more tutorials on Croppinsville's blog. Their new Studio Site will be launched soon as well, featuring die cuts and the materials they sell. View more photos of Allie's store.

Allie, thanks for sharing!

Blog Offer Alert: For one week only, all flower dies are 25% off!

View all flower dies

Now is the time to stock up. Flower dies are so versatile, you can use them on just about anything. This exclusive sale will only last through Friday, July 10. When placing your order online or over the phone be sure to use code CQZ02. See complete details below.

Use Offer Code CQZ02. 25% off individual flower dies. Valid on new orders not already discounted. Excludes die sets, gift certificates, custom dies and AccuQuilt products. Not valid with other offers. Valid through 7/10/09.

Techniques with Traci: Metal Tin Mania!

Posted by Traci Armbrust

Tins come in all shapes and sizes and are perfect for storing your favorite keepsakes, photos or mini albums. I thought it would be cool to show you how to make a basic lunch box tin, like this Mini Tip Top tin from Provo Craft, into something really unique. This size of tin coordinates with our Lunch Box #2 Album dies. And by the way, this die is 60% off!! Visit our clearance section!

 

 

It is easy to customize your tin and get your paper to fit perfectly around each side when you use the coordinating die. It practically does the work for you. 

 

To begin, cut your base pieces and the pieces for the lid (the top and inside). I used paper from Pink Paislee.

 

   

 

Adhere the pieces onto the tin using either a Xyron or a permanent adhesive that is made for metal, gems and other nonporous items.

 

Then cut one 12” x 7/8” strip and one 4” x 7/8” strip using a paper trimmer. Adhere to the top edge of the lid.

 

 

 

Using brown paint and a makeup sponge, apply paint in a dabbing, smearing type motion around the top edge of lid and around the bottom white metal trim piece. Also paint the handle using the same technique.

 

Add embellishments to the outside of the tin and add ribbons around the left side of the handle. I used Nameplates #12, Bird #10, and Flowers #6.

 

    

 

For the Inside pages, adhere paper onto the front and back of chipboard then cut out using Lunch Box Album #2 Divider & Page die, cutting out multiple file cards and pages. Create designs for each divider and page in the album.

 

    

 

And there you have it! It took me more time to decide what paper I wanted to use than to cut and cover this entire tin and the inside pages. If you didn’t want to create an album, these are great for keepsake boxes too.

 

You can also use the Lunch Box Album #2 Divider & Page die to create an album without the tin. Here's an adorable project using the divider and page shapes by Virginia Tillery.

 

 

If you're looking for more tins, we also have dies that coordinate with a smaller one in this same style, Lunch Box #1 Album and Lunch Box #1 Album Dividers & Page. They fit Provo Craft's Band-Aid Tin Box.

 

Looking for a smaller tin? Here is a list of tins and their coordinating dies to cover them and create an album for the inside:

 

-Round CD Tin - coordinates with the Accordion Circle Album die

-Rectangle Tin - coordinates with the Rectangle Tin Album die

-Large Hinged Candy - coordinates with the Accordion Rectangle Album die

 

AccuCut also created dies to coordinate with Maya Road's Lunch Break Tin, Dinner Break Tin, Coffee Break Tin, and Tea Break Tin. Along with the dies for the outside, you can also purchase dies that match up to the albums that fit inside these tins.

  

I know that using these dies will make your crafting experience quick and easy. If you are a teacher and you're teaching a class on tins, these dies will make your life so much easier, especially when creating kits or make and takes. For more fun album ideas, visit our website. Don't forget to visit our clearance section!

Wine Country Wedding

Posted by Tara Smithberg

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I wanted to share with you a really cool project for an alfresco California wedding by designer Suzette Waddell. 

The wedding had a wine theme, and instead of traditional table numbers, they chose to mark each table with names of their favorite wineries. The couple asked Suzette to come up with a 5" x 7" design that would include the winery name, a romantic font and have the look and feel of an actual wine label.

 

  
Suzette created her own design and used the A7 Cards and A7 Card Mats #3 Pinnovation™ dies to cut the cards. She used black and cream Fino stock and Ranger® Distress Ink in Vintage Photo by Tim Holtz™ to give them an aged look.

It would be so easy to carry this theme, colors, fonts and design elements throughout your entire wedding or formal event. You could use other Pinnovation dies to create matching save the dates, invitations, menus, programs and so much more.

Suzette (email: suzette@bloom415.com) is the owner of Bloom 415 in West Palm Beach, Florida. For more great ideas using Pinnovation dies, visit our website.

Last Minute Father's Day Projects

Posted by Tara Smithberg

Can you believe it's already the middle of June? And Father's Day is this weekend! Are you ready? Dads can be hard to shop for. However, you still have time to create a handmade card or gift bag for your old man. Here are some great ideas by Traci Armbrust to inspire you.

Here's a sharp dressed card made using the Shirt w/ Ties note card die. This looks great when you use double sided paper so you can really see the contrast between the shirt and jacket. Plus, if your dad isn't a long necktie man, this die also comes with a bow tie shape.

This card would also be cute made into cards for groomsmen in a wedding. You could customize the colors to match the wedding colors.

See more fun note card ideas on our website.

If you're looking to make a gift bag to carry your Father's Day presents in, look no further. This cute fishing-inspired gift bag would be perfect for tying a whole gift theme together. Bag #5 is a versatile bag--it's nearly 9" tall, giving you plenty of room for larger items. Other dies used to create this bag include small Fish Hook, Borders #1 and the lowercase 1 3/4" Typewriter Alphabet.

See more bag and box ideas on our website.

Enjoy the weekend!

And don't forget! All accent dies are 25% off until Monday! See details below.  

Special Blog Offer: Accent Dies Are Awesome... and 25% Off!

Posted by Tara Smithberg

Brackets, flourishes, nameplates, photo corners, ribbon slides... I could go on and on. I love accent shapes, and as we all know, they can truly make your scrapbook page, album or note card extra special and give it that extra "oomph." In honor of the small but mighty accent shapes, I am dedicating this post to them and some wonderful projects that just wouldn't be the same without them.

And, you will love this... we are offering an exclusive offer for all of you dedicated blog readers. 

For 6 days only, all accent dies are 25% off!

Hurry, though! This exclusive sale will only last through Monday, June 22. When placing your order online or over the phone be sure to use code CQZ01. See complete details below.

Click here to see accent dies

Smart Business Tip! Retailers, this is a great opportunity to refresh your die cutting center at a low cost. Accent shapes are also great to cut, package in sets and sell. Since these shapes are so versatile, your customers can always use more to embellish any and all paper crafting projects.

So, take a look at some of these fabulous projects using some of my favorite accent dies.

 

This sweet little 4" x 4" Album above by Virginia Tillery looks great decorated with the following accent dies:

• Spring/Summer Circle Accents - This die is so cute. You get four shapes in one: a butterfly, dragonfly, flower and umbrella.

• Mini Tabs - This is another great die that you can use on just about anything. You get four different tab shapes to suit all kinds of page styles and sizes.

• Vintage - This one has two unique antique-style shapes for use on lots of projects too.

And here's a cute card by Traci Armbrust that uses Coasters #1 and Nameplate #1. Both shapes are great when you are layering a variety of other shapes or embellishments. 

Use Offer Code CQZ01. 25% off individual dies for accents and hardware dies. Valid on new orders not already discounted. Excludes die sets, gift certificates, custom dies and AccuQuilt products. Not valid with other offers. Valid through 6/22/09.

Check Out Our Clearance Section

Posted by Tara Smithberg

Happy Friday, everyone! Just a quick note to let you know we've added more than 30 dies to our clearance section where you'll be able to save up to 50% on some really great dies. Check out a few of my favorites here.

Album 6 1/2" x 8" Tabs (2-Die Set)

You can't beat 50% off! This album coordinates with the 6 1/2" x 8" Convertibles Cover.

Regular Price: $115.00
Your Price: $57.50
You Save: $57.50

Here's a project made using this album with the Convertibles Wink Insert die. For complete project details, click here.

 

 Butterfly #10 - Super Jumbo

Save $16 when you purchase this die. Plus, you get two butterflies on one die. These shapes look great layered or on their own on scrapbook pages, as albums and much more.

Regular Price: $80.00
Your Price: $64.00
You Save: $16.00

This album looks great with the two shapes layered together and combined with the Butterfly #8 die. For complete project details, click here.  

 

Be sure to check out all of our clearance items. Hurry! These deals are limited to the quantity currently available in stock.

Have a great weekend!

Do Yourself a Favor When You Use Self-Closing Bag and Box Dies

Posted by Tara Smithberg

Whether you are creating two or two hundred favor boxes, self-closing box dies are great when you need to create favors fast. We have quite a few box dies that cut boxes that close and stay closed on their own without any adhesive to worry about. All of these boxes come in various sizes to fit a wide range of goodies. Here are a few really cute examples:

Self-Closing Box #1

Self-Closing Box #4 

Self-Closing Box #6 

Box-Flower #2 

This die comes with the base and flower and leaves shapes, making it really easy to customize colors to coordinate with your event.

 

Other self-closing box dies include:

Bag-Purse #3

Bag-Purse #4

Bag-Scalloped

Bag-Self Closing Pocketbook

Bag-Tuck & Close #1

Box #1

Box #7

Box #8

Box #23

Box-Chair

Box-Dress

Box-Tuxedo

Box-Flower #1

Box-Scalloped

Box-Self-Closing #2

Box-Self-Closing #5

Box-Suitcase

And, if you are looking to create handmade favors even easier, you can use our new ready-to-go boxes that are already cut and ready to assemble and decorate. For more bag and box ideas, visit our ideas section on our website.

We Have a Winner!

Posted by Tara Smithberg

Congratulations to our National Stationery Show drawing winner, Sondra Simon of The Sophisticated Scribe in Rego Park, New York. She is the lucky winner of a free GrandeMARK die cutting machine (a $595 value)! Sondra, we hope you enjoy using your new machine to create all sorts of wonderful cards, invitations and more!

Thanks to everyone who entered our drawing at the show. We will have more drawings, deals and contests coming up throughout the summer so please keep visiting our blog.

And what would a post be without another project idea? This one is out of our new Supplement & Idea Book. Designer Traci Armbrust used the #10 Foldover Card, #10 Card Mats and the Cupcake #2 die to create this deliciously delightful invitation for a little girl's birthday party.

This foldover card is so versatile. You can use it for wedding programs, menus, announcements and more. And the #10 Card Mats die is a Pinnovation die, so it makes it very easy to print text exactly where you want it. (Be sure to check out yesterday's post below for a step-by-step tutorial on using Pinnovation dies).

I like how she used double-sided paper to show off coordinating patterns and colors. Smaller die cuts, like this cupcake shape, also look great as embellishments on cards and invitations--even on more formal designs. This trend is becoming more and more popular. For more new stationery ideas, be sure to visit our website to download or request a hard copy of our new Supplement & Idea Book.

Techniques with Traci: Pinnovation 101

Posted by Tara Smithberg

At the National Stationery Show in New York City a few weeks ago, our Pinnovation stationery dies were a big hit! It's so much fun to see people's eyes light up when they see how easy it is to create gorgeous custom invitations and announcements. I asked designer Traci Armbrust to demonstrate how to use the Pinnovation dies--step by step. 

We chose to create an invitation using the A7 Dress Cards die. This die is great because you can use the dress shape on its own or layer it on top of another A7 card. It's two-up so you can cut multiples in a snap. Here are a few sample projects using this die to show you how a finished design looks.

 

So, to begin, we started by laying out our text with the templates provided on our website. Here's what it looks like when you use our PDF template. PDF templates can be used in page layout and graphic programs such as Adobe® InDesign®, Illustrator® and Photoshop®, QuarkXPress® and others. Here, we are using Adobe Adobe® InDesign®. If you don't have any of these programs, have no fear! We also have a Microsoft Word template that works just as well.  

Here's what the Microsoft Word template looks with the text placed in the appropriate spot. Keep in mind you may have to do a few test prints just to be sure you've got it exactly where you want it.

Next, print out a test sheet. We give you a transparency with each Pinnovation die to make sure your text is exactly where you want it. Just place the die transparency on top of the printed test sheet to determine if any adjustments need to be made to your design. You may need to move elements due to shifting caused by your printer. Repeat the process until you are satisfied with the location of your design.  

And now comes the best part. With your die in the GrandeMARK machine, place your test sheet face-down on the die, making sure the paper is fitting inside the pins. Place the cutting mat on top of the die, making sure all of the pins are covered. Roll the die through the machine and... drum roll please... your invitations are perfectly cut!

Here's the final product. We layered the dress card on top of an A7 card using the Rounded A7 Cards die. By the way, this die is also a Pinnovation die if you wanted to print a design on that shape as well.

 

For great ideas using Pinnovation dies, visit our website. And be sure to download our brand new idea book loaded with beautiful stationery designs.

Ready-to-Go Boxes Are Quick and Easy

Posted by Tara Smithberg

Throughout the past year, we've had several requests for boxes that are cut and ready to assemble. And now they are here! We are happy to now offer ready-to-go stationery and favor boxes that are self-closing, easy to assemble and a cinch to decorate. The great thing about these boxes is that they are affordable, and now you can spend even more time decorating and personalizing them with your own style. Plus, no adhesive is required!

Stationery Boxes

Our Clear Stationery Boxes are available in two card sizes, A2 and A7. Here is a beautiful A2 box decorated with a gorgeous ribbon. They are sold in sets of 24 and boxes include lid and base. The A2 box fits approximately 8 cards with envelopes and the A7 box fits approximately 10 cards with envelopes. Now it is easier than ever to display and sell your stationery in a stunning package that is all your own.

Favor Boxes

Creating a large number of favor boxes is quick and easy when you use our ready-to-go boxes. All favor boxes are sold in sets of 20.

Clear plastic Pillow Boxes make wonderful favors and look great filled with small candies. This one here looks great personalized with a seal made with the Pinnovation Escort Cards die. 

Tuck Top Boxes are available in Clear Plastic and in White. Their simple shape and size make them easy to dress them up or down for any occasion. They are 2"w x 2"l x 2"h.  I love the flower on top of this fun one.

And last, but not least, we have Gable Boxes available in White and Kraft. The little handle make these cute for all sorts of occasions and their larger size allows you to pack them with all kinds of goodies. Assembled, these boxes are 2 1/2"w x 4"l x 5 3/8"h. This one here was decorated with the Flowers #22 and 3 1/2" x 2" Seals (Business Cards) Pinnovation die.

 

Check out all of the new boxes on our site.

Also, I added our photo album from the National Stationery Show. Take a look at some great pics by clicking on the photo album on the right. Enjoy!