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Being Creative this Christmas

(c) 2016 P.Lynne Designs
Note Cards cut out with the Cricut Explore Die Cutting Machine

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

It has been a long time since I have writing in this blog.  By now, I expected to be in my brand new, shiny, yet rough around the edge WordPress to the gills website.  Something things have gotten in the way.  I will not bore you with the details on this blog, but you may read about it here on the My Ambiance Life blog.  There you will find all my writings about everything else (except home styles and home life, which is coming in January or February).

I cannot let this blog go, before adding in a few things about this holiday, and having the website sitting in limbo is not one of them, so for right now, all of my products are still listed on the Etsy shop, and will remain open long after the website starts. I do not have any plans to take it down.  I plan to add other items to my shop from time to time that I have not created, but the website will have mostly my products.

So, my first post before the new year happens to talk about being frugal, which you can do.  This includes making your Christmas gifts.  It does not have to be expensive, and if you own a die cutting machine like the Cricut Explore Air 2 machine, cutting will be a breeze.  The Cricut cuts almost any type of material, not just paper. 

For instance, I use my older Cricut Explore (with the Bluetooth adapter-Air 2 is on its way) for my card projects.  With a subscription to Design Space, I can pick out any design from a 1,000’s of images, rearrange them on the virtual mat, before cutting them out.  If I do not like the way it looks on the mat, I can toss it out, and start back over on a clean virtual mat no more wasted paper. 

I use it to cut out stickers for my planners too.  With Design Space’s Print then Cut feature, you can cut out SVG images as well.  The best thing I use this feature for is when I design my labels for my businesses.  Often times in the past, I do not buy the right Avery’s label to print directly onto the paper.  Sometimes it was me, sometimes it was the computer/printer/software, and sometimes I did not know what side to put the sticker paper on.   Now, I use only one size (Avery #8165 TrueBlock^® Sticker sheet or equivalate) print it on the correct side and then have my Cricut machine cut it out.  The best news is I can cut some labels ahead of time, and when I am ready, I need only one label per flyer or catalog.   I am already planning on gifting my mom a set of labels for her Christmas cards.  Call it an early Christmas present. 

Well, that is all I have to talk about today. 

Oh, one other thing.  There is a sale currently going on about the 12 days of Christmas.  I will post the link, but be sure the check it out, and you may find a product to your liking.  In fact, I know you will.

Psst….

There is also something for those of you who already have a Cricut machine.  The December Mystery box is out.  I cannot tell you what’s in it because it a…Mystery.  All I can tell you is the cartridges are very festive, and everyone’s box will be different.  But don’t just take my word for it…. check it out for yourself.  Only $39.99. (Sorry, I sounded like Melody Lane for a moment in the last paragraph, but I like her.)  She also inspired me to start a Patreon site, so look for it in January 2017.  I will tell you more about it as I get closer to the date. 

Throwback: December: Cards

( This is a throwback from when I first launched my blog on Blogger.  I have come a long way from these cards, which are not bad, but to me, they were not great either. this was dated January 8, 2009.  Enjoy!

Hello-

Since I did not start this blog last month, I thought I would show what I did for my Christmas cards I made my aunt in Oklahoma.

The first one is real simple. using evergreen cardstock, I stamped snowflakes all over the front and back. I tied see through cream ribbon to the side. for the square, it came from my cutting out a window for another card you will see in a bit. the snowflake is from my stash, and the brand name is Masterpiece, and the snowflake is called Glitzy Snowflake. they come 10 to a pack.

The second card is from made with red cardstock, the image was stamped in a cocoa ink from Versamagic, and I destressed the edges with Colorbox chalk inkpad named Chestnut Roan. the saying (which is a scripture from Luke) and image of the shepards are from the Stampin Up! line (I am not sure if this is discontinued or not). with ribbon. Tip: I got this as well as the cream and the black from Archiver's in the Hot Spot area. all scrapbooking items in that area are $1.99, and each spool holds 15 yards. It is even a better deal if you are an employee at which I am . Now, for those of you have have talking to me on my Yahoo groups know one of the reasons why I never have a paycheck, LOL. I also destressed the cards

My next card I had a little help...from my Cricut. I love this machine, and I live it so much, I had to have two... Both were Christmas presents. The baby (or original for those do not follow scrapbooking trends) was given to me in December 2006. Archiver's used to sell the cricut, and my mother got the last one that was sold at the store I work at. Well, I did not use it much at first. I turned it on occassionally just to keep it from breaking down, LOL. About May of 2008, I decided I better dust off this little bad boy, and get to work. I even joined a few cricut groups on Yahoo, to get some help. Next thing you know, I am working this baby bug, and I am loving it. I do not know why I had not used it before. so around November 2008, Black Friday, someone said on the group that the Expression was on sale for $199 at Walmart. OK, I had said that I was not going to get the Expression, no way, no how. OK, so now I have the Expression, and again, mom said that this was one of my christmas presents. so that is how I got two of them.

OK so back to the cards...The card is a magenta cardstock that I get when I was a member of club Scrap. you get kits that has paper, cardstock, and other embellshments, including rubberstamps. I cut the cardstock in half using the DreamKutz machine (another item that is my fav.) I went 1" in, and 1" down. this with the George and basic shapes cartridge, I cut a 2" circle. I, then took scrap paper and with same cartridge, and made a star, and painted with a gold leafing pen. For the card itself, I thought it looked really plain, so all i did was take Midnight Black in the versamagic line, and started rubbing the pad all over the cardstock. I put a pop dot to elevate the star. for the bible verse, it is just white ink (forgot the name of it) on wine cardstock. Then I took the gold leafing pen and just went around it.

This one is just like the Magenta card, without the ink, and it a square. I cut out the dove (you cannot see it through the ribbon) from beyond Birthdays cartridge. I broke off the branch that the dove holds. Just stamped the verse on cream card stock. No pop dots.

with this card, the circles came from the magenta card that I cut out to make the card with the black ink (hey, they say waste not, want not, LOL). I forgot what line the letters were, but I got the letters from Archiver's during an employee crop (never used them for that project I needed at the time.). I used gold cording for the strings.

Last one- wow, didn't I tell you that I was not going to have these long posts, LOL. Well, the last card I made for my aunt was made with deep red (more like a burgundy) cardstock. I tied cream ribbon around powder blue cardstock, glued it onto the card blank. Oh, I forgot, I did stamped it with the snowflake stamp by Hero Arts, as well as the lighter wine cardstock squares made with the cricut. the doves (the dicut and the reverse image) were made from the cricut as well (by the way, I used to Expression with all of the doves, using the autofill button) The Noel is from the same company as the letters in the other two cards.

whew, that's it. I am tired from all of that pasting of the pictures and other stuff, but it was fun. let me know what you think. Take care, and God bless.

I left in the grammar mistakes, and I had to post the original post from the blog itself because edit would not let me copy and paste.

in case you are wondering what I made in December of 2015, here they are.  The ornaments were cut from the Cricut Explore as well as the writing.  I love the things that this little machine can do. If you never experience this machine before, you can see my review and how to set it up here.  If you are all set up, you can view how to get started with you first project here.   

(All photos are the property of P. Lynne Designs)

Come Let us Adore Him  

Merry Christmas

Jesus is the Reason For the Season

Silent Night, Holy Night

  

Coming Soon....Are you Excited?

I'M SOOOOO EXCITED!!!! I CANNOT CONTAIN IT ALL!!!

So I am going to say it once and only once.....



This!!!!!!

(c) 2015 Renee Christine

In a few short weeks, This blog will no longer exist and a new store/ blog will be on WordPress, Hosted By HostGator.  I am working on final details to get it up and running.   If you would like to see the Grand opening of P. Lynne Designs and be kept in the loop, Click here to be added to the mailing list, and I will let you know through email when it is open for business.

Thank you all for your support on this blog since 2009, and I hope that your will continue to support the business, as it continues on to the next level.

New Cricut Explore One Colors!

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links.

Add some color to your life with Cricut's colorful new Explore One machines! These amazing machines are now available in two new colors: Vintage Navy and Cherry Blossom -- for only $199.99! Purchase your very own machine in one of these new colors today. Be sure to use the code AUGSHIP at checkout because you'll get free shipping on all orders (no minimum)!

Questions or comments? We'd love to hear from you, please email us at cricut@accelerationpartners.com

Happy Blogging!

Jill Sinclair
Cricut Affiliate Manager
cricut@accelerationpartners.com

The Cricut Affiliate Program is managed by Acceleration Partners. Please review and join our other award-winning programs. You can also follow us on Twitter for program news. 

Blurb Story #3

*This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links.

Thus far you’ve heard the Blurb story and learned a bit about the extensive tools and resources that Blurb makes available to their book-making customers. While all that is impressive, what’s really remarkable to me is how they offer all of that and provide visually stunning books made on photo-quality paper—AND do it all at such an incredibly affordable price. It’s really is something to marvel at. 

Since day one, Blurb has been praised for their unwavering commitment to quality, which is why renowned photographers, graphic designers, architects, artists, and other creative professionals repeatedly choose Blurb to display their works of art. That speaks volumes in my book (no pun intended) because, if they trust Blurb to showcase their work, then it just seems logical that I should too. 

Professional-Quality Books and Magazines
Whether you’re creating a photo book, a trade book, or a magazine, Blurb allows you to choose from a wide range of trim size, covers, fonts, layouts, and paper. Paper type is actually really key to any book which displays images. Other book-making platforms may have some nice quality paper, but you’re going to pay out the wazoo for your book. Others use recycled paper, which is good environmentally, but not so great for producing visually-rich images. 

Blurb, on the other hand, provides customers with several paper options, including standard paper that has a smooth, semi-matte finish on 80# stock, to uncoated ProLine semi-gloss paper on 140# stock that’s ideal for high-end photography and design books. 

Digital Books/Ebooks
Blurb is actually one of the few book-making platforms that gives you complete control over creating an ebook. Blurb lets you make ebooks in both fixed-layout (Apple iPad®-only) and reflowable formats (iPad and Kindle devices). You can even convert any book or magazine you create into a gorgeous ebook so you can share and distribute it in a way that’s easy, affordable, and earth-friendly! 

Price
If price is a factor (when is it not?), Blurb is bar none one of the most affordable printers out there with one of the lowest price per page available – especially when you consider their quality and array of creative options. So that you will know exactly what you’re getting at what cost, Blurb developed a Pricing Calculator. I mentioned their pricing calculator in my last post, but to recap, this fantastic tool lets you see what your price per book will be based on the selections you choose (e.g. soft cover, 7 x 7 photobook, on ProLine Uncoated #100 paper). 

You can also compare the pricing of different types of books (trade book vs. magazine, vs. ebook, etc.), covers (hard or soft), sizes (7 x 7 vs 13 x 11), paper type (matte, glossy), etc. 

Although their pricing is already impressive, take note that Blurb is generously offering you 15% off any book you create from now through 5/30! Get started now! 

I recommend sorting through those pictures on your camera, smartphone, Facebook feed, or Instagram page and start creating your very own book. You’ll be so excited with the results that you’ll probably want to make a copy for all of your friends and family (I’m speaking from experience here!). 

If you need some inspiration, I’ll be sharing examples in next week’s post of how some people have used Blurb to create their own creative and useful books—so stay tuned! 

A Blurb Story part 2

(c) 2015 Blurb.com

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links.

So last week I shared a bit of the Blurb story and how they came to unleash the power of self-publishing. But Blurb is actually way more than a self-publishing platform. They are really a tour de force of creativity that strives to help give your story – your inspiration – a stage. And they provide some really incredible tools to make that possible.

Here are a few of my faves:

1. Free book making tools – This one may be obvious, but there’s more here than meets the eye. Blurb offers multiple easy-to-use bookmaking tools and templates to give you complete creative control and customization:
   BookWright: The only desktop publishing software built for creating professional-looking print books, magazines, and ebooks. It’s super simple to use, which means you won't need to hire a fancy designer, know a line of code, or buy expensive software. BookSmart: A user-friendly book-making tool that allows you to create beautiful, professional-quality photo books, notebooks, and planners.
   Adobe InDesign Plug-In: If you use Adobe® InDesign® then this Blurb plug-in is for you. It lets you create and lay out books and magazines directly within InDesign and output in both print and digital formats. It also includes free professionally designed starter templates for photo books, cookbooks, portfolios, and magazines.
   Adobe Lightroom: This book creation tool is fully integrated into Lightroom, so users can make a gorgeous photography book without needing to leave the Lightroom workflow. It also includes 5 paper choices, including high-end photo-quality paper from Mohawk Fine Papers®.
2. Online photo books – With this tool, you can create your very own online photo book in less than an hour. The online templates and layouts are gorgeous. All you have to do is drag & drop your photos from your computer, Facebook, and Instagram accounts.
   Instagram Photo Book: Blurb allows you to make a little 7 x7 book that’s as unique as your Instagram feed. You can start with up to 60 images and go up to 240 pages! It’s like a tiny museum devoted to your style!
   Facebook Photo Book: Now you can turn those favorite socially-shared memories into a book-store quality book! You just curate your photos and any Facebook comments you want to include and voilà! You’ve got a beautiful 60-page book of shared experiences.
3. Step-by-step Tutorials & Webinars – If you ever get stuck on how to do something or just need some creative inspiration, you’ll definitely appreciate Blurb’s interesting and informative Webinars and Tips and Tutorials sections. So helpful.
4. Free Tools to Use - Not sure what size book you want? Blurb shows you what a 10 x 8 book would look like versus a 13 x 11 with their creation and layout tools. You can also see what different paper types would look like, such as Premium Matte or Proline Uncoated and what makes them different.
5. Pricing Tool – Blurb’s Pricing Calculator will save you from pricing surprises. You just select your book type, number of pages, type of cover, and paper you want and this tool calculates what your book will cost. They also have special pricing on large orders (e.g. 300+ books).

I encourage you to take some creative time for yourself and explore Blurb’s unique and valuable book-making tools. And remember that from now through 4/30 you can get 20% off any book you create, just use code: APRILLIGHTS! If you are thinking of self-publishing or starting a fundraiser use code: BIGAPRIL and get 20% off 20 or more books!

What are your favorite Blurb tools?