Make this Illuminated Forest Scene with Grazing Deer

My first project this fall was to revisit the star shaped shadow box. I first used this for a Nativity last Christmas but I knew then it was perfect for a deer scene. The deer scene market is better earlier in the fall so I held off until this September. I am very pleased with the results.

Not only is the subject matter new but I also updated the construction techniques. I engineered a new interior side brace that holds the layers in their proper positions and helps you align them as you construct. The brace looks like the left image and the center stack held together by the braces is on the right.

Additionally I have started using a new type of illumination. Instead of the Tea lights I used a string of LED fairy lights. There are 20 on a flexible wire and they are much easier to design around. The are commonly available. I got mine from Amazon here......

I hope to be using these in more projects because I like how one switch turns 20 lights on/off. 

And am trying being an Amazon affiliate. We'll see if that works or if it is just a bother.

To Purchase:

• The file is available at my 3DCuts store here:
• And as always I have put together a great tutorial here.

Happy crafting everyone!

Marji

3dcuts.com

Customize Your Summer Scene - New Shadow Box

A couple of months ago I designed the Canoe at Sunset shadow box file. It was very well received but it did start a series of comments in the vein of "Oh, this is beautiful but I would love for it to be a kayaker - fisherman-etc. That got me to thinking and I decided to create this newest shadow box with more features for customizing. Here is my Summer Scenes Shadow Box.

With the download comes seven different silhouette inserts for the sports figures added in the center. You get to choose the one you want! There are fishermen and women, fishing families and a kayaker. Select one and add it to scene you have constructed from the cutting files.

The download also includes five different skies to further customize your project. Three are photos I have modified and two are digital paintings of sunsets. 

Put the options together and you can create numerous different shadow boxes from this download.

Purchasing Options:
I have created a couple of download options for you on 3dcuts.com.

• The entire set of Summer Scenes (includes the shadow box files, 7 sporting silhouettes and 5 backgrounds) - All for $3.99. Click here to purchase.
• Just the 7 sporting silhouettes - For $1.99 - Click here to purchase.
• Just the 5 backgrounds - For $1.49 - Click here to purchase.

And here is a link to the assembly tutorial to check out.

Happy Crafting!

Marji

Customizing the Shadow Boxes

I love it when customers share with me photos of their completed projects. I recently received a wonderful email from Nancy Gray. She customized my Canoe at Sunrise shadow box with a photo her Dad had taken in Alaska. He has spent a lot of time up there kayaking so she used his photography as the back ground. She also eliminated the cattails and branches that weren't part of the Alaskan habitat. And then she added the Father's Day greeting. Beautiful results and a special card.

Below is another sample that showed up on Facebook in the Silhouette Card Making and Paper Crafts group.  Suzette Sinclair modified the shadow box portion to make a greeting card. She also shared that she saves calendar photos for this type of project.  Great idea!

Another Silhouette Shadow Box - Canoeing

This has become a recurring design direction for me. I have just introduced a new shadow box to the line.... 

It continues in the theme start last fall with Loon Lake and Heron Cove. Both are silhouettes against various skies.

I enjoy experimenting with the skies. With this download I include 4 different skies. Two are modified photographs and 2 are creations I made in Adobe Illustrator using the gradation tool. The choice of sky greatly influences the mood of the design.

The cutting files and tutorial are available here:

• File download here: http://3dcuts.com/shadow-boxes-nature-themes
• Assembly tutorial here:

And the skies are available as a separate purchase if you want to use them in different projects. These are jpg images and require a color printer.

• Download the skies here: http://3dcuts.com/shadow-boxes-nature-themes

Layered Mandalas!

Oh I have had fun these past two weeks. I had gotten into my head that I wanted to make spirograph designs in paper. It took lots of experimenting with design tools but I finally figured out some techniques using Illustrator. And I loved the outcome but then I added a layer, and then another......

And then I started working the variables. I used straight lines, larger centers, on curves, worked from diamonds. The possibilities just kept growing. But then I also double them up and oh the results were just so exciting.....

That I designed a total of ten....

And framed four for my craft room wall.

Cutting files available here: http://3dcuts.com/mandalas

Tutorial available here:  http://3dcuts.com/mandala-tutorial

And a freebie for testing is located here: http://3dcuts.com/free-download

Ledge Village Expanding!

I first introduced Ledge Village in June of 2013. It was a concept I developed for a little ledge in my laundry room and it has blossomed into an every expanding town. This week I have finally added some more buildings to the options available for those of you creating your own villages. Here is a look at Ledge Village with all the files currently available through 3dcuts.com.

The Fullerton House (Below left) is a favorite of mine and was the last building I designed in the Silhouette software only.  I finally redrew the entire file in Illustrator so I could get the other needed formats for folks with different cutting machines. The Fullerton House (which is based on a Sears and Roebuck kit house from the 1920's) is now available in svg,pdf,dxf,and png formats.

A roof style not yet represented in Ledge Village is the Mansard roof. I decided to use that on both of the next buildings - the Mansard House with bay window, and the Town Hall. All three of these buildings have features that make them a little more detailed than earlier buildings. I especially love the addition of the dormers.

But have you noticed that this is the first time I have added lighting to Ledge Village? My Tea Light Village was based on the little tea lights but they are such a bother to turn on and off. I learned about Fairy Lights from another crafter and decided to add them to my latest Ledge Village display. I especially like that they are battery operated and you can get a lot of lights on each switch. The options on Amazon are always changing but I found a 40 light set.

To install I simply cut tiny holes in the back of each building in a hidden spot (I didn't want them to show through the door or window). I then inserted the little lights (which stay cool) and applied a little tape to hold in palce. Some other larger buildings had 4, others only 1 but they were all strung together.

• The buildings are currently available in my store here on 3dcuts.com.
• The complete tutorials are located by following the links on this page here.

What building are you going to create first?

3dcuts files can be used for sewing!

Kelly at svgsews.com uses svg files in her quilting and other fabric projects. She recently blogged about making an artsy placemat based on my Winterberry and Chickadee Shadow Box file.

What a beautiful combination of crafts! Kelly also posted a Youtube video about the process for creating this placemat here.

Here is my original design. You can see what wonderful variety can be added by mixing your own creativity and skill set.

Another use for my ladder file....

I really like the design of the step ladder I made for halloween. This week I took that file and added some new accessories for the changing season. Here it is, all decked out for Christmas.  

You can make the various accessories and use them for different combinations. Here is another using just some of the included files.....

• Cutting files available here:
• Tutorial available here.

I'd love to see what you create with these files. Send photos to marji@3dcuts.com