they fold flat for mailing!

These Pinterest inspired cards were so fun to make and the last projects for January 2026 that I can publish at the moment! 🙂 Just waiting for a few more things to get to their recipients.

The base for this hexagon shaped box card is adapted from the Valentine Gnome Box Card from Simply Crafty SVGs. I trimmed off the top edge of the base and the extensions on the insert risers. Easy to accomplish in the SCAL software using the knife. Close the path once you’ve completed the slice and removed the unwanted piece. Make sure you re-group any pieces with score lines.

The “realistic” chip and avocado images are a find on freepik.com. They come with a white background – if you want a transparent background you can opt for the premium version and pay for a subscription to the site. HOWEVER, you can eliminate the white using the Paint app in Windows. Choose layers, hide the white. A white background will still show. Then choose the icon for removing the background. The white should disappear, leaving a transparent background behind the chip. I used the eraser and removed the shadow under the chip for a cleaner image. Save As a png and then you can import the file into SCAL. The cut is pretty clean. No TRACE needed since your image is a png. There are lots of other software/app options as well that will remove the background from the image. The above is what I used for this project. The edges of the cut chip images were inked with some yellow orange ink for some added “powdered cheese.” The process is basically the same for the avocado if you choose to add it.

The labels are found in the SCAL library. No shadow layer was added. The fonts used are from the fonts folder on Windows — and were set to print only in the SCAL software after they were sized and centered in the label.

AC Cardstock, Bazzil, Sabor and an old two tone green (source unknown) sheets were used to create the box and inserts. I did use the Tiny Bubbles embossing folder (Provo Craft – retired) to add some texture to the Holy Guacamole box panels. Added a little ink to add some additional interest.

Other materials:
bone folder
Bearly Art Precision glue
printer
Skycut C24
SCAL 6 Pro

The card when folded flat will fit into an A2 invitation envelope.

Hoping you have some creative time carved out in the coming week! Enjoy every moment! Nurture your creative spirit and heart as well.

another reminder…

3 Positives:
T was able to read a couple of letters on the eye chart!
I finished up another project – and got the blog post written as well.
Just one more tax document to collect and we’re ready to get taxes done early

My Journey Notes:
T is on indefinite Limited Duty for work. NO lifting more than 10 pounds and no bending over. We thought it might be for just a few weeks, but now that they’ve scheduled another procedure for next week… well, that just extended things for another 6 – 8 weeks. UGH!

I did bungle things up a bit Tuesday and Wednesday, but able to get things straightened out and taken care of yesterday. I am grateful that this week is coming to a close and hopefully, next week will go a little better. The to-do list is already started and I should be able to take care of a lot of stuff on Monday and get things out of the way so the rest of the week is clear for T’s follow-ups and more.

scrapbooking – restart!

It’s been a long dry spell since I put a scrapbook page together. Nearly 10 years since I’ve created a page for one of the albums.

The heart shape in this layered title was the piece that I really needed to figure out since there didn’t seem to be a way to make the squiggly line in SCAL using techniques I was familiar with. I decided to try my hand creating something in Procreate and it worked! I was able to save the image I created as a png with a transparent background and trace it in SCAL to use as a cut file.

The letters are adapted from the Cookie font I found on Creative Fabrica. I cut all the shapes using the using the Skycut C24 using the SCAL 6 Pro software. I used some Kraft and white cardstock. Coloring in the shapes with Ohuhu markers and some additional inkpads for depth and texture. The font used is Cookie from Creative Fabrica.

The journaling sheet is a pullout from the pocket created by the cover photo. There’s enough room for several 4×6 inch prints to be tucked in there.

That’s it for the this post — I hope you have set aside some time for some creative endeavors today, tomorrow or in the near future. Nurture your soul!

believe in yourself

3 Positives:
time in the studio playing with paper and glue
comfort food
a power nap

My Journey Notes:
Back in the insomnia cycle. We’re 2 nights/days in. I hope this cycle will be short-lived.

T’s first day at work post-op went about as planned. He has half a day off today to visit with the surgeon again and see if the pressures are continuing to fall. He’ll go back to campus on Friday with hopes of being able to work at the computer for a little bit of time and not completely stress his eyes out. Let’s hope the restricted to light duty note is prepped and ready for him this morning at the office and he can pick it up while he’s there… they didn’t call back for us to pick it up Tuesday afternoon when we requested it the first time and they were closed yesterday by the time T and driver were heading home from work.

be still and listen.

3 Positives:
test cut for new design went well, but isn’t quite there yet – tweaking today
rain in the forecast – we need every drop!
fixed the talking watch for T. He likes that thing almost as much as his dad did.

My Journey Notes:
T’s first post-op went fairly well. We’re back up to 5 different eye drops a day – with different instructions for all! It’s kind of crazy. Hoping to find a few more things to help with accessibility that aren’t going to cost an arm or a leg — he has to go back to work today or go on unpaid leave. He’s been out the 3 days allowed for illness. If he goes in today, he resets the clock and can use vacation pay for the next two half days he needs to take for his next post-ops. The dr added another one since there’s quite a bit of swelling around the incision site and it’s causing some discomfort under the lid.

Gathered tax documents yesterday. Just missing one now. Hoping to get things ready for filing by the end of the weekend. Fingers crossed things go better than last year.

Nourish you mind

3 Positives:
kind nurses
positive spirits
laughter

My Journey Notes:
The surgery for T went well. He is essentially non-seeing at the moment — his good eye is patched and of course the other eye has very limited sight… just shapes and grays for the most part. No depth perception or peripheral vision. He was willing to give the walking stick a “test” run yesterday. He does get turned around, but is doing fairly well with it. It’s hard for me not to jump in and “save” him from a missed turn, but I am waiting longer for him to ask for help. At least the walking stick has kept him from walking into a few walls. So that’s a good thing.

He does know his way around the kitchen – he found plenty of food to graze on without any trouble. 🙂 So that’s good.
We both got some sleep last night – much needed after a very long day.