Monday, November 28, 2016

Star Nativity Shadow Box

The shadow box has been a recurring building block for so many of my paper designs. I started with my birch shadow box when I first got my Silhouette and just kept going with so many different ones over the years. But all of them have been in Square frames. Finally I have broken out of that shape! I have just completed the new Star Nativity Shadow Box for the 2016 Christmas season.



This frame is constructed from card stock just like the layers inside. It stands about 11" tall and is 4" deep. I love the possibilities here. It worked well for the classic nativity but I am also picturing deer in the forest. We'll see what January brings.

The shadow box has a back door that opens and two LED tea lights can be inserted. The glow they provide is nice although I wish I could find LED's that didn't flicker!


Here is my first bit a decorating for the holidays. I had to set this up for photographing. It is the side table in my dining area.



I have made the cutting files available for purchase. They are at my sister site 3dcuts.com. The download includes them in svg, dxf, pdf, and png formats. It will work on Silhouette and Cricut cutters but this design has mostly large cuts so it could be made by hand for those of you with out cutting machines. A good exacto blade is required!

The on line tutorial for assembly is here: http://3dcuts.com/star-nativity-shadow-box-tutorial

Happy crafting everyone!

Marji

©2016 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Paper Crafts for Christmas • 2016

I have been having fun designing for Christmas again. It is a holiday that inspires my creative side. Here are a couple of the projects I have just completed.

Remember the card stock ladder I designed for Halloween. Where here it is working double time for Christmas.


  • These cutting files are available here.
  • Assembly tutorial is here


And I also added three new structures to Tea Light Village.  This one just gets better every year!

The new buildings include the Dormer House, Meeting Hall and Gazebo.
  • These cutting files are available here.
  • Assembly tutorial is here


Happy Holiday crafting everyone!



Friday, October 28, 2016

Wandering Wall • 2016

My husband and I were inspired by Andy Goldsworthy and the rocks on our land to embark on a project that took 77 days of work. We started last March and finished in July. Yes. I have been remiss in posting photos but yesterday we had our first snow flurries and.....




In the ravine below our home leading down to the stream we have built a stone wall snaking through the woods. Its twists and turns were determined by the trees that are there. It starts and stops in locations dictated by a dilapidated old field wall. It extends for over 800 feet and is about 30" high.


and it loved the snow!



Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Another SVG Cutting File for Halloween

Continuing with the skeleton theme here. Last week I shared my Haunted Caskets project. This week I took those same old bones and put them to work decorating for the season. Check out my latest project for paper crafters. Here is Haunted Ladders with Skeletons Decorating for Halloween.




Monday, September 26, 2016

Found Art • Always Look

Art and design are everywhere and once you open your eyes to it, you'll be amazed at what you see.  Certainly, using a camera and looking at the world through a viewfinder has helped me see things as compositions and not objects. It was back in my college days that I found this rusted spring in someone else's trash. I saw it as a dynamic line drawing, retrieved and have had it hanging in my living spaces ever sense.



It currently resides on the wall above the toilet in the bathroom.  It inspired me to keep my eyes open for similar treasures.  I am building yet another collection - this one of springs - to add to the humor and impact of it.






Wednesday, September 21, 2016

SVG file for Haunted Casket

This year the skeleton is my go to Halloween character. The first project is done and all the grandkids want one. Guess I'll be making three.


This spooky casket is designed to hold 2 optional LED tea lights to provide an eery internal glow. It can be displayed either vertically or horizontally and the skeleton can be arranged in any number of poses.  

The SVG cutting file is here - http://3dcuts.com/halloween
Complete assembly tutorial here - http://3dcuts.com/haunted-casket-tutorial



Friday, August 26, 2016

Heron Cove- SVG Cutting File in Paper

I designed another shadow box file this week. It is clearly an expansion on the theme I started last week. Did you see Loon Lake? This time I used a silhouetted heron as the focal point again displayed in a shadow box with a variety of backgrounds.



The backgrounds come with the file if you download it from 3dcuts. They are not included with the Silhouette SIL online store download. They are in jpg format. The top and bottom one are photographs from our trip to Iceland. The middle one I created using Illustrator. Love that gradient tool!

I have made the file available for purchase to other crafters on my sales website - 3dcuts.com 
The cutting file is available here:

And you can view the assembly tutorial here:


Check out my entire collection of shadow boxes here: http://3dcuts.com/shadow-boxes-nature-themes/

Which background do you like best?

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Loon Lake Shadow Box


Our family summer vacation inspired my latest shadow box. We rented a rustic lodge on a quiet lake in New Hampshire that is a loon sanctuary and spent our week swimming, kayaking and listening the the melodic call of the loons. It was a wonderful week and I came home and with a design idea to remember the special times. 
I also experimented with different backgrounds. Here are two more versions.

Loon Lake 3D Shadow Box is a four-layer shadow box. Each layer is created and then they are stacked together creating the illusion of greater depth.The construction techniques are basic 3D techniques and are clearly explained in the tutorial which is included in pdf format in the download. The tutorial can also be viewed online before purchase. The finished design is about 6.5 " square and all parts fit on 8.5 x 11" card stock.


The background paper can affect the impact of the design and it is a great place to experiment. I have included 3 jpg images with the download for you to choose from for the Loon Lake project. These papers can be printed for many uses, not just this shadow box.

Cutting file is available here: http://3dcuts.com/shadow-boxes-nature-themes
Assembly tutorial is here: http://3dcuts.com/loon-lake-tutorial

Happy crafting everyone!

Saturday, July 2, 2016

A New Twist on the Monogram

There is such a love for monogrammed items in the crafting world and that got me to thinking. It is time for a new style of monogram....... I just love the negative space created by letters and the design possibilities by replicating a letter multiple times. I combined that concept with rotation and came up with a new monogram idea....


I took every letter of the alphabet and created a unique radial design. I was amazed as each new pattern evolved - all made such interesting geometric shapes. So many a very tribal in feel.

But then I also incorporated the idea into the lid of a gift box. Here is an idea for a way to personalize a small gift.  Are you giving a gift card or money to someone but want to make it a little more personal? Present it in a gift box with their radial monogram on the lid.


This project is a great cutting machine project and an easy, beginner level 3D construction project. All 26 cutting files are available here and an assembly tutorial is here.

Happy crafting!



Monday, June 6, 2016

A Painter's Smock

This weekend I was reminded of a project I completed years ago - probably 30 years ago or so - back when our two daughters were young and heading off to school. They needed painting smock and I decided to make them each a special one designed and crafted by me. I saved those smocks and gifted them to my daughters as presents at their first baby showers back when they became parents. Yesterday was the birthday party of one four year old granddaughter and we gave her the Melissa and Doug easel because (in her words), "I just HAVE TO paint!" My daughter brought out the smock made for her about 30 years ago.


Handmade gifts tend to create special memories!

Friday, May 27, 2016

Lantern Banner Construction Set

I am still designing files for the Silhouette and Cricut cutting machine world.  This month I designed a paper lantern sized to fit a battery-operated LED tea light and then I made it into a banner.


But the neat part about this file is that the letters are interchangeable. You can switch them out for different celebrations. Happy birthday this month, Congratulations, next month.


I also created a couple of generic themes for patio tea light strings. Here is my Stars, perfect for the patriotic holidays......
And butterflies.....

Feel like paper crafting?  The files are available here, and the step-by-step assembly tutorial is here.

Happy crafting!

©2016 Marji Roy, Ashbee Design




Wednesday, May 25, 2016

IKEA Kura Loft Bed Hack

Time for another Gramzee IKEA hack. My grandson just got an IKEA Kura loft bed for his room. He needed more playspace and the lofted bed provides that but it also creates the opportunity for a neat hiding spot. There have been lots of different posts on how people have enclosed the space but I made an important discovery for this treatment.......


I used a standard fabric shower curtain 60" x 72" for the fabric. It was just about the perfect amount of fabric. Amazon has so many neat shower curtains and this space themed one was perfect for a seven year old boy.  And it cost only $20!
  • I cut the shower curtain in half horizontally and sewed velcro to the top of each half. 
  • I attached the other half of the velcro to the bottom edge of the bed. I used double stick carpet tape and then a staple gun to attach this.
  • The top half of the shower curtain fits across the large opening in the front.
  • The bottom half fits along the base and wraps around behind the ladder.
  • I then pinned up the bottoms and hemmed them to fit. 
  • I also created a slit door in the middle of the front but I don't think that was necessary.
Quick, simple and perfect for Taylor!

©2016 Marji Roy, Ashbee Design

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Group Photos

I spent some time today playing with group set ups of some of my paper crafting. I wanted to photograph them.  I am picturing some artsy photos that fill the screen - thinking of solutions for the banner image for my new business Facebook page.

First I worked with Ledge Village.


I have always photographed the village in a straight line so I tried working with some depth.

I then worked with a selection of the various trees I have made over the years. Interesting that I find the tree theme so inspirational.

And then I worked a little bit with my Alphabet Shadow Boxes. This was the theme I had hoped to use but I had such trouble setting them up. They are meant to be attached to a wall and don't stand on their own well. I snapped on picture before they all fell over.


I think I need to switch lenses and experiment with depth of field.  I guess I have more work to do. IN any case, my new Facebook pages is here. Come like me for more regular updates on paper project.

Friday, January 15, 2016

Ikebana Attempt

Flower arranging has never been a strength of mine - but I almost always have some flowers in the house. I had some left over orchid stems from a larger arrangement that were still beautiful so I tried a new arrangement.


I do believe the secret to flower arranging is having the right container! We purchase this one years ago at a craft show. It is a beauty.
©2016 Marji Roy, Ashbee Design

Thursday, January 7, 2016

I have been busy with my paper design again. This week has been heart inspirations. These can be used for either Valentine's Day or wedding centerpieces. I showed my Scandinavian routes with these straight-forward heart designs.

First a wreath.....


Then some trees........



Then combine the two!


The cutting files are available here and
 the tutorials are posted here and here.

©2016 Marji Roy, Ashbee Design

Sunday, January 3, 2016

A New View.... Drone Photography

Do you remember the 587 foot stonewall I built back in 2008-2011? I photographed it and blogged about it here and here.  Over the holidays my daughter and husband spent some time flying their drone over our home and taking photographs from new angles. I especially loved this one of my stone wall.



I love this photograph and the texture of the trees. The stonewall starts in the lower left, turns right and continues out of the frame in the upper right. It is a long stonewall! If you look carefully you can see the top of our sculpture creation from Sculpture Week 2015. I never blogged about that but it is on my to-do list.

Previous Posts of Interest:
©2016 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy