Importing EPS Files and Reducing Nodes

by | Jan 29, 2009 | Breaking Path, EPS Files, Free Videos, Reducing Nodes


The other day, at one of the KNK Yahoo groups, I posted some new links to web sites with free vector graphics. Kylee, one of the group members, contacted me asking for some help with how to import and use these images. She had chosen one of the free files, which is TRULY a jewel to find! Above is a beautiful set of ornamental designs by Garcya available at:

Designus – Free Ornamental Design

So, Kylee wanted to know how to pick just one of the images to cut. So, I made a quick video showing the process and, at the same time, decided to add in a little bit on reducing nodes and also simplifying the image. Enjoy and let me know if you have questions!

ImportingEPSImages

Magic Mesh and the Klic-N-Kut MAXX

by | Jan 24, 2009 | Magic Mesh, MAXX

Happy New Year! Sorry it’s been so long since I posted. Many of my new customers received KNK’s for Christmas and I’ve been busy helping them get acquainted with their new machines. I have a healthy list of blog topics from the readers here, but before I get started on those, I wanted to show all of you some creations I made with cutting Magic Mesh on a MAXX back in early December.

First off, I’m sure many of the scrapbookers and cardmakers here are very familiar with Magic Mesh since it’s been around for a number of years. For other readers here, it’s a mesh product with a repositionable adhesive backing. You cut it with scissors and adhere it onto paper and cardstock for adding embellishment to your designs. Originally it came in 3″ wide rolls and in a range of colors. More recently, the Magic Mesh company has begun selling a thinner, softer version in 6″ rolls AND in 12″ x 12″ sheets:

A sampling of these newer versions was sent to me by the Magic Mesh company for testing on the KNK MAXX and did I ever have fun cutting this stuff!

The 12″ x 12″ sheets come attached to a backing paper and I left the backing paper on during cutting. It successfully cut at a setting of 80 and in a single pass. For the 6″ rolls, I used scissors to first cut and apply a 6″ x 8.5″ sample to a sheet of cardstock and then I used MAXX to cut out my shapes, thus cutting through the Magic Mesh and cardstock at the same time. For this process, I used the same pressure, but used two passes. In both cases, the results were fabulous:

The Magic Mesh words cut at the top and the two samples below were both cut from the 12″ x 12″ sheets. Then I also cut other shapes from regular cardstock and either applied them above or below the Magic Mesh cutting:


And my favorite….

This shows the rolled Magic Mesh having been cut and pressed to a sheet of cardstock first. The small rectangle is the test cut I always make to ensure the settings are correct:

And then, I designed a welded letter title and cut it out… again, both layers being cut at once:

For those of you with older KNK’s, you will also be able to get the same results. I did find it both faster and easier to have the Magic Mesh applied to the cardstock first. Otherwise you’re needing to align the mesh cutting with your cardstock cutting and that can be a bit tricky. I did learn to use Un-Du to temporarily disable the stickiness of the mesh during the alignment and that helped a lot. Yet another great use for Un-Du! : )

To purchase Magic Mesh, check your local crafting stores or you can order it on-line at their site:
Magic Mesh Web Site

Mud Puddles for CeCe!

by | Dec 28, 2008 | Designing, Free Videos, Mud Puddles - Designing, Transformation


A while back, CeCe asked me if I knew how to design a mud puddle in KNK Studio. Now, I knew that I could just show how to use the freehand tool and simply draw one. But most users, including me, aren’t that crazy about freehand drawing unless we are tracing an existing image. So, off and on, I had been thinking about how to design one easily in KNK Studio. Finally, this morning, it hit me. While I knew the key was using Transform>Transformation, I wasn’t getting the look I wanted from any of the shapes I chose at the start: circle, oval, star, rounded rectangle, etc. Then it just suddenly came to me that I hadn’t tried modifying a star before applying the transformation. Bingo! It resulted in exactly the look I had in my mind… which is somewhat similar to the Sizzix Splats die. Anyhow, here’s a quick video to show you how I created the ones you see above. Note that the possibilities are endless in terms of all of the possible looks. Just try using more or less points on your star.
Making a Mud Puddle Video

Roy G Biv

by | Dec 18, 2008 | AI Files, Designing, Fan Shape Tool, Free Files, Free Videos, Rainbows - Designing

Once again, Carol has come up with a FUN KNK Studio request! What’s the easiest way to make a rainbow? Well, there are probably three or four different ways to achieve this… thus this could be Part 1 in several posts about rainbows. We’ll have to see. But the method that came to my mind is not bad and creates the rainbow in a fairly easy, methodical, manner using the Fan shape. Basically you just create one fan, and then start duplicating it and modifying two settings up in the Smart Bar, along with recoloring each fan, as you go.

Making a Rainbow

For those who would rather just have the file, here’s a link to download it. Also note that I will be converting all of my files to both .ai and .svg for those who own other cutters and would like to have some of the files I make:

Rainbow File in KNK Format
Rainbow File in AI Format

Now, regarding Roy G Biv… I hadn’t heard that acronym in 20 years! But I found it this morning when I was searching the Internet for the order of the colors in a rainbow: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet.

Let’s Grow Some Grass!

by | Dec 17, 2008 | Free Videos, Grass - Designing, Polyarc

Carol B contacted me last night and was interested in designing her own grass. I just LOVE these designing requests, although I’m still muddling over how to create a simply mud puddle for CeCe! lol But I’ll figure it out one of these days.

The video shows how to design the type of grass I show above. If anyone has an example of a different look, then send it to me and I’ll possibly come up with an alternate method. Definitely play with this one, though, as it’s simple, quick, and may just provide some ideas for other designs. Let me know!

Designing Grass Video