Home-made spray glue

Found a how-to about home-made spray glue!!!
I'll try it out once I get through the storms... Spray glue is superb when applying glitter.

http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/spritz-glue

Etsy

Have been seeking online articles about selling on Etsy... Got some nice reads to share with you.

Etsy marriage - working with a "partner"
http://www.handmadeology.com/etsy-marriage-a-unique-approach-to-increasing-etsy-sales/

Etsy marriage team - here to join! For looking for "partners"
https://www.etsy.com/teams/8733/etsy-marriage/discuss/6855010/page/6

Avatar photo: does it matter?
http://www.onthedotcreations.com/2009/05/your-etsy-avatar-does-it-really-matter.html

Etsy banner design tips
http://icraftopia.com/2013/02/the-nuts-and-bolts-to-etsy-banners/

10 really useful tips
http://www.squidoo.com/10-tips-for-etsy-sellers
http://www.handmadeology.com/10-real-tips-for-successfully-selling-on-etsy/

10 common mistakes of etsy sellers
http://iramency.hubpages.com/hub/10-Common-Etsy-Seller-Mistakes

Watch out! Scan N Cut Canvas treats broken line as solid line

Half an hour ago I just found out another shocking fact about Scan N Cut Canvas..

I am using Inkscape to make a cut file for a gift box. I want some line to be broken lines so I select those lines then choose "broken line" in the stroke properties. I opened the final svg in Internet Explorer afterwards to make sure everything looks as normal as what I saw in Inkscape. 

Here comes the surprise. After uploading the svg file to Scan N Cut canvas, I found that it doesn't know stroke properties. In another word, even if your svg file has broken line and you see it standing there, Scan N Cut still considers it as a solid straight line. 

In the end I am doing it the "backward" way. Space out short little lines so that scan N Cut could convert it to fcm file. 

It is indeed a blow. 

Inkscape tutorials

I tried to read the tutorials/manual that came with the Inkscape software but it made me doze off so I hunted down some videos instead. This guy created a series of Inkscape tutorials which were very well elaborated and in HD. I get stuck with curves but the videos did help.

Basics - 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUIOEXssTSE

Tutorial 4 - 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qqTAjBaeJ01

Clean the cap too!

Sunshine is rare here so I'm grasping all chances to finish off as much photo stuffs as possible these two days (yes only two days of sunshine in I don't know how long)! My camera lens catches on some dust after use which is totally normal but I noticed that the lens cap could be the culprit too! 

The plastic cap carries quite some electrostatics, which love dusts. While shooting a photo the cap is either on the table or in my pockets. Dust sneaks into the cap! 

So I decided that apart from blowing dusts off the lens, it is a good idea to blow dust off the inside of the lens cap too. 

How to make Asian paper fan of 2 inches width

Fan is something invented in ancient Asia when there was no air conditioning. Nowadays paper fan is still used in daily life. If you look at the Japanese luxury paper you always find fan in the design. 

Here is a tutorial of how to make a paper fan. It could be used for your crafty projects which goes well with a tint of Asian element. 

Equipment: 

Scoring board

Embossing tool or a mechanic pencil with removed lead stick

Paper (anything but thick cardstock) 

scissors

glue

pencil 

Step1) Cut out a piece of paper - 5cm X 7cm. This will make a fan of width ~ 2 inches

Step2) Score it at 1/4 inch intervals. 

Step3) Fold it and make a crease. 

Step4) Mark with pencils - on the the first segment as shown in this picture. 

Step 5) Cut out the corners, including your pencil markings. 

Step 6) Fold according to the scored lines. 

Step 7) Remember in step 3 you made a crease? Do it again to strengthen it. Then apply glue at the gates as shown. Squeeze the two gates together. 

Step8) Almost done. Still needa do some strengthening. 

Step9) The lower folds could still be a bit lose. Apply a drop of glue at the center. 

Step10) Squeeze it real hard. Finished!! 

The end are flat surface for applying double sided tape or glue. Perfect for card making!!

Hope it helps. :) 

Vector Graphics

I'm a vector graphic dummy. A complete idiot outside MS Paint. 

I hate to bug my designer friends as it takes so much effort to design a logo... So I'm trying to make use of free stuffs online and work some magic.. 

Look what I've found: 

1) Inkscape - a free tool for making vector graphics. The software comes with tutorials. 

2) http://www.japanvector.com/   -  Free japanese vector graphics!! They're very beautiful and they allow free downloads for personal use or commercial use (most of the graphics).

3) https://kuler.adobe.com/create/color-wheel/  - Awesome colorwheel. Very easy to use.