Macrame Gnome Earring File and Cancer Update

 

Hello all!  Sorry I haven't posted in a few days but I've been busy creating some new earring files to list in my Etsy shop.  I made these adorable macrame Santa earrings and they'be been really popular.

So I decided to make a set of gnomes too and I think they turned out pretty stinking cute!  The file is set up to score the gnome's nose and the bottom of his hat.  This makes painting easy!  you can peel the masking off the part you are painting and you don't have to worry about going outside of the lines because the rest of the masking is still in place.  You can really get creative with the hat and paint or engrave a design in it.  I'm thinking a heart for Valentine's Day, snowflake for Christmas, shamrock for St. Patrick's Day, etc.  These really aren't my style but macrame earrings are really trending (think Boho).  

I used white embroidery floss for these and cut them to about 5 inch lengths.  Each section has 3 strands of embroidery floss, doubled when you make a larks head knot for each section.  I just made these for display purposes but if you are going to wear/sell them (and why wouldn't you?), you would probably want to put a dab of glue on the back of each knot so they don't come undone.

Also, this may be the last post for awhile because next Tuesday (Dec 1st) I will be having surgery to remove the tumor and a big section of my colon/rectum.  I met with the surgeon last week and he stated the surgery could take up to 6 hours.  They are going to try to do it robotically but if they run into complications they will have to open me up.  Obviously I would prefer robotically because there will be smaller incisions and easier recovery.  Hoping for the best!  I will be in the hospital for 3-5 days and due to Covid I can't have any visitors!  Once they wheel me into the OR, I won't see my family again until they pick me up at the front door 3-5 days later.  I have to say, I am a little terrified.  I'm not afraid of the surgery or even the pain.  I am worried that the recovery will take too long and I won't enjoy Christmas.  But it needs to be done and I will be glad to have it behind me.

Ok, now for the reason you are all here, the freebie.  I have had a few comments on facebook that some people cannot download my files.  I would suspect it is because your browser is blocking it.  It is a direct download from Google Drive.  If you cannot download it, please try allowing pop-ups or try a different browser.  Hopefully that will allow you to download them!

Download the Macrame Gnome Earring File HERE

If you don't have a Glowforge but would like to make these cute earrings, I sell the blanks in my Etsy Shop.

I also sell the Santa wood blanks!

3D Snowflake Earrings - Free Laser File

Happy Saturday everyone!  It's starting to get cold here in Illinois and although we haven't had any real snowfall yet we all know it's coming soon!  I had some fun creating thse little 3D snowflake earrings and I think they really turned out cute!  There are two different versions in the .zip file.  There is one for proofgrade acrylic and one for 1/8" wood or other brands of acrylic that might be a little thicker.  After they are cut you have two pieces.  I painted these and added a bit of glitter:

The wood version has a bigger slot and depending on your materials there may be a little bit of leeway when you piece them together.  I just use one of these tiny brushes and add superglue to the area in red before I slide them together to secure them.

Then you just need to add your hardwear and they're ready to wear!  I hope you enjoy them!  Commercial Use is OK with this file!

DOWNLOAD THE FREE 3D SNOWFLAKE EARRING FILE HERE

 

Happy Veteran's Day! Free Laser File

 

Hello and thank you to all Veterans out there!  I appreciate you all year but today is your day!  I created another free sign file today for the occasion.  This one is about 11ish by 6ish inches but of course you can make it any size!  Probably the only thing I hate more than painting is gluing a bunch of tiny pieces and trying to get them lined up correctly on the backer board.  So this one is all one piece!

Just cut, paint or stain and glue.  Easy peasy.  I didn't add hardware to hang it because I was just going to lean this one.

Included in the .zip is a distressed Veteran flag that would be better suited for engraving.  I didn't have time to engrave it but here's a mockup I did in Photoshop.

Thanks for reading and enjoy!  Commercial Use allowed with this file!

Download the Veteran Flag File HERE

***********  Edited to Add **********

What to do with 50 tiny stars? 

Add tiny earring posts to them and make cute star studs!

Hello Fall Sign - Free Laser File

Hello and welcome back!  I realize it's early November and everyone is selling and making Christmas files.  I do have some Christmas files I will share with you very soon.  But it is still fall so today I am sharing a little sign file I made recently.  You can make it any size you want but the file is set up for a sign that is a little over 8.5 inches.  It will just take one sheet of Glowforge size plywood but I used two different boards for my sign.  

I bought these dry erase lapboards back in June with the hope that somehow they would work for sublimation.  They didn't.  But they are a nice size for the glowforge as most dry erase boards at the big box stores are too big to fit in the glowforge and have to be cut smaller with a table saw.  They're 9" x 12" and are 1/8 thick.  I masked the front and back with my favorite masking tape.  The brand I use is Tape Man Blue and it is comparable to Vinyl Ease which I have also used.  But you get 300 ft with the Tape Man Blue Brand vs 100 ft for the Vinyl Ease, which makes Tape Man a better value.  I apply the tape and use my handy pizza dough roller as a brayer to adhere the tape well to the board.

I uploaded my file to the Glowforge UI and ignore all of the steps on the "fall" section as I'm working with the "hello" part right now.  The shiplap lines and hello are set to engrave and the outer square is set to cut.  I use "set focus" on the middle of my board.  I then set the hello and the shiplap lines to engrave  and the outer square is set to cut.  I use thick draftboard proofgrade for engraving and my cut settings were:

Speed - 125

Power - Full

Passes - 2

After cutting with the above settings, you will probably notice quite a bit of char on the edges.  I use a paper towel and wipe all the char off really good before I remove the masking.  

Then I cut the fall section using baltic birch plywood I purchased from Woodpeckers on Amazon.  

I didn't mask because I had planned on painting it a dark color.  

In the Glowforge UI, I set the hello steps to ignore and the fall frame has three steps:

The fall frame (black) and the little rectangles (blue) should be set to cut and the red lines set to score.  This gives the frame a mitered look.  I'll explain the little rectangles soon.  I use Proofgrade basswood settings to cut the frame out.  I then stained it with expresso color chalk paint.

Since the dry erase board is so hard, you will need something a little softer to attach your hanger on the back.  This is where the little rectangles come in.  On the back of the whiteboard line up the piece containing the rectangles with the top of the whiteboard.  These handy clips are useful for clamping thin boards in place.

Then glue the rectangles to the board, using the scrap as a guide.  I use Gorilla superglue for this.

A few minutes later you can remove the template scrap.  The little rectangles are lined up nicely on the back of the board and ready to attach your hardware or hanger.  I used a wired jute rope and my staple gun to attach the hanger but you could also use d-ring hangers and your choice of ribbon or rope.

When your fall frame is dry you can glue it on the backer.  I again used Gorilla glue for that and my little clips to hold it in place.  

Then all you have to do is hang it!  If it will be exposed to the elements and the sun you will probably want to spray it with a sealer.  My porch is pretty protected so I skipped that step.

What do  you think?  It's a quick easy fall project and I had fun making and designing it!  The fonts used are About Love and Life Savers.  The file comes in .svg and pdf formats and commercial use is allowed.

Download the Free Hello Fall Sign file HERE