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Monday, June 4, 2012

So Berry Sorry! (plus Video Tutorial: How to use Release Compound Path)




A few months ago, I was introduced to Bountiful Baskets Food Co-op, a volunteer-run produce co-op. At first I participated by buying my fruits and vegetables through it, and then Hubby and I started volunteering. Once a week on "Basket Day", we would help unload the produce truck and distribute the fresh produce into baskets. It was all super fun until one morning when I accidentally dropped a flat of strawberries. :-(


I was horrified when the berries hit the ground but the Volunteer Site Coordinator (VSC) didn't even bat an eyelid. She waved it off with a "Oh, that happens all the time!", and a "No worries! I ordered a flat so I'll just take these." . We inspected every berry and even though they all still looked good, I felt really bad. Strawberries bruise easily and while they looked beautiful on site, no one knew how the fallen berries would look once they were brought home. So right after distribution, I went straight to Starbucks, got a gift card, and went home to make a card.


I found the perfect SVG to use when I saw the strawberry from the Lettering Delights Oishii SVG set. The problem was it looked happy. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be smiling if it was one of those that I dropped so I modified the layers to make it look sad.

To see how I used the Release Compound Path command to modify the strawberry, please click here to watch my video tutorial.



 
The two faceless strawberries in the card were cut and pasted from the first berry. I had also used the Release Compound Path command to remove the face. I added a thin offset to make an outline for each berry so that they do not blend into each other.

The fonts used for the sentiment are LD Trainer Vertical and the LD Scruffy Personality. I added a rectangle to frame the card front and adhered the unhappy berry with foam tape for a 3D look.


The VSC was very surprised when I handed her the card and giftcard last Saturday. I don't think that anyone had given her anything for accepting mishandled produce before. She was swamped by people waiting to collect their baskets so I left before she had a chance to open the envelope. I hope that the berries turned out alright after all and if not, that my card/giftcard made up for it.

You don't have to drop anyone's strawberries to make this card. If there is a reason for you to say sorry to anyone at all, just make something with this unhappy berry. How could anyone stay mad if they saw this face? I sure couldn't! Could you?




15 comments :

  1. Awww it looks soooo sad but what a lovely gesture Jin.

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  2. your too sweet:-) great video tutorial, already looking forward to the next one, hint! hint!! I think those strawberries would have made a lovely jam!

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    1. I think jam too! In fact many of us bought a flat or two of strawberries to make jam but my kids ate most of them before I got a chance. LOL. I'm glad you enjoyed the tutorial. Thanks! :)

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  3. You know what? This doesn't surprise me at all. Not that you dropped the strawberries but that you felt so bad about it that you bought her a gift card and made this cute card. I bet she was gobsmacked!

    I can't make strawberry jam. My 16 yo eats all the strawberries before I ever get a chance. Sometimes I manage to make strawberry shortcake though, which is also yummy, since it doesn't need as many strawberries.

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    1. Seriously? 16? How did your little girl become 16 already?!

      Btw, don't be surprised but I do have butter fingers. Being clumsy by nature doesn't help either. :P

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  4. Thank you for the tutorial, Jin! You made me confident enough to buy my Cameo knowing that you had so many wonderful tutorials available... Again, thank you!!

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    1. You are very welcome! I hope that my tutorials help. :-)

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  5. This is so cute, Jin! Wow, I'd want you to drop my strawberries just to get this card. I would love to try this one.

    I have a question...I have a laser printer, and it's not liking cardstock being fed through it. Can you recommend a good printer for printing on cardstock? Thank you for your help!

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    1. I have a Samsung Color laser printer but I don't use it for papercrafting very much. Instead, my Canon PIXMA MP495 Wireless Inkjet Photo All-In-One Printer get a workout almost on a daily basis. :-)

      For 12" x 12" papers, I use my Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II Inkjet Photo Printer.

      Hope that helps!

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  6. Even though the strawberry is sad, it is still pretty cute. I love Bountiful Baskets. Because of them my family is eating healthier and we have all lost weight. I don't know what I would do without them. Thank you for sharing your talents with all of us.

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    1. I know! I love Bountiful Baskets. There are some "off" days when the produce are not that great but still, I love what I get on most days. I have tried several new fruits and vegetables since my first basket and I'm loving the experience. :)

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  7. Thanks so much for your instructions on the silhouette. I am lost with this and searching everywhere for help on how to use the machine.

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  8. I know this is an older post, but I feel the same as the poster ahead of me (Pam). I have a Silhouette Cameo that's been sitting here for two weeks and I've made nothing with it. I just don't know where to start. My sister's birthday is coming up and I really want to make her a card. I just don't know how. Is there a card template? I see what you did with the berry card, but I'm not sure of placement or anything like that. Obviously, you have to cut it out with enough room to fold it, but how big do you make it? You have a lot of great tutorials, but at this stage of the game they are above my head a bit. Do you have one that just explains how to make a card from start to finish?
    That being said, all that I've found on your blog has been a huge help to me. It is giving me somewhat of an idea of what the offset is, and how you take the layers apart, etc. Thank you so much for putting this all up here. And btw, all of your creations are exquisite! Thanks!

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    1. Hi Vicki, Thanks for your comment. I realize that that are many who have recently just found my blog and are unsure of which tutorial to start. I've made so many! I agree with you that a lot of the tutorials are geared towards those readers who are already familiar with cutting machines. I appreciate your note and I will work on a easy-to-understand card tutorial for newbies. Please stay tuned. :-)

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