Insta-Cube Card and Applying Heat Transfer to Card

I'm always excited when there is a new style of card in the Silhouette Design Store. The new Insta-cube cards by Lori Whitlock are small folded cards powered by a rubber band. When you pull a card from its decorated sleeve it pops up to form a cube. I know a couple who are expecting their first baby later in the year, so I selected the baby version and think it will make a lovely keepsake.

To make the card extra special I gave some of the elements (giraffe, heart and the 'B' in baby) a fluffy texture to make the card and sleeve extra tactile. I used flocked heat transfer vinyl, but felt or speciality flocked paper could be used instead.

I've also used the newest version of Silhouette Studio, version 4, and included some extra screenshots to help you out in case you're not sure where things are located in the new version.

What You'll Need
Medium-weight card for the base
Printable Cardstock
Coloured or patterned card/paper
Rubber band (about 2.75"/ 70 mm)
Strong double-sided adhesive tape
Baby Insta-Cube Card file by Lori Whitlock #198865
Iron or Heat Press
Printer 



Step 1: Regular Cut

Open the file from the library onto the virtual mat.

Ungroup the design and move the small pieces aside. Change your page and mat settings if necessary. I wanted to cut the base pieces (grey here) from A3 cardstock so I changed the settings in the Page Setup window to A3 media and the 12" x 24" cutting mat. The Page Setup panel appears automatically when you open the software. If it is no longer there you can bring it back by clicking on the first button.

Rearrange the pieces to fit, and rotate if necessary. The rotation tools are still accessible though the main menu > Object > Rotate, but also through the Transform button/panel, Rotate tab. Of course, now you can have more than one panel open at a time, you can keep both panels displayed and even move them outside the Silhouette window.

(Optional) Ungroup the parts and recolour the dashed lines so that different cut settings can be applied.

To access the Cut Settings, select the Send option and select your media in the Material tab. The settings for the media are displayed and can be adjusted at the bottom left.

Move on to the Action Tab to make cut setting selections in 'Simple' mode, or in 'Cut By Line' (I cut the dashed lines with the ratchet blade at a lower setting).

Click Next, or move to the Send tab and select Start to commence cutting.

Separate out the other coloured cut pieces and cut them in your chosen colours and/or patterns.



Step 2: Print and Cut

I decided to put the Print & Cut function though it's paces, so placed and edited the other pieces together so they could be printed rather than cutting out all those small pieces. Fill the designs with colours and patterns.

Set your Page size appropriate to your media (as above for regular cut), and then add registration marks. These now have their own tab in the Page Set Panel.

Make an alternative sentiment label if required. I did one to demonstrate but didn't use it in my finished card. I used LW Cheerful and LW Title fonts. They weren't exactly the same, but close enough at this size I think.
Type as usual; using the Text Tool (on the left) and edit the font and size by opening the Text Style panel.

In the main menu, check that File > Print Page Setup is set to the correct size for the media, and then send to print (main menu > File > Print).  Before you click print, check that your settings are not set to borderless (or your printer's equivalent) or the Print & Cut won't align.

Once printed, cut on the mat using your normal settings for the card used.



Step 3: Using Heat Transfer Material

Sort out the pieces that you are going to cut from heat transfer. Remember that heat transfer elements need to be flipped (Object > Mirror > Flip Horizontal) or use the new Replicate panel (shown below).  

Turn off the registration marks and under the Send tab, select the 'Heat Transfer - Flocked' option from the media list.  I usually reduce the Thickness (pressure) setting, but you should carry out a test cut if you haven't cut this media before.

Place your heat transfer material shiny side to the mat and cut your pieces and then weed (remove the bits you don't need).  Separate the pieces and iron, or heat press them on to the places that you want them. Use a lower setting than normal and allow to cool before carefully peeling off the backing. You'll find details on my earlier post where heat transfer is applied to leatherette. You may need to encourage the flock to separate from the backing with a flat tool, and hold down the part that has separated against the card, and fold the backing back on itself to pull it away (don't pull it straight up from the card). A heat press isn't necessary, but it does a better job of applying heat evenly so that your base card doesn't scorch.

Step 4: Decoration and Assembly

Lori has provided a video tutorial on how to assemble the card. Follow the link from the card's listing in the Silhouette Design Store and search Insta-cube to locate it.
 
This is such a fun card and the added fuzzy elements make it extra special. Let me know how you get on if you try one of these cards or use the heat transfer on card technique in the comments below.  



Bye for now,

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