Visual Designs by Chris

Chris Durnan

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Last day to grab those early bird files

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They are getting ready to fly away!!

 

Today is the last day the early bird files will be offered with the Quarterly Membership Club.

This membership promises 20+, in the past there has been 29, if you add these 4early bird files.

That is a lot of membership and files with lots of cuts for $10.00

 

You can join here…  http://www.visualdesignsbychris.com/store/product.php?productid=17854

 

If you want to see more info about the files and details visit here.

 

http://visualdesignsbychris.blogspot.com/2011/04/april-june-2011-qmc-is-up-grab-those.html

 

For those who have joined already thank you!! For those just about to .. welcome..

 

For those wondering about files in membership.. here are some unsolicited testimonials from my QMC members.

 

THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

 

"After the agony of trying to cut a title/sentiment file this weekend which must have had 1000 or more nodes, (from a designer from another store, not from VDBC) I can’t wait to get more of your easy-to-cut files, Chris. Thanks for all the effort you put into editing the nodes! It really makes a difference for me." – Lisa

 

“Yours was the first membership I ever joined, in fact your files were the first I ever had that didn’t come from the Silhouette store! Your memberships are the BEST, as are the files in your store.” – Vicki

 

“I HAD to have the membership NOW! I’m very impatient when it comes to getting you membership clubs! ROFLOL Love, love, LOVE what you have already!!!! Beautiful files, ladies…go see….go see!!!!!!” – Sue

 

“Glad to see I’m not the only one that loves Chris’s files.” – Ginger

 

THANK YOU as always to my MEMBERS! You are the best.

 

Enjoy!

Chris

www.visualdesignsbychris.com

 

weird but true: Tomatoes

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I am in a weird mood. Maybe because I am stressed about my coughing kiddo. Missing the hubby who is at work and I just wanna play hookie for a day. Or just because it’s one of those days when I am in a weird mood where I ponder weird things. So here is my weird moment…

 

I love Tomatoes. I don’t like the skin. Is that bizarre? I always get looks. I buy tomatoes and eat one every day for lunch. I love heirloom tomatoes. A good tomato sits on the counter and warms up before you eat it. A better tomato is fresh from the garden. (hard to get hear with the heat and the birds, and varmints) Mozarella tomato and balsamic vinegar yum. Tomatoes under the broiler on a piece of gluten free toast with a little cheese on top. Yum. Spaghetti rice Noodles with olive oil, feta cheese, turkey sausage cut up in chunks, chopped green onions and you guessed it… tomatoes. Oh double whammy yum for a delish meal. But the skin ugh. I don’t like it at all. I plant cherry tomatoes because folks can grab them and go. My kiddo loves them in that way. Me I am not a fan of the cherry tomato. Why? Because well… you guessed it… to much skin!

 

 

Have a fantastic day!

 

Enjoy!

Chris

 

 

Digi LO: Butter Cookies – 2 pages

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A page for the Christmas baking digi book I am making for Christmas gifts this year.  My family gets together every November to kick off the Christmas season with a full day of baking.  That is when the season’s weight gain begins.  We have the obligation to gain 5 pounds over Christmas holiday, right?  LOL  This page was fun with all the photos on it.  Love the one of Sierra and my dad.  He doesn’t really help, he just harrasses – so he deserves whatever they dish out.  *wink* 
 
Supplies:
Christmas Whimsy kit by Suzy Q Scraps that was purchased at scraporchard.com
Free brush kit from Brusheezy.com called starwaltflourish
CDStamp001 Better Watch Out Digi stamp availble through visualdesignsbychris.com:  http://www.visualdesignsbychris.com/store/product.php?productid=16602&cat=0&page=1

~Angie~ (Missouri)
~I am blessed!!~

Visual Designs by Chris Creative Team Member
http://www.visualdesignsbychris.com

The April-June 2011 QMC is up. grab those early bird files!!

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Current January through March files are listed at the bottom of this email.

Please download all 29 by April 15th. These files will be available in the store

For those who have not purchase the Jan-Mar membership already.

Please visit the forum or 4shared and download your files.

__________________________________________

Thank you so much for all the emails asking me where the April-June Membership!!

Every one of them made me smile from ear to ear! You really are an awesome group!

Which is now up in the store. Join in the next few days and you will also got the bonus files shown below…

Early Bird Bonus file… 4 of the…

Summer Fun Mini Album for a journal or mini scrapbook. Two styles, one with 2011 and one without.

Swimsuit Season with a title, Swim border, and stylized sun.

2 butterfly card fronts… very stylized and easy for quick gifts

2 fancy flower edges.. great for a vinyl cut, etching, or the side of a garden scrapbook page. Easy cut and versatile.

And “the perks 2011” is open to current members. This is any free files from 2011 I post on my blog and have taken down from there. They are posted in the perks section for downloading.

You can join here.

Early Bird Files for the first few days in store shown below. Download immediately from store after purchase.

If you’d like to join, jump in here.

And thank you again for everyone who does. You support my passion of creating cutter files and my family.

While you are in the store… Visit the Grab Bag for April. It is full of 3D items and lots of cuts.

For only $7.00

___The list of Jan-Mar QMC Files for members of 1st quarter. Please download by April 15th ____

You must have purchased membership already to download.

1. CD00807 – Tending my Heart 
2. CD00806 – Heart Card Fronts 806 
3. CD00809 – Your Smiles Make 
4. CD00808(_2) – Love Bird Card Set 
5. CD00811 – Groovy 
6. CD00814 – Fun Gals Group 1 
7. CD00813 – Fun Gals Group 2 
8. CD00816 – HUnting & Fishing 
9. CD00815 – Cupcake Wrapper Football 
10. CD00817 – Pram Set 
11. CD00818 – Mr. Blockhead 
12. CD00819 – Shamrock Set 
13. CD00820 – Good luck goodie bag 
14. CD00824 – Fancy Birdcage 
15. CD00822 – Frogs Rule 
16. CD00827 – Dinosaur 
17. CD00823 – Flower Moments 
18. CD00826 – Elephant under a Rainbow 
19. CD00825 – Fancy Tall Cards 
20. CD00828 – Identity Crisis 
21. CD00831 – Familyt that/penguins 
22. CD00829 – My heart is filled with Clover 
23. CD00830 – Heart Hands 
24. CD00832 – Senioritis 
25. CD00833 – ABC- IloveU 

26. CD00834 – Runners Club 
27. CD00835 – New Car New Ride 
28. CD00839 – Dancing across the page 
29. CD00840 – Fleur de lis 

Yeah for 7 years old!

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Today is my 7 year old’s birthday! He is such a joy in our life.(and yes this is his new silly grin, he is trying to show off how his new tooth is coming in. hahah) I asked him what he wanted for his “birthday dinner”. His reply was Ra! Sushi. Well this is a bit of a drive from us on a school night, so we have setup plans for another day to get some Sushi with friends! Yeah! But 2nd choice was El Charro Café. So we shall be enjoying some yummy mexi-food for dinner to celebrate. And Celebrate we did on Saturday. No Matter the weather. And it was freezing freezing. We live in Arizona and for the most part I would think warm, but last Saturday was rain and cold about 40 degrees. In the a.m., my little one and I were worried not many would come, but by mid afternoon we had a full house filled with warmth and laughter and whenever the rain let up the fire was going with s’mores and the kids ran around like crazy. By the evening, some of us watched a movie with the kids others still hung out by the fire. So wonderful. Thank you to everyone who came and as usual those who couldn’t I totalllllly get it. It was chilly willy.

 

Happy Birthday to my kiddo. Truly we are blessed to have him in our lives.

 

Enjoy!

Chris

Fish Story

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I have used a couple of Chris’s gorgeous files in this layout. Recently my hubby and son went out for the day to test out our newly repaired Tinny (small aluminium boat). They were out for a long time with no success and just as they were about to pack it in, a couple of guys showed them their catch and directed them to a new spot to try. Apparently they couldn’t pull them in fast enough. We have more fish than I have ever seen and…. for the first time ever, Gary caught some fish we could eat! (and they are yummy too)
 
I have used CD00240 – Fish Jumble and CD00316 – Fish Stories for this layout. As I create digitally, styles and textures have been added to the cutter files. Layout created in PSCS3.
 
Thanks for looking,
 
caz

KNK Retreat Announcement!

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I am posting this KNK retreat info on my blog and forum because I have had so many emails asking me about the KNK recently (and because I have one of these machines so I can speak personally of its use.). Part of this I think is because of the Make the Cut changes and some of this is because of the ever growing need for those of us passionate about machines to want to grow and expand. I have been to one of these retreats and if it works out and comes to the Arizona area, I will attend again. I purchased a KNK many many years ago and it is a big yellow beast as I call it. It runs all the time and gets put through its paces. I am looking toward an upgrade in  my near future, but more on that later. For those of you interested this is a class limited to 20 participants, if you would like more info you can visit Sandy’s site. http://www.iloveknk.com/ (And if you are interested in the machine visit Sandy’s site, I know she has a slide show of all the things she has cut on their somewhere. This is important for all those  who run a business as well. )
If you are serious about the full use of your machine, this is a great way to get started, refresh and get lots of time with your cutter.
I took my hubby to the retreat I attended. Well he came with the little one to hang out at the hotel. Having him there to ooh and ahh over the bigger machine and what it can do just made me grin from ear to ear.  Let’s face it folks. Guys like tools. And this is the ultimate male + woman bonding collection a paper cutter that looks like a real tool/machine. Haha. My craft robo was such a let down for my hubby. My KNK beast came and my hubby said “that is a machine, Nice!” woohoo!
Enough yacking from me. Here is the information.  
Come join us in Columbus, Ohio for a weekend filled with Klic-N-Kut classes, demo’s, and loads of fun!
Event: “Explore Your Klic-N-Kut – Columbus Retreat!”

Date: Friday, June 3, 2011- 4:00 pm – Sunday, June  5, 2011-1:00 pm
The cost of the retreat, excluding hotel, is $395. For this price, you receive 5 excellent meals, free goodies, 6 – 7 classes, 3 – 4 demos, class notes and files, dozens of free videos to take home, cutting materials and prizes! The room will open at 1:00 pm with the Meet and Greet starting at 4:00 pm. Dinner will be served at 6 pm, followed by a class, demo and workshop. Saturday the 4th will be action-packed with classes, demos, challenges, games, and 3 full meals. On Sunday the 5th, after breakfast, we’ll have one more class and workshop or demo and then have our closing and parting prizes. Participation in all classes and demos is optional, so you can head out, at any time, to enjoy some local attractions. We also encourage you to bring your laptop and/or cutter, but it’s not a requirement to join us, as we will have extras available and will seat everyone for sharing, as needed.
Your hotel room and travel expenses are separate. We have a wonderful deal with the Holiday Inn of $89.00 per night plus tax, single or double occupancy. If you live locally, you are not required to stay at the hotel. If you want a roommate, please note it in the application that will be sent to you. We will help match up attendees. You must mention  Klic n Kut  when you call the Holiday Inn directly at 614-221-3281. If your spouse would like to join us for one or more meals, let us know as soon as possible, and we’ll find out the cost for that.
This weekend retreat is available for up to 20 attendees and we’ll have a waiting list in case of cancellations.  So reserve your spot by:
(1)  Emailing me back to let me know you PLAN to attend. If you do not receive a response within 24 hours, then please email again to sandy@iloveknk.com.  Sometimes emails get lost! I’ll then send you an application form to complete.
(2)  Sending a $100 deposit to our event organizer, Diane Daniher. I will provide you her mailing address after you let me know you plan to attend. If you prefer, we also accept Paypal payments.
The deadline for making your deposit is April 15th.  The $295 balance will be due by May 25th.  
Details on classes and demos will be provided after I have gathered information about all of you and what you want to learn!   : )
Can’t wait to see you in Columbus!

Sandy

layout with Chris Durnan’s cupcake file

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Chris made some darling football themed cupcake wrappers for her Quarterly Membership Club. I used one to layer on top of the G for the title for this layout about our Super Bowl munchies. You can find Chris and all her fabulous cutter files here. I just love how versatile her files are!

Sussann

Digi-Cutter Files offered in SCUT, GSD, KNK, WPC & AI (SVG) at www.visualdesignsbychris.com

LO: Senior Awards using two VDBC files

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Photos from Sierra’s Senior awards ceremony.  I enhanced the photo on the right side in PSE8 adding the names along the bottom of the photo and creating a glow to sort of quickly find Sierra amongst all of her goofy friends. 
 
On the left side, I used a VDBC file #CD00725 FLOURISH FRAME.  This cut so smoothly and is an absolutely beautiful frame.  I added just a bit of black ink so you could see it as it was layered on the patterned circle.  I used a Mojo Sketch 182 (http://mojomonday.blogspot.com/). 
 
For the right side, I used VDBC file #CD00632 ACROSS THE PAGE.  This also cut very smoothly.  However, I was using a short piece of paper and had it turned the wrong  way so it didn’t cut the full 12″ across.  Happy mistake I suppose because I really like that it doesn’t go the full length of the layout.  Added a bit of blank ink for texture.  This side was Mojo Sketch 183.  Sheer ribbon was tied and then wrapped to the back and taped. 
 
Supplies:  I picked up the patterned paper this week from FKS (sorry don’t know the manf.). It was double sided so the stripe and floral are the same sheet of paper.  It is beautiful paper!  Prima flowers.  Glitter brads from Hobby Lobby.  Bling from Hobby Lobby (Paper Studio and Prima).  “awards” is cut from Quickutz Marissa font. 

~Angie~ (Missouri)
~I am blessed!!~

Visual Designs by Chris Creative Team Member
http://www.visualdesignsbychris.com
(cutters: Blue Wishblade and Cricut Expression)