Brother Scan n Cut Project: An Xbox Controller

Aloha, all!

I try to spend some time each week learning more and more about my Brother Scan n Cut. I’m not set up to do videos (yet). And I’m sure that I’m not one of the whizzes you see already on YouTube. But I am getting better. So today is the first of what will be an irregularly scheduled series of posts about projects that I’ve done that are not all together in my usual theme of making cards with Stampin’ Up! products.

The theme this week – a card for our grandson who turned 12 yesterday and is an Xbox afficionado.

First the Card

To make the card in the shape of an Xbox controller, I first bought a good quality piece of clip art. The software that ships with the Scan n Cut has a feature that allows me to import a picture file for which the software will create an outline. In this case, I needed two different outline images – one for the overall controller, and one for just the front part of the controller to give it something of a 3D look. As this was the first time I’d used this feature of the Scan n Cut, there were quite a few learning opportunities (aka, “mistakes”) along the way. But I finally figured it out.

All That Paper Is Still Stampin’ Up!

I knew that, once I got the pattern for this figured out, Stampin’ Up!’s Thick Whisper White Cardstock was going to be perfect for the base of the card. There are layers to the card. The first is the front layer with most of the gadgets on it. The second is a larger layer onto which I glued the front layer. Then I had to figure out how to get this to be a card. So the third layer is just like the second, except that I cut a straight line across the top just a hair below the straight line between the left and right “bumps.” Finally, I cut a 1″ wide strip of cardstock, scored it down the middle, and adhered it first to the trimmed back piece and then to the second layer, lining up the bottoms carefully.

The buttons and letters are also Stampin’ Up! cardstock!

Making the Buttons

To make all the buttons and try to get them into something of a realistic position on the controller, I used a photograph of the upcoming Xbox controller. Then I “drew” the circles onto my Brother software (called Canvas). The software working screen is set up so that it looks just like the grid on the tacky sheet that you use to hold papers when you’re going to cut them. So I set up both the black and the white circles together, and put a piece of Basic Black and a piece of Whisper White cardstock both on the sheet at the same time. The machine doesn’t know the difference!

Creating the “Shadows”

I placed a slightly larger circle of Whisper White cardstock behind the two smaller of the black buttons, and then raised the black buttons up with Black Stampin’ Dimensionals. The largest of the black buttons has a black circular base and a plus-sign-shaped control button on it. No matter how I turned the camera I couldn’t get that top piece to show. So I outlined it with just a teensie bit of White Stampin’ Chalk Marker. It also looks better in real life, too!

Figuring Out Those Tiny Letters

All the while I was constructing the card and making the circles I wondered how I was going to make those tiny little letters over on the right. I’m not sure where my brain was. But the next time I saw at my computer, I saw a big “T” over to the left on the Canvas screen. Usually a big “T” means “TEXT.” I could not have screamed at me louder! Aha! There were my little letters.

Using the same technique as I had with the buttons, I first figured out the size for the letters. Then I spaced them across the screen so they were all in the same place on a grid. Finally, I put little squares of Pacific Point, Crushed Curry, Real Red, and Garden Green Cardstock on the tacky sheet and off my wonderful machine went to cut them out. Big sigh. I’m in love.

And Finally the Happy Birthday

Of course I went to my Stampin’ Up! stamp sets for just the right birthday greeting to go with this card. The first several greetings that I tried just didn’t thrill me. But then I came to the A Wish For Everything Stamp Set. If a stamp set has matching or coordinating dies made to go with it, I store them all together in the stamp case. And there was the die for “Happy”  in the Word Wishes Die set and the stamp for “Birthday” to go right along with it. I put this sentiment on both handle sides of the controller and I was finished!

So finally there was some stamping on this card! I just can’t get away from Stampin’ Up! – nor do I want to.

I hope you have fun with whatever you’re working on this week, stamping or not!