K-E Kreations

Shape-a-Day using Cricut Art Philosophy

2011-10-04T10:40:00.000-04:00

Jeanette Lynton, the founder and CEO of Close to My Heart, is sharing a new art project using the new Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge every day in October.

Today is Day 4 and she is sharing a gorgeous card using the dragonfly cut from the cartridge.

Check out her blog here:

October Close To My Heart Promotion

2011-10-03T14:21:00.000-04:00

Have you ever thought about becoming a Close to My Heart consultant? If you have, October is a great month to join CTMH! During the month of October, all new consultants will receive a FREE add-on collection.

You can choose between the Roxie add-on, the Elemental Add-on or the Studio J add-on.

If you want more information, check out THIS LINK or e-mail me with any questions.

All You Need Is Love

2011-09-15T22:51:00.000-04:00

I'm back with another card today. I'm not yet sure what occasion this card will be for, but I'm thinking maybe an upcoming anniversary. I didn't put a "true" sentiment on the inside yet just in case I change my mind about who's receiving this card.

This card is cut using the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge from Close to My Heart. While the butterflies look like they are on the card in the picture, they are actually cut-outs and the green is coming through from the inside of the card.

I just cut a rectangular mat and then rounded the corners. The tag the sentiment is on was cut with the Art Philosophy cartridge as well. In this photo, you can tell that the butterflies are cut-outs. The sentiment is from the Pair-a-Phrase stamp set from Close to My Heart.

Finally, on the inside, I just added a mat with rounded corners and recycled the cut-outs from the front of the card. I "blinged them up" a bit with some stickles. I will eventually add a stamped sentiment on the inside as well.

Okay, the details for this card:
- Cocoa cardstock from Close to My Heart
- Veranda Level 2 paper from Close to My Heart (retired)
- Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge from Close to My Heart p. 55
          Card cut at 5-1/2"
          Rctngl7 cut at 2"
          Layer cut at 2"
          Shift Decorative Layer cut at 2"
- Pair-a-Phrase stamp set from Close to My Heart (details below)
- Garden Green inkpad from Close to My Heart
- Cocoa inkpad from Close to My Heart
- Versamark inkpad
- Clear Detail Embossing Powder from Close to My Heart
- Corner Rounder
- Organza Ribbon - The Ribbon Boutique from Hobby Lobby
- Star Dust Stickles (on inside of card)
- Scattered Straw Distress Stickles (on front of card)

Thanks for checking out my card today! I hope you stop back soon to see what else I've been up to. I am linking this card up to:

The September promotions from Close to My Heart are:

With a $75 dollar purchase, you can receive the Pair-a-Phrase double stamp set for FREE.

You can receive the September stamp of the month for $5 with a $50 purchase.

If you haven't yet purchased your copy of the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge, you can take advantage of both of these great offers. For $99, you receive the Art Philosophy cartridge, three stamp sets, and three Dimensional Element chipboard sets. Total retail value of the collection is $128.69; what a great deal!

You can check out these great deals HERE:

Blog Candy from A Mermaid's Crafts

2011-09-14T10:01:00.000-04:00

Lisa from A Mermaid's Crafts is celebrating blogging for 6 months. To celebrate, she's giving us a chance to win some great goodies, including a Cricut cartridge! If she happens to reach 700 followers before October 12, she will throw in some extra goodies.

Good luck!!

Cricut Expression Giveaway

2011-09-13T18:14:00.001-04:00

Close To My Heart is giving away a Cricut Expression on their Facebook page!! Check out the details HERE.

Good luck everyone!

Birthday Card

2011-09-12T08:08:00.002-04:00

My mother-in-law's birthday is this week, so I whipped up a "little something" for her. With fall right around the corner, I was feeling like fall colors.

This is an A2-sized card. I used my Cricut and Art Philosophy cartridge for the cupcake. I cut the cupcake twice and then cut the liner apart from the cupcake so that my liner was a different color. The cupcake was cut at 2-1/2". I kept the inside very simple; it is a stamp that came in the Art Philosophy Collection.

I used foam tape to make the cupcake "pop" from the page.

The supplies I used for this card were:
- Smoothie cardstock from Close to My Heart
- Olivia B&T Duos paper from Close to My Heart (retired)
- Off-White cardstock from DCWV
- Art Philosophy Collection Cricut cartridge and stamps from Close to My Heart
- Organza Ribbon from The Ribbon Boutique found at Hobby Lobby
- Shimmer Designer Brads from Close to My Heart
- Smoothie Exclusive Inkpad from Close to My Heart
- Black Exclusive Inkpad from Close to My Heart
- Jet Black StazOn Inkpad
- Stardust Glitz Glitter Gel from Close to My Heart

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you have a great week.

I am linking this card up to:

Pet Sympathy Card

2011-09-05T16:17:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone. Today I have a sympathy card for my son's girlfriend who lost her cat this morning to share with you. I struggled with what was appropriate and then took to the internet to see what I could find for inspiration. I saw a card with some really cute paw prints where the main pad was made with a heart.

I decided that I must have stamps or Cricut carts to help me recreate this. No Cricut cart with paw prints. I did have several different heart stamps to create the large pad, but was still struggling with the toes. An oval - is that too much to ask? Hmmm...kinda like an Easter egg; that I did have. Then the question became how to stamp it so that it didn't look like an Easter egg; somehow that didn't sound very sympathetic to me. I used my black marker to ink only the outside edge of the egg; perfect! Of course I had to practice a few times.

I decided the easiest way to make several of these so that I had paw prints walking down my card would be to make a stencil so they were all identical. I used a scrap of vellum and traced my favorite paw, cut it out, and then I had a stencil to use.

In trying to save as much of my scrap as possible, I put the paw print as close to the edges of the vellum as possible. Seemed like a good idea until I stamped the first paw on the card and inked off the edge of my stencil. Whoops! Then you need creative sentiments. You wouldn't even know I had red ink on the top of my card from the finished project. :-)

The sentiments were typed and printed using my computer and word processing program. I found the sentiment on an internet site for sentiments.

Items I used on this card were:
- Juniper Cardstock from Close To My Heart
- Veranda Paper Pack from Close To My Heart (retired)
- Juniper Inkpad from Close To My Heart
- Hollyhock Inkpad from Close To My Heart
- Sorbet Inkpad from Close To My Heart
- Creme Brulee Inkpad from Close To My Heart
- Black Exclusive Inks Marker from Close To My Heart
- Mini-Medley Accents Antiqued Copper Collection from Close To My Heart
- Sensational Season stamp set from Close To My Heart (retired)
- Follow Your Heart stamp set from Close To My Heart (retired)

I'm linking this card to the following challenges:

New Rhinestone Tee

2011-09-03T20:27:00.001-04:00

Today was my daughter's first cross country meet. I definitely needed some "school spirit wear" for the occasion and as I looked through my closet last night, the only spirit wear I found said wrestling. When I was at the high school football game last week, there were some moms wearing rhinestone tee's that caught my eye.

OK, what's a mom to do the night before? I had leftover rhinestone's from THIS PROJECT and a plain black t-shirt in my closet. Put that together with a graphic from the internet and word processor, and here's what I came up with.

Perfect, if only it hadn't been 95-degrees! Whew ~ it was hot out there today! What was I thinking with a black shirt???

If you read my blog regularly, you know my daughter dances. Cross country is the complete opposite spectrum from dancing, but she has seemed to enjoy it so far. Even so, I knew today would be tough; they just found a coach for the team 2 weeks ago (and he's a bit "green" in the running department), so they were going into their very first 2-mile race with less than 2 weeks of practice. And, did I mention, IT WAS HOT!!!

Hot AND dusty.

My daughter's goals for the day were to finish the race and not come in last. She accomplished both. Next up, finish without walking. LOL! We're so proud of her, she accomplished what she set out to do today. Now it's just about making little improvements each time.

Hope you have a great holiday weekend & find some time to do some crafting of your own!

I'm linking this up to:

Look what I won!!!

2011-09-01T13:24:00.000-04:00

Thanks so much Joanne! I can't wait to get them & start playing.

Wedding Card

2011-08-23T20:49:00.001-04:00

I finally have a crafting project to share with you today! I completed this card for my cousin's wedding this weekend. It is a 5-1/4" square card. While the front is somewhat plain, I really love the intricate cut on the inside. Her colors are black and lime green with just a hint of hot pink (which I left out of the card).

I was so excited to get to play with my new Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge from Close To My Heart. Everything, including the card base, was cut from the cartridge with the exception of the scalloped circle which I used my scalloped circle punch for. I used the card and images from page 67 of the handbook. The stamped sentiment is from one of the stamp sets included with the Art Philosophy cartridge.

The items I used for this card were:
- Fun In The Sun cardstock stack by DCWV
- Cricut Art Philosophy Collection by Close To My Heart
- Pear inkpad by Close To My Heart (retired color)
- Jet Black StazOn inkpad
- White Daisy inkpad by Close To My Heart
- Brads Basic Assortment by Close To My Heart
- 2" Scallop Circle Punch by Close To My Heart
- VersaMark stamp pad
- Clear Detail Embossing Powder by Close To My Heart

I'm linking this project to:

One for Now....One for Later

2011-08-21T21:45:00.000-04:00

With school starting tomorrow, I've been trying to double any casseroles I make & freeze one for busy nights. On the menu tonight...Mexican Chicken Alfredo from the most recent Simple & Delicious magazine from Reiman Publications.

Yummmm.......

2011-08-14T20:01:00.000-04:00

I haven't been posting much crafting lately. With summer here, life has just gotten in the way. I have actually been doing some scrapbooking, but haven't yet taken any pictures. I'm actually trying to do quite a bit of scrapbooking, as my son is getting ready to start his senior year, and I'm trying to play "catch up". :-)

The one thing I have been doing a lot of this summer is cooking. It has been nice to be able to sit down as a family and enjoy meals together without the evening school activities. I also joined a CSA (community supported agriculture) this summer, so every week I get a box full of fresh veggies. It sure has made us eat more veggies.

My family is not a big "fish" family. I know it's good for us, but convincing everyone to eat it is another thing. In my most recent issue (August/September 2011) of Simple & Delicious, there was a recipe for Bacon & Tomato-Topped Haddock that sounded promising. How could anything topped with bacon be that bad?

I actually remembered to take a picture before we ate; not the best lighting in my kitchen - especially using the camera on my phone. I replaced the haddock with cod as that's what was available at my grocery store the other day. The topping is made with bacon, panko bread crumbs, tomatoes, onions and garlic. We also had corn on the cob and finished off the meal with homemade raspberry ice cream. Yum! Great summer meal!

Have a great week!

Art Philosophy Cartridge & Fabulous Flowers

2011-08-04T19:43:00.000-04:00

I thought you might enjoy a new video just out from Close To My Heart about creating flowers with the new Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge.

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

2011-08-01T22:00:00.001-04:00

Today is my daughter's birthday. Happy Birthday sweetheart!

I don't know about you, but I have a terrible time finding time to craft cards for my kids now that they are older and don't go to bed at 8 pm. I just find it hard to get my craft mojo going at 10 pm once the kids are in bed.

I whipped this card up late last night. I knew I wanted to make something lime green and hot pink. What other colors are there for a pre-teen girl? I decided to use a black base and accent with a little white.

The card is a 5x7 base. Believe it or not, this is the first time I ever heat embossed (the initial). I have had the supplies for ages, but hadn't tried it yet. I love the look, and it was so much easier than I had anticipated.

The inside of the card was just a few stamps I had on hand to make it cute without being TOO cute.

Here are the supplies I used:

Black and white cardstock from my stash
Lime green and hot pink cardstock from DCWV's Fun in the Sun Summer Cardstock Stack
2" Scallop Circle Punch from Close To My Heart
Bubblegum inkpad from Close To My Heart (retired color)
Jet Black StazOn inkpad
Friendship Alphabet Large stamp set from Close To My Heart
VersaMark stamp pad
Clear Embossing Powder
Dashes, Dots & Checks ribbon from Michaels
Say It In Style stamp set from Close To My Heart
Happy Forever stamp set from Close To My Heart (no longer available)

That's it for the night. I'm off to join the family - finishing a movie and enjoying cupcakes (slightly smashed) to top off the birthday girl's day. Have a wonderful evening!

This is what happens when you send two 17-yo boys after the cupcakes....but they still taste good.

Have you heard the news???

2011-08-01T09:08:00.000-04:00

Woo hoo!! How exciting is this?

Close To My Heart and ProvoCraft have come together to create a new Cricut cartridge ~ Art Philosophy Collection. This cartridge is sold through Close To My Heart consultants and has over 700 images including 3-D items. It comes with three complementary stamp sets and three sheets of chipboard shapes. The bundle has a retail value of $120, but is being listed for $99, but I am having my own personal sale to celebrate the release during the month of August - see details below.

The details:
During the month of August, place a minimum order of $10 with me, and get the new Cricut Art Philosophy Collection for $89. And, for an even better deal, if you place your order between August 15 - 31, you can take advantage of the National Scrapbooking Month special and receive the Pair-a-Phrase double stamp set FREE!

What a deal!!! For $99 you get:

The Cricut Art Philosophy Collection
Your choice of product for $10
Free Pair-a-Phrase double stamp set

Contact me today, kekreations at gmail dot com, to be included in this great special.

Please note: shipping and handling fees and taxes apply to the retail price of all free and discounted items.

Blog Candy from Joanne

2011-07-21T11:35:00.000-04:00

Joanne from TropicLuv, Cards In Paradise is giving away some fabulous candy & it's for a good cause. She is on the Design Team at The Lime Light which makes cards for charitable organizations.

Visit Joanne and The Lime Light to check out all the details.

Bulletin Board Renovation

2011-07-01T10:19:00.000-04:00

The bulletin board at my daughter's dance studio was in serious need of a makeover. It had had the same paper covering it for years and kids had come through and used the pushpins to poke holes in everything in sight.

I thought that covering it in material would make it more durable, so I asked the office if I could "redo" the bulletin board while I waited on my daughter. It's not perfect, but it is a definite improvement over what was there.

It cost less than $10 for supplies and the only tools I needed were scissors and a staple gun. Easy-peasy!

Dance Team Gifts (Lots of Pictures!)

2011-06-29T08:37:00.004-04:00

My daughter's dance team is preparing for Nationals in Orlando, FL. I wanted to make something special for all the girls on her teams. They have worked so hard this year and accomplished so much.

After much debating, I decided to make memory books for each girl (18 of them!!) that they can then add their own journaling, photos, and momentos to. I'm really pleased with how they turned out and the girls LOVED them! The really didn't take long to make; the longest part of the process was inking the edges and around the perimeter of each page.

The front cover of each girl's book was personalized with her last initial with her first name cut out of it (welded with the Gypsy) - cut with the Mickey Font Cricut cartridge. "Orlando" was cut using the same cartridge and the "ticket end caps". The tag is also on the cartridge; I used the Gypsy to hide the inside cut and leave it whole and welded the year on the inside.

The Mickey head was cut using the Mickey Font Cricut cartridge and I welded DMA inside it (Dance Masters of America). The stamp doesn't show well in the photo, but it is a custom stamp I had made with K-E Kreations and my e-mail address on it.

Here is the inside of the book unfolded:

And, here is the flip side...

There are a ton of supplies used on this one, so I will try to put them in by page order. If you have any questions about what I used anything for, drop me a comment.

- 6x6 My Creations Memory Showcase from Close To My Heart

- Fanfare Level 2 Paper from Close To My Heart

- Cricut Mickey Font Cartridge

- Cranberry Ink Pad from Close To My Heart

- Pacifica Ink Pad from Close To My Heart

- Sky Ink Pad from Close To My Heart

- Black StazOn Ink Pad

- Just Blooms White Daisy Variety Pack from Close To My Heart (these were inked)

- Stickles in a variety of colors

- Sheer Shimmer Spritz by Tsukineko

- Fanfare Level 2 Brad Assortment from Close To My Heart

- Cranberry Grosgrain Ribbon from Close To My Heart

- Dancing Dreams stamp set from Close To My Heart

- Brads Red Assortment from Close To My Heart

- Brads Blue Assortment from Close To My Heart

- Star Power stamp set from Close To My Heart

As I said, the girls were thrilled with the books. I worked on them the last few weeks for several hours a day as I waited on my daughter to finish dance classes, so they had seen me working but didn't know what I was up to. I didn't want to make anything too elaborate so that they could be personalized by the girls easily or just simply have photos added (and they are mostly 12- and 13-year old girls with their own individual styles). Each one was unique; they had slight variations in which color brads, how the cover was laid out and how some of the patterned paper looked when cut.

Enjoy!!

A Little Late....Father's Day

2011-06-28T23:50:00.001-04:00

I first and foremost have to apologize for the lateness of this post. The cord on my laptop has a broken connection and my laptop battery died. I could play with it enough to get a few minutes out of my computer, but it has finally given up completely. I had to break down and finally order a new one.

So, here we are, a bit late, but still crafting.

Supplies used:

- Cardstock from DCWV's The Guy Stack

- Wonderful Friend stamp set from Close To My Heart

- Cocoa Ink Pad from Close To My Heart

- Natural Hemp from Close To My Heart

Flag Cake Recipe to Honor Troops

2011-06-13T12:58:00.000-04:00

Photo by Taste of Home

Help support our troop by viewing the recipe for this flag cake. For each unique view of the recipe through July 4, Taste of Home will donate 10 cents to the USO. Every dime raised will allow a service member to call home for 2 minutes. Show your support today, view the recipe to help out.

Blog Candy

2011-06-07T12:18:00.000-04:00

Debbie at DD's Crafts is trying to reach 1000 followers. When she does, she is giving away the Wild Card Cricut cartridge.

I just came across her blog while hopping today. She has some great crafting ideas on there. Stop by to check her out.

The link to her giveaway is HERE. Have fun!

Baby Blanket for Beautiful Cooper

2011-06-05T08:09:00.004-04:00

My daughter's dance teacher recently had a beautiful baby boy. My daughter adores her teacher (she has taken classes off and on from her for 8 years), so I decided to make this blanket for her as a gift. Luckily she knew very early that she was expecting a boy, but I had purchased the same yarn in pinks just in case I found out otherwise.

The photo above is actually the blanket folded into fourths. The darker border continues around all four edges of the blanket. The photo below shows some of the pattern detail.

Thanks for checking out what I've been up to. I'll be back soon with another project.

Graduation Card

2011-06-03T08:04:00.045-04:00

I wanted to share with you today a card I made for a friend's daughter who recently graduated high school. All of the papers were from my scrap stash.

The card is 5x7. The graduations cap is cut from the Wild Card cricut cartridge at 4.5" wide. I traced the cut edge of the cap with a silver pen to make the front edge more visible. The "congratulations" is cut from Wild Card at 4.75" wide. The frame is cut from Accent Essentials at 4.875" wide. I used both the inside and outside of the frame. The frame itself was glued to the card, and I inked the edges of the inside cut from the frame and attached it with foam tape to make it pop.

On the inside of the card, I simply put some of the paper that was used on the front so that I could handwrite a sentiment. The sentiment I wrote before adding my own personal note was: "Don't live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable."

Here are a few close-ups of some of the details:

I cut congratulations twice - once in white and once in black. I lightly inked the white copy and offset it from the black. I also added a little sparkle with some Sheer Shimmer Spritz. The tassle was made with embroidery floss and attached with a shimmery brad.

The supplies used on this card:

You Rock paper pack from Close To My Heart (discontinued)
White and black cardstock
Zebra Flocked Cardstock from The Paper Studio
Outdoor Denim inkpad from Close To My Heart
Goldrush inkpad from Close To My Heart
Spare Parts clip from The Paper Studio
Spare Parts black flower brad assortment from The Paper Studio
Silver Pen
Sheer Shimmer Spritz in Sparkle by Tsukineko
Embroidery Floss

Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you have a great, crafty day!

Ever Wanted to Try Digital Scrapbooking???

2011-06-01T07:57:00.030-04:00

If you've ever wanted to try digital scrapbooking, now is the perfect time. During the month of June, Close To My Heart is giving away one FREE Studio J jpg file - no purchase necessary.

All you need to do is visit the Studio J site, which you can find HERE, create an account if you don't have one already, and create away. After you create your two-page layout, you will be prompted through the checkout process and will be able to order your JPG file. You will then receive an e-mail letting you know your layout is ready to be downloaded. It's that simple!

Your JPG file will include three files - a high-res file of the right page, a high-res file of the left page, and a thumbnail image of the entire layout.

This offer is good through June 30. Only one free JPG per account. Try it out today!

Baby Blanket with some Sparkle

2011-05-31T08:24:00.000-04:00

I wanted to share with everyone a baby blanket that I recently completed. This blanket was knit for my cousin's new daughter, and, at her request, NO PINK. This is her second daughter, and she wanted to know which "special momentos" from childhood belonged to which daughter and everything from her firstborn was pink.

This blanket was actually quite quick to knit as it was knit holding two strands of yarn together. I used a sparkly white and sparkly lavender. It really turned out quite beautiful. If you look closely in the picture below, you can see some of the shimmer in the blanket.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope to be back to papercrafting soon. I am in the process of setting up the "storage room" with my crafting supplies so that I won't have to share the dining room table anymore. Woo hoo!

Happy Memorial Day

2011-05-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day.

British Fascinator

2011-05-28T08:36:00.003-04:00

It's the most, wonderful time of the year! That's right...school report time. It seems like the last month of school is packed with one project after another.

My daughter recently had an International Fair project. They each had a different country, had to do a report, make a display, present it to the class, and then present again during an open house for the parents. During this "showcase", they could earn extra credit on their project for bringing food from their selected country and by dressing up in traditional clothes.

My daughter had England as her country, and as luck would have it, England has been "on display" because of the royal wedding. Fascinators (hairpieces rather than the traditional hats) have been making a comeback in England, so she had to have one. Mom to the rescue!

Almost all of my supplies were purchased in the wedding department at Hobby Lobby. The green flowery/feathery center was actually a hairpiece/pin that I attached to a headband. The crystals were already on wires and the ribbon was looped around. It was all put together with a hot-glue gun in less than an hour.

Other than her saying that the feathers and ribbons tickled her, she adored it and asked for more in different colors. That's a pretty big complement coming from a "tween" (in fact several of her friends asked if we could make some more).

Only 5 Days Left...

2011-05-26T13:26:00.001-04:00

...to get Close To My Heart's You & Me scrapbooking kit.

This is an amazing kit. It can be used to create two beautiful two-page layouts! It can be purchased for $34.95 or with a $50 minimum order it is yours for only $15.

This kit contains:

1 - My Acrylix You & Me Stamp Set
1 - 12" x 12" Colonial White Cardstock
6 - 12" x 12" B&T Duos Papers (cardstock-weight)
1 - 6" x 9" You & Me Irresistibles Chipboard Die-Cut Sheet
1 Yard - Chocolate Stripe Ribbon
1 Package - Opaques Mocha Adhesive Gems
1 - Instruction Guide

You can see more about this awesome kit by viewing the video below.

You can purchase this kit through your CTMH sales consultant through May 31. If you don't have a consultant, I would be happy to help you out. You can contact me by e-mail or can shop directly by clicking the "Shop With Me" link in the right column.

Penny Pincher Tip

2011-05-05T14:27:00.001-04:00

I received this in my Taste of Home e-mail newsletter today & thought I'd share. There are some wonderful tips I'd never thought of. Good thing other people think outside the box.

25 Ways to Use Coffee Filters
Wonderfully cheap, readily available in a couple of sizes, these little paper gems can be used in a variety of ways:

1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave to prevent splatter.
2. Clean windows, mirrors, chrome…they are lint-free and leave glass sparkling.
3. Protect good china by separating your good dishes with a coffee filter between each dish.
4. Filter broken cork from a wine bottle. If the cork breaks when opening the bottle, pour the wine through a filter.
5. Protect cast iron skillet. Place a coffee filter or two in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.
—Beema, Hints and Tips Forum
See the rest of the list»

Coach of the Year

2011-04-06T09:30:00.004-04:00

My son's wrestling coach was recently honored as the "Coach of the Year" in our conference. To thank him for all he does, I "whipped up" a framed copy of the newspaper article, a quality picture of him at the banquet and a picture of the trophy he received.

Congratulations Coach!

Cooking With Cricut Blog Candy

2011-04-05T23:41:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to the Cooking With Cricut blog for reaching 1600 followers! They are having a FABULOUS giveaway to celebrate. Head over and check them out. You have until April 16 to enter.

TinkerBell Card and Scrapbook Pages

2011-04-02T19:36:00.000-04:00

Today is my niece's third birthday (Happy Birthday Sweetie!). The party is tomorrow, so I've been busy creating not only a card for her gift, but a two-page scrapbook layout for her mom to capture tomorrow's party. I'm going to apologize in advance for the poor photography. Winter seems to be hanging around here and with it the poor light.

She is having a TinkerBell cake for her party tomorrow, so I stuck with the theme for both her card and the layout. I was VERY tempted to go out and purchase the TinkerBell cricut cartridge, but commonsense took over. It really isn't a cartridge I would use enough to justify the cost; my daughter's too old, and I only have one niece. I happened to come across a TinkerBell scrapbooking page kit at Hobby Lobby and decided it had enough stickers and paper to create both a card and matching layouts (and I decorated a plain green gift bag) and it didn't cost me nearly as much (and it was on sale).

Card front (sticker says Perfectly Precious)

Card Inside

Envelope

Two-page layout (white place markers for my sister-in-law to add photos)

Close-up left page

Close-up right page

Supplies used:

Paper and stickers from Disney Fairies Theme Pack by Sandylion
TinkerBell Stickers by Sandylion
Gypsy inkpad from Close To My Heart (Z2190)
Lime Green Stickles by Ranger
"3" cut from Cuttin' Up cricut cartridge cut at 4"
All other words cut from Mickey Font cricut cartridge (who is cut at 1", look cut at .66" and negative image used)
Layout was based on the Supporting Cast layout from the Imagine book by Jeanette Lynton

Cheesy Valentine

2011-02-14T16:34:00.001-05:00

Okay, inspiration can come from anywhere. Looking through a cooking magazine one day, I saw an ad that sparked my creativity and knew right away what my daughter's Valentine was going to be. Here's the ad that caught my eye:

Reiman Publications, Taste of Home, Feb/March 2011, page 11

Like many kids, my daughter would have cheese on her cheese for every meal of the day. The card sentiment was great, but I knew I could use it much more creatively. Here's my take:

I attached that cute little mouse with foam tape. I used my Gypsy to hide one of the holes in the swiss cheese. I then welded a heart in the spot where the hole had been.

In addition to cheese, she loves sparkles. Stickles were a definite must-have for the hearts on the inside.

Details:

Cheese (Create a Critter accessory and shift/accessory) cut at 4"
Heart (Create a Critter shift/accessory) cut at 3.71"
Mouse (Create a Critter mouse, shadow, layer 1, layer 2, layer 3) cut at 2"
Phrase (Create a Critter phrase and shift/phrase) cut at 2"
More Than (Cursive 101 welded together) cut at 1"
Cheese (Create a Critter phrase placed off the mat and trimmed to delete "say") cut at 6.5" wide
Stone Gray Staz On ink
Magenta Stickles
Cardstock & ribbon from scraps

Have a wonderful evening! Be back soon with another project.

Hoppy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T07:15:00.001-05:00

My son LOVES frogs. He has frogs sitting all around the house - bobbleheads, stone statues, big, small. What better than a frog Valentine for my "frog boy"?

Pinks and purples are not colors my teenage son loves, so I chanced looking "Christmasy" and used red and green on his Valentine.

I attached the frog with foam tape to give him some dimension.

The inside was printed on the computer and then cut to fit.

Okay, here's the details on this card:

Frog and layers (Paisley cartridge) cut at 3"
Lilypad (Create a Critter) cut at 3"
Cuttlebug Heart Blocks embossing folder
Stampin' Up ribbon
Xmas Red Stickles
Inkssentials opaque white pen
Lime green chalk Cat's Eye inkpad

I have one more Valentine to share with you. I have to find the magazine that my inspiration for it came from to share with you before I can post. Hopefully I'll have it up yet today.

Hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Valentine Mail Box

2011-02-13T14:38:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! Here's a mailbox I made today for my niece for Valentine's Day. She's not allowed to have a lot of candy, so I stuffed it with a few pieces of candy along with some Valentine barrettes, Valentine rubber ducks, and a jingly heart necklace.

I was able to use paper from my scrap stash to complete the entire project. Everything was cut on the Cricut from the Create a Critter cartridge. The ribbon tied to the mailbox flag is from Stampin' Up.

Front

Back

I just love this little monkey. I wish I had some flocking at home to make him fuzzy, but it's probably just as well, since my niece is only two.

The cuts on the mailbox are:

Monkey, layer 1 & layer 2 - cut at 3"
Banana (shift monkey), layer 1 & layer 2 - cut at 3"
Vine (shift accessory) - cut at 3.75" wide
Balloon (shift koala), layer 1 & layer 3 - cut at 2.5"

I used my Gypsy to layout the pieces I needed to cut as well as to hide the faces that were on the balloon and bananas. Using the mat guide on the Gypsy, I was able to cut everything at once by putting different papers on the mat. Super easy project!

Hope you enjoyed. I'm off to do laundry and then back to the crafting table for a few more projects today. I'll be back to share them this week.

100 Wins Candy Jar

2011-02-06T13:38:00.001-05:00

My son had his 100th high school career win this weekend. I decided it was too big an event to go by unnoticed, so I made him this:

...filled with exactly 100 pieces of candy.

Everything was cut on the Cricut, and I tied ribbon on the hinges on the back. Here are the cuts I used:

100 Wins cut using Varsity Letter and the shift feature at 1-1/2 inches.
The wrestlers were two borders cuts on Sports Mania at 10 inches wide using black vinyl.
The Superman logo was cut at 2-1/2 inches from the Superman cartridge.
Congrats was cut at 2-1/2 inches from Gypsy Wanderings.
The circle on the top was cut at 2 inches wide from Mini Monograms, so that I could add the date of his 100th win (didn't want to jinx anything in case it didn't happen when expected, so I dated it after I took the photos).
I attached everything using Liquid Glass from Close to My Heart because it holds so well and dries quickly.

Of course, with the biggest part of wrestling season upon us - conference, sectionals, districts, and states - I had to take the candy jar back until after the season. My name would be mud if he ended up not making weight at this point in the season.

Encouragement Card

2011-02-06T13:26:00.000-05:00

This has to be one of the hardest cards I've needed to make in awhile. My Girl Scout troop is part of a very large service unit (school district). We have over 1300 girls involved in scouting in our district. We were recently asked to have our girls make cards for a first grade Brownie who has been diagnosed with neuroblastoma cancer and is undergoing treatment. We're hoping to send enough well wishes her way to help keep her spirits up as she begins this journey.

Finding the right sentiment was difficult. I didn't want a sympathy card, but the traditional "get well" didn't seem appropriate either. After a lot of thought, this is what I came up with.

I attached the wagon with foam tape for dimension. I also added "shine" to the words 'pulling' and 'you' with Liquid Glass from Close To My Heart.

Finally, the envelope.

The recipe for this card:

Just Because Cards Cricut cartridge - all card images cut at 7".
Close To My Heart Whoops-A-Daisy Level 2 Paper Pack (retired)
Close To My Heart Hydrangea inkpad (retired color)
Close To My Heart Liquid Glass (which also makes a GREAT adhesive for those hard to attach items)
Close To My Heart Just Blooms Summer Posies (retired)
White opaque pen from Inkssentials
MyMoments Fashion Pearls by Offray

Finally, the card my daughter made:

Have a great day! Be back again with another project soon.

Apron Giveaway

2011-01-28T17:25:00.000-05:00

Lena over at Lena's Crafts is giving away this adorable apron just in time for Valentine's Day.

Check out her blog for your chance to win. The drawing will be February 6.

Birthday Card

2011-01-28T08:06:00.000-05:00

Remember this envelope from a couple days ago? I finally got the rest of the card completed and ready to share with you - just in time for my sister-in-law's birthday today. Happy Birthday Erin!

I think that sometimes we are our own worst critics. I really wasn't happy with this card when I completed it, but it is starting to grow on me. In hindsight, I think I would have switch the solid yellow paper with the larger flower patterned paper.

This is a 5.5-inch square card. The yellow square is 5.25-inches. The next two layers are the tag and tag shadow from the cupcake button on Gypsy Wanderings cut at 5-inches. The cupcake and shadow were cut just slightly smaller than 2.5-inches; I was simply trying to make it cover the cupcake outline in the tag, so I was resizing it with the Gypsy.

All paper for this project came from The Sorbet Stack by DCWV. The edges of the cupcake were inked with jet black StazOn ink. The frame and yellow square were inked with pastel pink Cat's Eye chalk ink. I added dimension by using foam tape to attach the frame as well as the cupcake.

And, finally, the inside...There is another 5.25-inch square that is inked in black. with the Happy Birthday phrase and shadow cut at 2-inches (I think).

So, there's my card. It's the first I've created in awhile and definitely the first I've used my Gypsy to design.

This card is being entered in My Pink Stamper's birthday challenge and the Craft Your Passion challenge #42 to use two patterned papers.

Hope you have a great crafty day!

Sneak Peak

2011-01-26T00:00:00.000-05:00

I got started on my next project this evening. I'm so excited; I designed/planned it completely on the Gypsy!

This is (obviously, I hope) the envelope. I'm not thrilled with the way the shadow and cut lined up, so I may have to tweak it a little. I think my problem may have been making it "fit to width", but I'm not sure.

I'll be back later this week with the matching card.

Speedy Recovery Card and Gift

2011-01-25T08:40:00.001-05:00

First of all, let me say THANK YOU to everyone for their suggestions over the last few days. It was just what I was looking for...suggestions to jumpstart my creative juices. I combined several responses I got both here on my blog and from the Cricut messageboard as well. If you want the background story on this card, see my post HERE from January 23.

I just threw this card together, because I didn't get home until late last night and I wanted to get this to him. I probably could have "done more" with it, but, for a teenage boy, it will do.

All of the paper came from my "scrap drawer", so I can't tell you who the paper is by.
The words are cut on the Cricut using the Cuttin' Up cartridge at 1-inch.
The card front words are the cartoon shadow feature and the inside words are cartoon.
The cookie, layer 1 and shadow were cut using Sesame Street and Friends at 3.75-inches.
I wasn't happy with the coloring of the top layer of the cookie, so I used a sponge dauber and a Chocolate Close To My Heart inkpad to shade it a little.

And, here's what he's getting with the card....

Cookies and cream muscle milk, a package of straws and vasoline intensive care lip therapy.

Thanks for stopping by to see what I've been up to. Hopefully I'll have some more "creating time" this evening and be back again this week with another project. Have a great day!

Need Some Help, Please

2011-01-23T13:34:00.000-05:00

I am in need of some help...

At my son's wrestling tournament yesterday, one of his fellow wrestlers had a REALLY rough day. He got poked in the eye during his first match, and then thought he broke his jaw during the same match. Bless his heart, he wanted to continue wrestling the rest of his matches (his Dad's an EMT & present, so who were we to judge?). As the day went on, he continued to become more pale and complain of the pain in his face.

During his 4th match of the day, the coach "threw in the towel" and wouldn't let him continue. His parents wanted to leave right then to get him checked, but he convinced them to let him stay for his final match to "take a forfeit", so the team would get the points (no actual wrestling involved).

He ended up 4-1 on the day - his only loss being the match his coach made him quit. He went to the local ER to get checked and then was referred to the closest Children's Hospital. He does have a broken jaw & a scratched cornea (from the poke in the eye). They don't think they will have to wire his mouth shut, because it was a clean break & open fracture. They are giving him massive antibiotics as well as antibiotic eye drops. Now they are just waiting to see the specialist to see what he says.

Now, my question...
What can I make as a "get well soon" kind of gift. I know when my son had a really rough tournament, I made him a "That Sucks" sucker bouquet. My guess is that he won't be able to eat anything like a sucker even if his mouth isn't wired shut. He is so bummed that his season might be over.

Do any of you creative lurkers have any suggestions? Any help or ideas to help "springboard" my creative juices would be much appreciated.

Blog Candy from Skittles and Scrapbooks by Liz

2011-01-23T10:24:00.000-05:00

Liz is celebrating her blog makeover at Skittles and Scrapbooks by Liz, and we're getting the presents! She has three different prizes she's giving away (and one of them is a Cricut cartridge).

You have until January 31 to enter her drawing. Click HERE to check out how to enter.

Superfish

2011-01-19T09:30:00.000-05:00

My son has really "clicked" with his new wrestling teammates. He has started a running joke among them, and many of them now call him Superfish ~ it's a long story. Anyway, for Christmas, my son received a black t-shirt with a blue Superman logo on the front of it. The first thing out of his mouth was that he wanted to put Superfish on the back of it.

The blue logo on the front was not one that I thought I would be able to match with iron-on letters, so acrylic paint and my Cricut to the rescue.

I cut the "superfish" word at 1.5" from the shadow feature of Plantin Schoolbook font onto vinyl. I put the vinyl onto the shirt to use as a template. I used acrylic paint and covered it very lightly to "seal the edges" so paint didn't seep underneath. Once that was dry, I gave it two more coats of paint. Once they were all dry, I set it with the iron.

Voila! Simple. And one happy teenager.

Core'dinations Paper

2011-01-18T09:18:00.000-05:00

I LOVE Core'dinations Paper! You get such unique results from embossing and sanding it. Right now, Core'dinations is giving away 50 new, unreleased Core Impressions packs! Some of it is even embossed already - just sand for a unique look! Click here to check out the new paper. I can't wait to get my hands on some of this paper.

The contest runs through January 21, so hurry!

Love Ribbon?

2011-01-18T07:36:00.000-05:00

If you are a ribbon lover, you've got to check out Really Reasonable Ribbon's blogoversary giveaway. Entry ends Wednesday, January 26. Check them out soon!

Wrestling Banners

2011-01-17T09:30:00.000-05:00

The "wrestling moms" got together at the beginning of the season to "do some decorating" for the boys on both the middle and high school teams. In the cafeteria of each school, we hung a singlet for each wrestler with their name and weight class on it.

One of the moms made a singlet template and then we used the Cricut for the names, numbers and wrestlers. The wrestlers came from the Sports Mania cartridge, and I can't remember which font we used for the letters and numbers.

Halloween

2011-01-15T09:30:00.000-05:00

For Halloween, my daughter wanted to be The Mad Hatter - you know the "Johnny Depp" one, not the cartoon one. I was going to buy her a costume since life has been hectic since the move, but she guilted me into making it - "You always make my costumes." I could have probably convinced her to buy one, but then I realized that soon (all too soon, I'm afraid), she won't want me to do these things for her.

So, off to the store we went. I made the jacket and pants and we accessorized with some items (including the hat) purchased from a costume store to bring the "authentic" feel to the costume.

Sparkles!!

2011-01-13T06:30:00.003-05:00

What girl doesn't love sparkles??? I made this hoodie for my daughter using Swarovski hot fix rhinestones. I think it turned out pretty good for my first try. I can't wait to do some more sparkling!

I created this using Hot Fix Transfer Paper and an iron rather than a Bejeweler. Because I was jeweling such a large area, this seemed like a much easier application this time.

I purchased my rhinestones from the Crystal Rhinestone Boutique. Shipping was super-fast, the prices were great, AND they have easy to follow instructions on their website.

Cricut Lite Cartridge Up For Grabs - More Blog Candy

2011-01-12T08:44:00.000-05:00

Melissa at Disney Dreamer Designs is having a second giveaway for hitting 400 followers. Congratulations Melissa! She will be giving away the Cricut Lite cartridge Cupcake Wrappers on January 22.

Check out her blog to sign up and while you're there check out her awesome projects as well.

Karens-Kakes-Krafts Blog Candy

2011-01-11T21:05:00.000-05:00

Karen from Karens-Kakes-Krafts is giving away not one, but TWO "blog candies" for reaching 100 followers. The drawing is this Friday, so stop by & check her out.

Sewing Project

2011-01-11T06:30:00.005-05:00

Two days...

That's how long I had to create this skirt after my daughter came home and said, "I have a concert this week, and I need a long, black skirt". Black skirts aren't easy to find for tweens, but LONG, black skirts are nearly impossible to find.

Anyway, I decided that I would have less money and stress in making her a skirt than in trying to find one on the internet and hoping it actually showed up before the concert.

Expression & 3 Cartridge Giveaway

2011-01-10T21:54:00.000-05:00

Sweet Magnolia Rose is giving everyone a chance to win a Cricut Expression and three cartridges in celebration of the grand opening of her new craft studio. The winner will be announced on Valentine's Day.

She also has a chance to win a Cricut Cake, but you'll have to visit her for all the details.

Major Changes

2011-01-09T06:38:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it has been so long since my last post. Since that time, I have had some major life changes. We decided to move back to our hometown, closer to family, and life has been completely hectic. Of course, it didn't help that we made this decision with less than a month left before school started, so we were scrambling to get school changes made, etc. Because it was such a last minute decision, we decided to let the kids keep some of their extra-curricular activities to help ease the transition, but that means driving nearly an hour each direction for the activities several times a week.

The good news has been that the kids love their new schools, we're closer to family and small-town life has been a good "life experience" for the kids. The downside is that all the driving for extra-curriculars leaves me little time for scrapbooking, family dinners or general "down-time". The crafting I do right now has to be portable, so I've been knitting quite a lot.

I'm still "repping" Close To My Heart, but I think I'm my own best customer right now. No time for workshops, clubs or gatherings.

Anyway, I have been creating, and I plan to take some time to post what I've been working on in the last few months. I'm going to start with the most recent creation that I gave away this week. A co-worker's wife had a baby early this week, so I gave this blanket to them.

Here's the card. It came from my "stash". If I remember correctly, I made it from a kit I got from the Paper Wishes catalog.

I'll be back soon with some more of my creations.

Blog Candy

2011-01-08T20:48:00.003-05:00

Melissa at Disney Dreamer Designs is giving away some blog candy for her followers. She is giving away the 2010 Love Struck Cricut cartridge. Check her out if you are interested.

Blog Candy from Penny

2010-06-15T07:53:00.001-04:00

Penny from Light Whimsy A Light Look at Life is celebrating having 100+ followers. The drawing will be on July 4. She is giving away a fabulous gift certificate to Custom Crops. Stop by and check out her blog today.

"Creative Writer" Blogger Award

2010-06-13T11:07:00.000-04:00

Lori over at Scrappin' My Stress Away honored me with this award. Make sure you stop by her blog to check out some of her great creations.

The rule for accepting this award is to tell you six truths about myself and one lie or vice versa. Here we go...

My mom was a home economics teacher, so I grew up learning to cook and sew.
I am completely caught up on my scrapbooking for my son.
I am a dance mom and a wrestling mom and, surprisingly, both roles have similarities.
This year I will be celebrating my 17th wedding anniversary.
I am counting down the days until Toy Story 3 comes out.
Scouting has been a big part of my family life - I've been a Girl Scout leader for six years, my daughter has earned her Bronze award, and my son is an Eagle scout.
I am preparing for a trip to Disney World soon where I can watch my son wrestle and my daughter and niece visit Mickey Mouse.

So, can you guess which one isn't true???? Now the fun part. I get to pass this award on to five other bloggers. I am passing this award to:

Stop by and check them out. Have a great Sunday.

Sunday Showcase Party & Giveaway

2010-06-13T00:12:00.000-04:00

Check out Under the Table and Dreaming's Sunday Showcase Party. You have a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to One9Design's Etsy shop. She makes gorgeous personalized jewelry and keychains.

Blog Hop

2010-06-12T15:12:00.002-04:00

Let's blog hop.

Come check out some of these great projects!

Father's Day Card for Grandpa

2010-06-12T14:40:00.000-04:00

When I was growing up, my maternal grandparents were often my "babysitters". My mom is the oldest of six, so there were always plenty of cousins around to play with. My grandmother was a homemaker, and my grandfather retired when I was still in elementary school. He was always active outdoors ~ raising sheep, gardening, fishing, camping, hunting mushrooms, and just tinkering around in the toolshed.

This card is to celebrate all that "outdoorsiness" even though, at the age of 89, he doesn't get to do much of that anymore.

Supplies used:

Cricut Expression
Camp Out solutions cartridge
Cuttlebug
Houndstooth embossing folder
Houndstooth cardstock from The Guy Stack by DCWV
Bamboo cardstock from Close To My Heart
Cocoa cardstock from Close To My Heart
Ponderosa Pine cardstock from Close To My Heart
Goldrush dye ink from Close To My Heart
Vineyard Berry dye ink from Close To My Heart
Wonderful Friend stamp set from Close To My Heart (only available during June)
Say It In Style stamp set from Close To My Heart
A Little Everything stamp set from Close To My Heart
Peeled Paint stickles by Ranger

Hope you're having a wonderful, crafty weekend. We're dodging raindrops here, which leaves plenty of craft time for me.

New Friend Friday

2010-06-11T20:03:00.001-04:00

It's a rainy Friday night here. Too tired to feel crafty. A good blog hop is just what I need. Come join me!

Another Father's Day Card

2010-06-10T06:14:00.000-04:00

Here is another Father's Day card I created. This is an A2 sized card. The best part is that I used up some more of "my stash" - you know, those really old supplies I have hoarded way too long.

The "DAD" is cut on with the Cricut at 2-1/2" using the "DAD" shape, shadow and shadow blackout creative features.

The supplies used:

Paper from the Serendipity Heart of Winter Project Pack by Close To My Heart
Cricut Expression
Cricut Beyond Birthdays cartridge
Wonderful Friend My Acrylix stamp set by Close To My Heart
Foam tape
Acrylic block
Pens (for swirl doodles on the inside)

Have a wonderful week. School's out here now, so summer - here we come!

Father's Day Card

2010-06-08T06:49:00.001-04:00

With Father's Day and vacation quickly approaching, I thought I'd better get started on my Father's Day cards. Here's the first card I have made which will most likely be for my dad.

Supplies used:

Paper from The Guy Stack by DCWV
White scrap cardstock
Wonderful Friend My Acrylix stamp set by Close To My Heart
Say It in Style My Acrylix stamp set by Close To My Heart
Bamboo Exclusive Inks stamp pad by Close To My Heart
Juniper Exclusive Inks stamp pad by Close To My Heart
Foam tape
Acylic Block

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a great week.

Just Something I Whipped Up Monday

2010-06-07T03:19:00.001-04:00

Come join the fun!

Close To My Heart's Jackpot June is Here

2010-06-06T10:08:00.001-04:00

Daily deals are back at Close To My Heart during June. Just visit My CTMH Website between June 1 - July 1 to take advantage of this offer.

On goodie box days...you can purchase one box filled with popular products at 50% or more off retail value! Each goodie box day will feature different surprise items, so you can score a wide variety of current and recently retired products.

On jackpot days...5 products will be offered for sale at discounted prices. One of the 5 products is the mystery jackpot item for that day. If you happen to order the mystery jackpot item, we'll reward you with one or more FREE Close To My Heart products, with shipping included on the free items!

These special offers include discounted shipping/handling and are only available on My CTMH Website. New deals are posted at 11 a.m. EST daily. These offers are available daily while supplies last.

Still Here....

2010-06-06T00:11:00.000-04:00

Yes, I'm still here. Life has gotten in the way of blogging and crafting lately. My mom had surgery and needed some help both at home and at work (my day job is with my family's business). The last few days of school are upon us with all the "extras" that go along with it - my high schooler has strange hours during final exams, my fifth grader has lots of special things going on as they graduate to middle school, and I'm winding up my Girl Scout year.

Here is what I have been working on lately. I don't even want to tell you how long I've been working on this project. I pull it out occasionally to work on. My goal it to get this completed by the time school comes around in the fall. My daughter picked out the material for this herself and even helped me sew the top together on the machine. She hasn't been nearly as interested in quilting though.

Yes, I am hand-quilting. I used the machine to sew the squares together, but the quilting is all being done by hand - just like my grandmother's many quilts.

I am quilting in a flower pattern to tie in with the flannel backing of the quilt pictured below. I enlarged the flower used in the backing to use as my patterns for quilting.

Congratulations Sign

2010-05-21T23:59:00.001-04:00

We were asked to make "secret locker signs" to congratulate our fifth graders for completing elementary school. The signs will be hung during the last week of school.

My daughter has a very bright and sparkly personality, so I knew I wanted to incorporate that in her sign.

The colors are not nearly as bright and vibrant in the photos. The background is a neon green mounted on black and the graduation cap is hot pink with black flocked zebra stripes.

Materials:

Cardstock (neon green and black)
Glitter chipboard letters (DCWV)
Assorted adhesive "bling" (The Paper Studio)
Paper flowers with gem centers (Flora Doodles by Petaloo)
Embroidery floss (tassle)
Large rhinestone brad (The Paper Studio)
Flocked cardstock (The Paper Studio)
Cricut
Wild Card cartridge
Sparkle Sheer Shimmer Spritz
Foam squares (under graduation cap)

Art in 3-D Girl Scout Badge

2010-05-15T10:24:00.000-04:00

As promised....

Here is the only crafting I accomplished this week. These are some of the 3-D art projects (in various states of completion) my Girl Scout troop made to put in their shadowboxes.

Some used items cut from the Cricut, others used items the art teacher had left for us. They all turned out great and very unique.

Have a great weekend!

New Friend Friday

2010-05-14T10:23:00.000-04:00

Check it out! It's New Friend Friday over at The Girl Creative. You can check out her blog for the details and go make some new friends and find some great new blogs.

I'm Still Here - With a New Winner (see bottom of post)

2010-05-14T08:00:00.001-04:00

Have you ever had one of those weeks???? Mine started last Friday evening - I chaired an event for 300 six - nine year old Girl Scouts in our school district. I made my daughter come help me pull it off. :-) I was so exhausted by the time it was over, but they seemed to have a good time, learned something, and I pulled it off in less than a month (the previous chairs backed out at the last minute, so I stepped in so the event wouldn't be cancelled).

When I got home, I was babysitting my niece the rest of the evening and next day. I forgot how much energy it took to keep up with a two-year old. Luckily it was bedtime when she got there, so her parents put her down before they left.

Sunday was Mother's Day. I had a fabulous day. I made "noodle lasagna" in my slow cooker to take up to my mom's house. We spent most of the afternoon visiting with her and then my grandmother. My kids gave me just what I asked for (of all things, I wanted a whisk and a potato masher - don't ask), and hubby ordered Chinese take-out for dinner. I got to relax in my PJ's the rest of the evening.

My daughter came home Monday with the bridge of her violin broken, and, of course, her final concert was this week. I spent Monday trying to find an instrument shop that could repair it "in house", so she would have her violin back before the concert on Thursday. I did find one, and the concert (and her trio) was wonderful last night.

My Girl Scout troop had a meeting on Wednesday. We are finishing up some badges that we had started and not ever finished before we move up to the next level. Our art teacher was going to work with the girls to make 3-D paper art (to be placed in shadowboxes), but she cancelled Tuesday afternoon. CRICUT TO THE RESCUE!!! My co-leader and I are both pretty crafty. I brought my Cricut and she brought some items, and we pulled it off. My troop was being honored in the evening for earning their Bronze Award this year, so we took the girls out for pizza and then headed to the ceremony. Whew - what were we thinking???

I will post some pictures of some of the girls' creations this weekend. It's the only crafting time I've had this week, and I spent all of it cutting things out for the girls. I do have some projects I need to "get hopping on" though, so I'll be back to posting soon.

I hopped online this morning and found out that I was the winner of a Cricut Expression from Joy and Melanie at Everyday Cricut! A big thanks goes out to both of these talented ladies, as well as ProvoCraft for the great prize.

FINALLY, I still have some blog candy looking for a new home. I chose a new winner this morning. The winner of my blog candy from this post, chosen by random.org is:

paperscissors said...

i became a follower after checking out your creations! i love the cleaness of the designs and how you decorate the envelopes and the inside of the cards!

I will try e-mailing you. You have 2 weeks to contact me with your mailing information, so I can get the blog candy out to you. Congratulations!

Hopefully, life will start to calm down a little ~ not likely though until school's out. It seems like the end of school is a "see how much we can pack in" time of year. Hope life is treating you well and you have time to enjoy all the fun things going on around.

And the winner (still) is....

2010-05-06T11:27:00.000-04:00

I'm still waiting to hear from the winner. Check THIS POST to see if you won.

You have until May 13 to claim your prize by e-mailing me your mailing address. I will choose a new winner on the 14th if I haven't heard from you.

Cherry-O Workshops on the Go

2010-05-04T11:03:00.001-04:00

I have to say this is one of my favorite papers in the new Idea Book. I will get "my versions" of this month's workshop once I get them completed (sorry, new consultant here and couldn't purchase everything I wanted all at once).

While you wait, here are the marketing materials for this workshop. You can order this kit from me directly, or you can set up a gathering/workshop if you would like me to walk you through creating either the cards or scrapbook pages.

Here are the cards you are given instructions to create:

Here is the layout you can create with this kit.

If you are interested in purchasing this kit from me, here are the links:

G1008 Cherry-O Workshop Basic Kit ($29.95)

If you really want to make your projects shine, consider adding the following items:
Z1088 Chocolate Waxy Flax ($3.95)
Z1274 Colonial White Designer Brads ($3.95)

Here are the inkpads/colors used in creating these projects:
Z2111 Chocolate
Z2153 Sweet Leaf
Z2166 Tulip

Hope you are having a great week! I'll be back with another post soon.

Birthday Card

2010-05-02T21:25:00.001-04:00

I don't know who will be the lucky recipient of this birthday card. I'll put it in my card stash for the summer; there are a lot of birthdays during the summer months in my family. This card qualifies for My Pink Stamper's NSD challenge #12 to create something with a "critter".

Front

Inside

Supplies used:

Cardstock from my stash

Say it with Bling from Want 2 Scrap

Black Diamond Stickles from Ranger (for the pupils)

Turquoise ribbonFX from Hobby Lobby

Paisley Cricut cartridge (the frog is cut at 3" with shadow and layers)

3D Foam Square (adhesive)

Black pen

Thanks for stopping by!

Birthday Card

2010-05-02T21:14:00.000-04:00

This card is for my husband's birthday later this week, so hopefully he's not checking in my blog this week. :-) This card is also for My Pink Stamper's NSD challenge #7 to make something masculine.

This project also showcases Close To My Heart's stamp of the month for May. Check it out on My CTMH website.

Front

Inside

Now, I am a self-confessed paper addict. I love to purchase, hoard, and never use paper. I am trying to get better. I raided my stash and ended up using paper from a set I purchased in 2007 (gasp!) and hadn't used at all.

Supplies used:

CTMH Serendipity Heart of Winter Project Pack (papers and "dot" die-cuts)

Z280 Natural Hemp

D1421 Cherish the Moment ~ May stamp of the month

Z2140 Outdoor Denim Exclusive Inks

Thanks for stopping by! E-mail me or stop by my website if you are interested in purchasing the May Stamp of the Month.

Teacher Appreciation Card

2010-05-02T21:01:00.000-04:00

This was on my list of things to make this weekend. It just happened to end up being part of My Pink Stamper's NSD challenge. This is for challenge #5.

Front

Inside

Supplies used:

Cardstock from my stash

Paisley Cricut cartridge (the cat is cut at 4-1/2" with shadow and layers)

Cuttlebug machine

Spellbinders Labels Eight

Jet Black StazOn Ink

Yellow Stickles by Ranger

Frosted Lace Stickles by Ranger

Computer and printer for inside sentiment

Dashes, Dots and Checks ribbon from Michael's

Thanks for stopping by!

Mother's Day Card

2010-05-02T20:51:00.000-04:00

Here is the last of the Mother's Day cards I need to make. I am also entering it in My Pink Stamper's National Scrapbook Day challenge #1. It is an A2 sized card.

Front

Inside

Supplies used:

X7119B Veranda Level 2 Paper Pack

X7119C Veranda My Stickease Assortment

B1338 Follow Your Heart stamp set (exclusive Veranda Workshop on the Go stamp set)

D1283 Say It in Style stamp set

Z2165 Juniper Exclusive Inks

Z2157 Vineyard Berry Exclusive Inks

Z2128 Hollyhock Exclusive Inks

Z2111 Chocolate Exclusive Inks

Star Dust Stickles by Ranger

Thanks for stopping by!

You're Going Places, Baby

2010-05-01T21:53:00.000-04:00

I have to say, I love this award. I LOVE classic movies and have drooled over this award on other blogs. So, when greenbean at Greenbean's Crafterole decided to hand this out to all her followers, I gladly accepted.

Okay, rules for this award are:

Link back to the person who gave you the award (greenbean at Greenbean's Crafterole)
Post where you would like to be in 10 years
Give this award to 10 awesome bloggers

In ten years, I would like to have one child through college and a second one nearly done. I would like to have more time to craft (I might still be catching up on scrapbook pages from the kids' childhoods at the rate I'm going). I would like to finally have the time/money/energy to complete some of the home improvements we would like to make. Finally, I will be looking forward to being an "empty-nester" with my husband and having more "us time" to travel and enjoy life.

Now, I would like to pass this award on to the following wonderful bloggers (in no particular order):

Teresa at Enjoy the VA Sunshine ~ I have recently found her blog and love it
Crystal at Crafting for Caitlyn ~ I love seeing her beautiful scrapbook layouts and reading all about what she's doing at tot school
Flowerdisco at Flowerdisco's Scrap Hut ~ she always has something new and creative on her blog yet she takes time to leave the sweetest comments on my blog
Penny at Light Whimsy ~ she made the most FABULOUS Mother's Day gift the other day, leaves wonderful comments, and was my first CTMH customer
Samantha at Scrapmaster's Paradise ~ love her blog, she always has something fun going on
Sheila at She's A Sassy Lady ~ she's leaves me wonderful comments and posted a wonderful wedding gift box idea recently (the story behind it will bring tears to your eyes)
Britten at Two at a Time ~ I love reading her stories about life with twin toddlers
Tracy at Craft Junkie Too ~ I just like all the cards she's been posting lately using the Create-a-Critter cricut cartridge
Karli at Crafting with Class ~ she makes the most beautiful cards and made a simply stunning flower
Michele at Scrap and Dance ~ her projects make me smile

I guess that's it. Thanks for stopping by today. Please take a moment to visit some of these wonderful blogs; I'm sure they would appreciate it as well.

Expression Giveaway

2010-05-01T18:15:00.000-04:00

Everyday Cricut is giving away a Cricut Expression machine. Check out their site for all the details on entering.

Happy National Scrapbooking Day!!!

2010-05-01T00:58:00.001-04:00

Today kicks off National Scrapbooking Month. It's also the first day to order from Close To My Heart's new Summer Idea Book. I've had a chance to look through it, and I LOVE some of the new products! The new papers are wonderful; I can't choose a favorite. There is also an adorable recipe card kit. And the new stamps..... I can't even put it into words; you'll just have to check them out for yourself (and some sets even have newly reduced prices!).

If you haven't gotten your hands on one of these books yet, e-mail me today to get yourself a copy. You're going to love it, too ~ I promise.

The May Stamp of the Month is Cherish the Moment. It is only available during the month of May. You can purchase it alone for $22.95, but you can get it at a discount with only a $25 minimum purchase ~ the more you buy, the bigger the discount. It is a very versatile set. Check it out on my website.

Can't wait to see what everyone's creating for National Scrapbook Month. I'll be checking all your blogs to see what you're up to. Have a great day!

And the winner is.....

2010-04-30T23:27:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I'm a little late. Started watching a movie and chilling out on Friday night, and it completely slipped my mind.

I used random.org to choose the winner and oddly enough the winner was the final entry and my newest followers. The winner was #20:

Judy B. said...

Congrats!!! I'm #62! Keep on keepin' on!

Congratulations Judy. Send me an e-mail with your address and I will get your goodies out to you. Thanks to all my new followers and thanks for playing along!

Favors

2010-04-28T21:46:00.000-04:00

Today's crafting came during my Girl Scout troop meeting. We were working on a service project making "favors" for Meals on Wheels to distribute to their clients. Almost every troop in our service unit (basically our school district) participates in this project at some point during the year with each troop providing at least 75 items to be passed out.

This year our troop made felt flowers on clothespins. Here are some of them laying out while the glue dries. They still need to be put on the clothespins.

Hard? No, but it's always a challenge to come up with something that 10-11 year olds (with varying crafting abilities) can mass-produce in a fairly short amount of time.

Thanks for stopping by! National Scrapbook Day is almost here.

Mother's Day Cards

2010-04-25T20:52:00.000-04:00

Mom - stop right here or you'll see your card before Mother's Day.

For the rest of you....continue on. LOL!!

I made two cards for Mother's Day this weekend. They were both similar in style, but yet different. I was very pleased with the way they finally turned out. I haven't been able to find Glimmer Mist in any of my local craft stores, but I did find some Sheer Shimmer Spritz today that I think must be a very similar product. All I can say is...oh my, I could love this stuff. My daughter actually wanted me to spray her so she would sparkle.

Supplies used were:

Topstitch Level 2 Paper Pack from Close To My Heart
StazOn Timber Brown ink
Heavenly Blue stamp pad from Close To My Heart
Baby Pink stamp pad from Close To My Heart
Chocolate stamp pad from Close To My Heart
Colonial White stamp pad from Close To My Heart
Colonial White Mini-Medley Accents from Close To My Heart
Soft Suede Pinwheels from Close To My Heart
Say It In Style My Acrylix stamp set from Close To My Heart
Togetherness My Acrylix stamp set from Close To My Heart
Paisley Praise My Acrylix stamp set from Close To My Heart
Frost Sheer Shimmer Spritz by Tsukineko
Sparkle Sheer Shimmer Spritz by Tsukinek
Cricut Mother's Day Seasonal Cartridge

Forgive the "bad photos". As I said in my earlier post, my hubby had the "good camera" at the wrestling tournament, and I wanted to get this photographed while I still had some light.

Here's the first card. The pictures below are of the inside. They are a little fuzzy, but I was trying to get a good picture showing the shimmer spritz on the lettering. Hopefully it shows up a little. The pink "paisleys" are a stamp that I created the background with using ink the same color as the cardstock. I did the same on the inside of the second card.

Here's card number two. Similar style, but the inside is different. I used the shimmer spritz all over the inside of the card. I think it shows up better in this picture.

Thanks for stopping by! Remember, my "blog candy" drawing will be held on April 30. All you have to do is leave a comment on the blog candy post and become a follower. I picked up a few items for the drawing over the weekend. I'll post some pics of the goodies sometime this week.

Posting

2010-04-24T22:12:00.000-04:00

Okay, I really had all the best intentions of posting pictures of my Veranda scrapbook pages, but....hubby took the "good camera" to the wrestling tournament and I couldn't get any decent pictures to post with the camera I had left.

Meanwhile, I have since created two Mother's Day cards this weekend, so I'll be posting pictures of those as well (as soon as I get the camera back).

Hope the rest of your weekend goes well!

Woo hoo!!!

2010-04-23T07:36:00.000-04:00

I've been having a pretty good week here. I haven't gotten much crafting in, but still a good week. It all started last weekend with successful events with my children. My son won the wrestling tournament he was in, finally getting "the trophy" that he's been after for years. My daughter had a dance competition and her three groups took 5th, 3rd, and 1st places in the age group.

I have gotten 11 new followers this week. THANK YOU to all my followers.

Also, I am halfway to the sales goal I set for myself during my first month with Close To My Heart. There are still 3 days left of my grand opening sale that I have going on (free goodies for all orders), so I hope to make my goal by Sunday. I have until May 3 to complete my goal and be on target with my overall goals.

I completed my Veranda scrapbook pages except for pictures and a title. I haven't been able to figure out what pictures I want to use. I may have to photograph them without the pictures and title, just so I can get them up on my blog before the end of the month. I'll see what I can find today. Maybe inspiration will hit me at work today. If not, I'll take pictures tonight and post them anyway. I'll be back later tonight.

Have a great Friday!

Blog Candy

2010-04-20T23:02:00.000-04:00

I had been stuck at 49 followers for what seemed like FOREVER! This morning, I realized that I have gained 3 followers in the last day or so. Woo hoo!!! I didn't think I was every going to break 50.

To celebrate, I'm going to give away some blog candy. I don't know what it will be yet, but I will find something fabulous.

To enter, here's what you have to do.....

Become a follower of my blog
Leave a comment on this post

That's it. Easy!! Let's see... I'll give you 10 days to enter. I will draw the winner on Friday, April 30 sometime around 9 pm EST.

I will leave this post at the top until the drawing. Good luck!

National Scrapbooking Month

2010-04-20T06:04:00.001-04:00

Close To My Heart is kicking off National Scrapbooking Month early! They have created a beautiful Miracle kit that is available now through May 31 or while supplies last. You can get this kit for $19.95, a discounted price with minimum purchase or even free. This kit will create two 2-page layouts.

One of the features of this kit that I am most impressed with are the Flip Flaps. You can put multiple pictures in the space of one to make a "flip book" (shown open in the photo above).

The colors of this kit are so subtle, that most pictures will look awesome in the layouts. The main colors used are Sweet Leaf, Olive, Crystal Blue and Bamboo.

I can't wait for my kit to arrive! If you're interested in getting one of these great kits as well, check out my Close To My Heart website or drop me an e-mail.

Have a great Tuesday!

Veranda Workshop On The Go

2010-04-19T20:02:00.001-04:00

As promised....

Here are the cards I made with the Veranda Workshop On the Go Kit.

I will be the first to admit that green is not usually a color I lean toward using a lot. I did change which green cardstock I used for the projects, because I didn't care for the other green included. I do really like these cards now that they are finished, though. I guess green does have a place. LOL

This kit is available through the end of the month. You can purchase it through my website if you're interested.

Thanks for looking! I'll be back soon with another project.

Wedding Card

2010-04-18T12:57:00.000-04:00

This card was made earlier in the week for my cousin's wedding. I didn't want to post before the weekend though, because I know some of my family members check my blog every so often.

I used some Close To My Heart products on this project. I have linked to the products that are available on my website if you would like to check them out.

All of the papers on this project were "leftovers" from previous projects - gotta love that. The large purple flower was from a kit someone gave me, but I don't know who makes it. The white butterfly and flowers are from the Just Blooms Spring Blossom by Close To My Heart. They are both inked in purple to bring out some of the details. Added a few pearls and voila! It wasn't what I imagined when I sat down to make the card, but I was generally happy with the way it turned out.

On the inside, I simply stamped a flourish and sentiment and added a few more pearls. The stamp sets are both Close To My Heart. The flourish is from the Cherished Flourishes set and the sentiment is from the Follow Your Heart set which is only available as part of the Veranda Workshop On the Go Kit which is only available through the end of April.

Speaking of the Veranda Workshop On the Go. I have finished my cards and am working on the scrapbook pages to post. I just need to get some pictures taken of the cards, and I'll get them up on my blog for you to see. Hopefully I'll have at least the cards up by tomorrow.

Remember, only one week left for my "grand opening" Close To My Heart consultant special. E-mail me or sign up for my newsletter for more details.

Have a great Sunday!

"You Rock" Workshop on the Go

2010-04-14T00:05:00.002-04:00

I haven't had my consultant's kit very long. I am working on getting the Veranda Workshop On the Go cards and scrapbook pages together to post for you.

While you're waiting on me to craft around my busy schedule, I am going to post pictures of the You Rock Workshop On the Go that I purchased and made awhile ago. This is one of my favorite paper packs. It is such a great set of papers for my teen & tween!

Here are the cards you can make:

The kit includes supplies and directions to make two cards of each of these designs.

If you aren't a cardmaker, there are directions included to make a two-page scrapbook layout as well. Yes, I will get around to putting some pictures in, but I'm really slow at downloading pictures off our camera and getting them printed. I am also very careful about posting pictures of my kids/family on the internet. Here is the layout without pictures (you'll have to book a Close To My Heart home gathering with me to see it with pictures):

The great part about these kits is that you get enough supplies to make BOTH the cards and the scrapbook pages. You also receive an exclusive stamp set that is only found in the kit. If you prefer only cards or scrapbook pages, there are directions on my Close To My Heart website for an additional set of cards or an additional layout you can make.

If you want to purchase one of the great kits currently available, you need to hurry. The current 4 kits (Caboodle, Top Stitch, You Rock and Veranda) are only available through April 30. If you don't currently have a Close To My Heart consultant, I would love to help you out. Just visit my Close To My Heart website to see our fabulous products.

Remember, my "grand opening" special is going on now through April 25. If you haven't heard about it, sign up for my newsletter or drop me an e-mail.

Thanks for stopping in! Have a great crafty day.

Sesame Street Birthday Card

2010-04-13T13:14:00.000-04:00

Okay, not a Close To My Heart product on this project at all, but I didn't think a two-year old would really appreciate that. She was much happier with Sesame Street characters. Her face was priceless when she pulled out the envelope!

Boy, this was tricky ~ all those little pieces and tiny cuts. I sure wouldn't want to make this cut any smaller! This is a 5" square card, cut from the Elmo's Party cricut cartridge. The Big Bird and Cookie Monster characters are cut from the Sesame Street and Friends cartridge at 4-3/4" and 4-1/4".

The Cookie Monster and Big Bird characters are cut from the Sesame Street and Friends cartridge at 4-1/4" and 4-3/4". Cookie Monster is foam taped on the front of the card.

And, finally, the envelope (from Elmo's Party)....

Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for looking. Have a great day.

Seems Like Forever

2010-04-07T18:38:00.000-04:00

It seems like it's been so long since I last posted! I have been very busy getting familiarized with Close To My Heart. I have gotten my CTMH website running for orders, but I haven't gotten it very "personalized" yet.

I just have to keep reminding myself that there are only so many hours in a day. LOL!

That hasn't left me much time for creating lately (well, we also were out of town last weekend for the Easter holiday). Now that I feel like things are coming together on the CTMH front, I'm ready to get back to creating. You should be seeing a few more creative posts from me in the near future.

I have been updating my blog. I have added a link to my new consultant website. I have also added a newsletter sign-up link. I will send out information about new products from Close To My Heart as well as any specials they may have. You will also receive information regarding any private specials, clubs or workshops I am holding. Sign-up if you're interested.

Anyway, away from the computer I go, so that I can hold to my wish of actually getting some crafting done this week! Have a great day.

Happy Easter

2010-04-03T17:00:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post to say Happy Easter to everyone. Here's a card I made using the Wild Card and Easter 2010 Cricut cartridges.

Supplies used:

Nana's Kitchen Stack by DCWV
Scrap cardstock I had around
Goldrush ink by Close To My Heart
Garden Green ink by Close To My Heart
Pastel Pink ink by Colorbok
Eastertime stamp set by Close To My Heart

That's it for now. Have a great Easter weekend! Hope your weather is as wonderful as ours has turned out to be.

Big News

2010-03-31T16:16:00.000-04:00

I recently got the news that my application was accepted, and I am going to be a Close To My Heart consultant. I can't wait to get my starter kit and get going!

I love Close To My Heart products! They have great scrapbooking paper products, and I can't wait to learn more about the new Studio J online design software.

Stay tuned for more info. Meanwhile, I've put a link to the Spring 2010 Idea Book in my sidebar to look through.

Have a great day!

Kinda Crafty

2010-03-30T10:48:00.000-04:00

Okay, I didn't get as much accomplished over the weekend as I had hoped. As it turned out, my hubby wanted to paint the basement. We have a full basement that has never had anything done with it since the builder left other than us painting the cement floor and cement blocks to waterproof them. The part that is drywall has been plastered drywall with all the seams still showing since we moved in.

Mind you, we have over 700 square feet of wall space to paint, so this wasn't an easy job. Since it was still drywall, we had to prime it first (one coat right off the bat). Then, just to make things difficult (and the fact that we're big Buckeye fans and it's a must for the basement in Ohio), we wanted to paint it red (at least two more coats).

We did get it primed over the weekend, and I went home and painted one area red last night. This is the worst section to paint as it has the windows, doors and fireplace. Everything left is plain wall, so shouldn't take nearly as long. Don't mind my painter's tape around the fireplace, and it still needs another coat. Once we're done painting, we want to "box in" the windows and paint the trim white.

Now, on to the "kinda crafty" part. A few days ago I posted that my 16-year old son interrupted my crafting wanting to make the biggest Mater possible. I did finally help him get Mater finished. He ended up being cut at 7" with the Disney Cars Cricut cartridge. We used various papers depending on what he liked.

Hope you have a great day. After work, I'm off to paint some more basement.

Easter Card

2010-03-28T09:50:00.000-04:00

Here is an Easter card I made for my grandparents. It qualifies for the following challenges:

Cricut Cardz Challenge #18 ~ make an Easter card, any cartridge or color
Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog #2 ~ make an Easter themed project with a pastel color palette
Paper Cutz Challenge #34 ~ make an Easter project, but no bunnies or chicks

This is an A2 sized card. The papers used were: DCWV's Nana's Kitchen Stack (the pink plaid and the green dotted) and The Paper Studio's 180 Paper Pack II (yellow). The edges are inked with pastel pink Color Box fluid chalk. The flowers are from Close To My Heart and have been stickled with frosted lace in the centers and on the edges. I'm not sure where the ribbon is from. The cross was cut from the Easter 2010 Cricut cartridge at 4". It was also inked and pop-dotted onto the card.

For the inside "Happy Easter" was cut using the fit to length feature at 4".

I have another Easter card I'm working on. My son sidetracked me last night, because he wanted to make the largest Mater (from Cars) that we could make. Yes, he's 16, so when he wants to spend time crafting with his mom, how can I turn him down. Have a great Sunday!

Mickey Mouse Birthday Card

2010-03-27T13:01:00.001-04:00

My niece is turning two next week - the same one who I made invitations and thank you notes for earlier this month. She LOVES Mickey Mouse; her parents can't figure out why she knows him. I told them that every little kid knows "the mouse". Her party isn't for a couple of weeks yet, but I made this for her actual birthday, and I'll make her another for the party.

This card is for the Day 25 DIY Challenge over at 365 Cards. The challenge was to create a do-it-yourself, glittered brad and/or pearl. I didn't have a brad I liked, so I covered a green one in black diamond stickles by Ranger.

The papers for this project come from DCWV except the black and white. The DCWV stacks I used were Neutrals and Fun in the Sun Summer. All the cuts on this card came from the Mickey Font Cricut cartridge. Mickey was cut at 3-1/2". The "Oh Boy!" charm was cut at 1-3/4". The inside sentiment was cut at 1".

The colors didn't turn out as "true" as I had hoped in the photo. They are really much brighter in person. The photo at the left is a close-up of the charm and brad I stickled.

Have a great day! I'm off to my craft room for some Easter creations.

Blog Hop

2010-03-27T10:09:00.000-04:00

The Lovebug Scrapbooking's Blog is holding it's monthly blog hop. If you're having trouble with Easter inspiration, head on over and check it out. There are some great Easter projects this month and some great blog candy.

Baking Cookies Scrapbook Layout

2010-03-27T07:03:00.002-04:00

For my niece's upcoming birthday, I have been putting together some blank scrapbook pages (isn't that what every two-year-old wants?) for her mom to put pictures in. Some of the pages were purchased and just have embellishments to add, some of the pages are from a Close To My Heart kit that just needed embellishments added, and a few of the pages I've created on my own.

My sister-in-law made Christmas cookies with my niece and took the most adorable pictures. Some of them made their Christmas card this year, so I wanted to make a special page for actual pictures of the adventure. This layout is based on a sketch in the Cherish book by Close To My Heart.

The base pages are Close To My Heart cocoa cardstock. The accent pieces are from DCWV's Nana's Kitchen Stack. All the accent pieces are inked with Close To My Heart cocoa ink. The "cookies" is cut using the From My Kitchen Cricut cartridge. The embellishments are some stickers I found at a LSS (local scrapbook shop).

Have a great day!

Busted....

2010-03-26T05:00:00.001-04:00

Okay, I got busted "surfing the net" at work the other day. Now, I do work for my parents, so the reaction was a bit different than on most jobs. My mom said, "Oooo, I really like those, can you make me some?" LOL

Here is my take on America's great baskets. She has GREAT directions over on the Cuttlebug Challenge Blog. My baskets aren't exactly like hers. I didn't have an embossing folder I liked, so left out the embossed strip. I also couldn't find any embellishments like her great butterflies, so I didn't add those either. My mom wants to fill them and give them to my grandparents for Easter and then again for May Day to cheer them up. She may also want more to give to all the "little girls" at our Easter get-together.

Hope you have a great crafting day!

62nd Anniversary Card

2010-03-25T10:36:00.001-04:00

My grandparents 62nd anniversary is coming up soon. This is the card I created for them.

This card qualifies for the Frosted Designs challenge this week which was to use flowers on your project.

The paper is from DCWV, the Indian Summer Cardstock stack and the Indian Summer Mat Stack. The sentiment is stamped with a Close To My Heart stamp from the Say It In Style set on a tag cut at 1/2" using the Tags, Bags, Boxes and More Cricut cartridge. The flowers and brads come from the Earth's Palette Creative Kit by Hot Off the Press. The orange ribbon and brads are things that I had just laying around.

The inside of the card is very simple. I simply added a small section of the striped paper to the bottom.

Thanks for stopping by!