64 Years of Wedded Bliss

Today is the anniversary of my wonderful grandparents.  They have been together for 64 years.  I threw this card together for them late last night.  There are things I would have done differently if I weren't working on a deadline to complete the card.

The inspiration for this card came from a card that Jeri from Bug 'N Me Creations made.  You can see her original card HERE.  I did not make my card a shaped card, but I did like how the "happy" was the main focal point of the card.

Here is my version:

Here is the inside:

I have to apologize for the photos.  In my haste, I didn't have time to wait on the "good light" of the day to take my pictures.

The card is an A2 size.  The paper came from Close to My Heart - the paper is now retired, but I have a few pieces leftover from an earlier project.

Here are the items for this card:

• Cricut
• Gypsy
• Xyron
• Adhesive
• Sweet Pea paper (retired) from Close to My Heart
• From My Kitchen Cricut cartridge
• Just Because Cards Cricut cartridge
• Stand and Salute Cricut cartridge
• Varsity Letter Cricut cartridge
• Black Exclusive Inks from Close to My Heart
• Say It in Style stamp set from Close to My Heart
• Amore stamp set (retired) from Close to My Heart
• My Acrylix Blocks from Close to My Heart
• Ribbon from my stash
• Black fine tip pen

I am linking this up to the "Get Your Brag On" linky party and the TGIF Linky Party.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope to be back soon with a birthday card for a sweet little girl soon to be one.  Have a great night!

Hip Hippo Hooray

My niece is turning 4 this week.  Her birthday party was last weekend, so she has already received the card I made - loved the hippo.

This card is 5-1/2"x4-1/4".  There were a lot of layers to put together on this card.  I don't usually make cards with so many "little pieces", but I was really happy with how it turned out.  The Xyron makes putting all those little pieces together so much easier than glue!

The items I used for this card were:

• Cricut Expression
• Gypsy
• Xyron
• The Christmas Card Stack by DCWV
• The Fun in the Sun Summer Stack by DCWV
• Create a Critter Cricut cartridge
• Cuttin' Up Cricut cartridge
• From My Kitchen Cricut cartridge
• Just Because Cards Cricut cartridge
• Turquoise Stickles by Ranger

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you've had some crafting time this week.

I'm linking up to:

Cupcake Birthday Card

I'm back today with another birthday card for a dear friend of mine, Tracy.  Hopefully you get the card in the mail before you see it here. :-)

This was another card that was inspired by Pinterest.  See the original HERE from Kassidy at the Inking it Up Crazy blog.

This is an A2 (5-1/2"x4-1/4") card.  It was made with scraps from my stash.  The inside is simply stamped with Happy Birthday.  Here are the rest of the details:

• Cricut Expression
• Gypsy
• Cuttlebug
• Xyron
• Create a Critter Cricut cartridge
• From My Kitchen Cricut cartridge
• Just Because Cards Cricut cartridge
• Stamps from the Close to My Heart Cricut Art Philosophy collection
• Spots and Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder
• Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder
• Craf-T Chalks Kit #2
• Magenta Stickles
• Ribbon (from my stash)
• Foam tape
• Black Exclusive Inks stamp pad by Close to My Heart
• Sparkle Sheer Shimmer Spritz by Tsukineko

Thanks for stopping by today!  Hope to see you back again this week for some more new projects.

Sports Theme Birthday Card

Yea!!  It's Friday and the start of spring break here.  No major plans for us ~ a couple of college visits this week as we try to narrow down the decision, and my daughter still has her activities to keep her (and us) busy.  I know I promised some more scrapbook layouts today, but it's a special day!

Today is my nephew Jack's birthday.  Happy birthday!!  We wish we were closer to celebrate with you, but we'll see you soon.  Jack, like many 11-year old boys, loves to play sports.  That love of sports was the inspiration for his birthday card.

This card is 4-1/4"x5-1/2".  I used the Gypsy when creating this card.  It really helped me visualize what sizes I needed to make the bat and balls. 

The supplies I used for this card were:

• Paper from my scrap stash
• Tombow adhesive
• Xyron Creative Station
• Cricut Expression
• Sports Mania Cricut cartridge
• Designer's Calendar Cricut cartridge
• Gypsy
• Black Exclusive Inks stamp pad from Close to my Heart
• Dutch Blue Exclusive Inks stamp pad from Close to my Heart
• ColorBox French Blue Chalk Ink
• 3x3 My Acrylix Block from Close to my Heart
• Stamps from the Cricut Art Philosophy Collection from Close to my Heart
• Say It In Style My Acrylix stamp set from Close to my Heart

Thanks for stopping by today!  Hopefully you are looking forward to a weekend full of crafting.  See you soon a new project.

18th Birthday Card

I wanted to share something different today.  Today I'm going to share the birthday card I made for my son's 18th birthday.  I can't take credit for the design ~ it's something I found on Pinterest.  If you want to see the original idea, you can see it HERE; it came from JulieH on the Cricut message board.

The card is a 6x6 square with the fold at the top.  The yellow mat is cut using the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge exclusively from Close to my Heart at 5.87" wide.  The "happy birthday" mat is cut using the same cartridge but at 5.75" wide.

The "18" is cut from the Plantin Schoolbook Cricut cartridge and cut again using the shadow feature at 5.5" tall.  "Jonathan" was cut from the font on the Wild Card Cricut cartridge and welded using my Gypsy.  I played with the size until I was happy with the way it lay over the 18; I would make it a different size if using a different length name.  As JulieH explained in her original directions, I cut Jonathan three times, ran them through my Xyron, and attached them together to make it thicker.

On the inside, I cut a mat from the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge at 5.75" wide.  The sentiment is cut at 5.5" wide from the Create a Critter Cricut cartridge.

Here are the supplies I used:
Cricut Expression
Xyron Creative Station
Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge from Close to my Heart
Plantin Schoolbook Cricut cartridge
Wild Card Cricut cartridge
Create a Critter Cricut cartridge
Black cardstock (from my stash)
Yellow cardstock from Hobby Lobby
Multi Colored Bday Words from The Paper Studio
Solid Glitter - Silver from The Paper Studio
Solid Glitter - Turquoise from The Paper Studio
Clouds from Colorbok

Hope to see you back at my blog soon!  Stop back tomorrow as I'll have some more of my scrapbooking layouts. 

150+ Wins Shirt

During wrestling season this year, my son hit a big career-mark - 150 wins.  To celebrate, I had ready my first ever Cricut-cut vinyl shirt for him.  After his win, his younger sister ran out on the mat to present him with the shirt (so mom and dad could video and take pictures).  Great senior memory for us!

I used Cricut Craft Room while designing this shirt.  The letters were "double layered" to make them two colors; I "hid" anything I did not want cut as I cut each color.  The words on the front were cut from the Varisty Letter Cricut cartridge at 1.097" tall.  The wrestlers are the blackout version from Sports Mania cut at 3.889" tall.

I purchased the metallic heat-transfer vinyl from Coastal Business Supplies.  They had great service and were super-fast with the shipping.  The metallic doesn't photograph very well, but it sure looks great in person!

Both the "150+" and the "career wins" were welded together in Cricut Craft Room and then made to fit to 11.5" wide for the back of the shirt.  The 150 and career wins were cut using the Varsity Letter Cricut cartridge.  The + was cut from Plantin Schoolbook.

I was very pleased with how well this turned out.  The vinyl was surprisingly easy to work with.  With all my settings at 3, it produced a perfect "kiss-cut" leaving the backing intact which made "weeding" and then the placement/ironing very easy.

Hope you have a safe St. Patrick's Day and get some crafting done in between all the "March Madness".

Shape-a-Day using Cricut Art Philosophy

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:

All You Need Is Love

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:

Cricut Expression Giveaway

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

Good luck everyone!

Birthday Card

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:

Wedding Card

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:

Art Philosophy Cartridge & Fabulous Flowers

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.

Have you heard the news???

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.

Dance Team Gifts (Lots of Pictures!)

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!!

Graduation Card

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!