Christmas in July Snowman Challenge

I was catching up on a couple of my blogs last night and noticed that Mary over at Cardz TV has another Christmas in July blog challenge going on until tonight.  Just make a card using a snowman (stamped, digi or Cricut cut image) - easy enough, right? 

This is one that was inspired originally back in 2008 from a stamped version I saw on the CardMaker Magazine website. I loved the idea but didn't have the stamp so I decided to create my own version using my cricut....Needless to say I've made a couple of them since then.

For this particular card I used:

George and Basic Shapes for the window pane cut at 5 1/2" (designed in DS)

Speaking of Winter for the snowmen cut at 4 1/2"

Back when I first got into the whole Cricut craze I was looking for the Christmas Cheer cartridge and couldn't find it anywhere.  Not knowing much about the carts that were available at that time I saw Speaking of Winter and thought there was no difference (i.e. I didn't pick up on the fact that it was a "font" cart) so I purchased it.  But did you know that some of these carts, like this one, can produce some really great images too?  That's all I use this cartridge for and I love it.

To create the window pane I glued a piece of clear plastic (I did not have any acetate so I used the packaging from a large set of stickers I purchased and cut to the size needed) to the frame. Once the glue dried I attached foam strips to the outer edges. (Before adhering the strips though sprinkle with powder or cornstarch to eliminate your glitter and snowflakes from sticking inside the window.) I also attached a small piece to the very center portion of the frame in order to add support.

Before placing the frame in place I sprinkled glitter and the snowflakes onto the snowman making sure to clear the areas where the window would be adhered. I then gently ran my finger along the edges to ensure that I had a good seal and then shook the card to make sure glitter did not escape.

Sweet Summer Treats

Happy Friday everyone. It's time for another fun challenge over at Pause Dream Enjoy and our design team has created some wonderful projects for you.  The directive for this challenge was to create a project using any sweet summer treat of our choosing.

Of course when one thinks about sweet summer treats the first things that generally come to mind are berries, watermelon, and ice cream.  But what about all the other yummies that the season has to offer like sumptuous, fresh off the vine tomatoes or how about those delightful pitchers of lemonade that scream out to us whether the kids are around or not?  And it was that line of thinking that brought me to creating my card with a pitcher of lemonade as the focal point.

I used Block Party for my lemonade pitcher, cutting the top layer from a piece of plastic that had somewhat of a 'design' to it.  My reasoning being that I felt it would make the pitcher look more realistic.

The small circle that says "Life" was cut from George.

The flowers were all cut from Accent Essentials.  Oh, look at the purple on one the inside of the card.  That's a perfect example of how to use a 'mistake' to your advantage.  I misjudged where to place my paper on the mat and it cut off the tips of the two bottom legs on my flower.  Instead of throwing it out though I decided to strategically adhere to the very bottom edge of the card so that no one would be the wiser.  Well, except for you guys.....lol

Now that you've seen my take on this week's challenge hop on over to take a look at all the other yummy projects our team has created.  Then after you've been amply inspired, create your own sweet summer treat, link up and play along for your chance to win a $5 gift certificate from

 http://www.gingersnapscraps.com/

Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to seeing what you create.

Christmas in July Challenge

Hello fellow bloggers and welcome to another Design Team Challenge.  Today's Christmas in July challenge is brought to you by Just a Scrappin.  This week's directive was to make a Christmas project using the colors pink, black, white and one color of our choice.  As you can see I chose the color blue.

Last year I made a dozen or so of these hot chocolate holders and packaged them up (along with a candy cane stick and a little tag with a poem that hung from the 'handle') to sell at one of my local craft shows.  Boy did I underestimate the selling power of this item.  I mean they went QUICK.  So this year I'm going to make up more and thought this challenge would be a good starting point.

To make these I used:

Everyday Pop ups for the mug - lay the cuts out one the mat, weld them together and insert a little oval cut from George at the top so you have an opening in which to insert the packet of hot chocolate

Snow Day for my character cuts - the scarves were embossed using the Tim Holtz Distress embossing powders by Ranger Ink.  I love the way that these powders look after they have settled.

So now that you've seen my take on this week's challenge hop on over to Just A Scrappin to check out all the other designs our team created for you this week.  Then after you've been amply inspired create your own project, link up and play along with us. 

I look forward to seeing what you create.

Hello Sunshine

Happy Wednesday fellow bloggers!  Today's project is brought to you by the Tag Your It challenge going on over at Cardz TV.  For this challenge our directive was to create a card with a tag or tags and any cartridges we desired.  So I thought why not make the shape of my card the tag?

Now I could have used Tags, Bags, Boxes and More for the cut but since I wanted to showcase this cute ray of sunshine from Campin Critters and the badges on there are shaped like some of the tags from TBBM why not just use the same cartridge?  Sounds fair, right?  Well that's what I chose to do and it helped to create this cute lil' card in no time.

And now that you've seen my take on this week's challenge pop over to Cardz TV and check out all the other fantastic designs our team created for you this week.  Then after you've been amply inspired, create your own card and link up for a chance to win.....

Blog Candy Winner

Thank you for hopping along with us this past weekend during our Just a Scrappin blog hop.  We saw some awesome projects created by the Design Team and are thrilled that each of you came to play with us.

The winner (chosen by random.org) of my blog candy from the weekend's blog hop is

Bridget who said, ...."My favorite thing to do in the summer is to spend time with family. Everybody seems to make time in the summer :) "

Congratulations Bridget - you have one week to claim your prize.  Please send me an email at Barbara@SpotofSanity.com with your mailing information and I'll get your prize out to you.

Owl Always Love You

So this week I am the featured DT Member for the Just A Scrappin' team and as part of my feature I was asked to create a card to go along with the Q&A.  Now when I thought up (boy does that sound "Southern" lol) this card I had a much grander vision of the way it would turn out and, I guess, in the end, it's not too bad.  Although I was hoping that at the very least my appeture would work a bit better. 

Appeture Close Up

Anyhoo.....I used Create a Critter for my owl, April Showers for the butterfly, and Sweethearts for my tree.  When I laid the tree cut out on the mat though I stretched it just a bit so that my tree trunk would be a little bit wider for creating the appeture.  Once removed from the mat, I used my exacto blade to make a cross cut then grab each corner with a pair of surgical grips and rolled the paper back to create my opening.

On the inside of the card I adhered my owl so that its face fit center to the opening on the front.

Now, if you'd like to see the questions that were asked of me and delve a little bit more into what helps to keep me 'sane' take a gander over at the DT member feature on Just A Scrappin'.

Just A Scrappin Summer Fun Blog Hop

Welcome to the first ever Just A Scrappin Blog Hop! If you just hopped over from Scrapbooking and Card Making by Sherry, you're in the right place. If you're just stopping by for a visit and would like to hop along, go to Just A Scrappin so you can start at the beginning.

Our wonderful Design Team has pulled out all the stops and created some fabulous summer fun projects that I am sure will have you oohing and aahing along the way.  Of course with so many fun things to do this time of year it was hard to settle on just one thing to use as the focal point on my project.  However, I've been making quite a few summer projects lately so I decided to use one that I had not yet featured. 

My husband and I have taken back up our new found love of cycling this summer.  We just started this 'hobby' last season so we haven't been doing it long.  But we are fortunate in that there are a few spots in our area where we can go and safely enjoy our currently 17 mile long rides and still have an adventure or two along the way.  Why a couple weeks ago as we were finishing our ride we had the pleasure of a Black Bear crossing our path.....Oh the fun of it all!

For this card I wanted a different fold than the usual straight down the middle, open it up and there it is  fold.  So I opted for the S-Fold.  To create the 'scene' on my card I used:

Graphically Speaking for the frame and the sun

Camping Critters for the squirrel on his bike

My background paper, which I just love is from My Little Shoebox and is called Playtime - Catch Me if You Can.  How fitting is that?
 
And the quote?  Well, let's just say I thought it was perfect as well.
 
Oh and let's not forget that I have a little blog candy to give away as well.  If you would like a chance to win the items pictured below leave me a comment telling me your favorite thing to do over the summer OR what kind of projects you like to create in the summer.  That's it.  You don't have to be a follower (even though followers are great I prefer to have them because people want to be) but you will have to remember to come back here on Wednesday, July 25th to see if you are the winner.

Blog Candy - Winner to be Announced 7/25/2012


And now be sure to hop over to Creating with the Heart to see the fabulous Summer Fun project Cindy has created to share with you.  And just in case you need it, here's the entire line-up for our Blog Hop.....
 

Bridget

Nicole M

Melitta

Keia

Liz

Bree

Joann

Belinda

Annmarie

Michelle

Sherry

Me - You're already here ;o)

Cindy

Marye

Kim D

Carol

Nicole D.

Patti B

Blog Hop Starts Tomorrow

Happy Friday the 13th everyone.  Just wanted to pop in really quick to remind everyone that the blog hop I'm participating in with the Just A Scrappin' Design Team will start tomorrow and go through the weekend.

You won't want to miss this as several of our designers will be showcasing their talented take on the Summer Fun theme.  And let's not forget that along the hop you will have chances to win blog candy - including some that will be given away here on my blog.

So get ready for the fun and come join us this weekend.  I know I'm looking forward to seeing all the fabulous projects!

Drawstring Cowl

Now I'm not much of one for cowls. I'm more of a scarf kinda girl.  But, I saw this pattern and had to give it a whirl.  The pattern was designed by Samantha Pestana over at Once Upon a Loom.  If you love loom knitting you should really check out her blog as she's got a lot of beautiful designs over there.

For this cowl I used some of my favorite yarn to work with - Loops and Thread Charisma in Toadstool color.  I know, kinda funny name huh?  This project took just over one skein of yarn to complete so now I have enough left over to make a child's woven top hat.  Yippee.

In the meantime, I need to go do some reading on blocking projects because I have a mobius shrug (another item I'm not much into - but I can't always knit what I want right?) that is in need of some blocking.

Summer Blog Hop - Coming Soon

As the temperatures continue to rise I find myself yearning to be outdoors more and more.  After all it is summer time and that means I just spent months sitting inside because it was too cold outside for me to do anything.  But now I can get out, run around, go to the beach, go cycling, have BBQ's, garden and all kinds of other things. 

There are so many fun things to do in the summer and so we over at Just A Scrappin' have decided to have a blog hop on July 14th and 15th to showcase something that we each like to do during the summer.  I hop that you'll check in with me and all the other ladies participating in this event.   Rumor has it that there will even be some blog candy scattered along the trail.

So mark your calendars - you won't want to miss this!

Christmas in July?.....

....Why not.  Mary over at Cardz TV is doing a Christmas in July challenge and I just happened to have a card that I put together recently but had not yet published.  Who says timing isn't everything?  Now mind you this is a very quick put together but I had these Christmas themed bingo cards sitting in my stash begging to be used.

So what's the challenge you ask?  Why it's to "Make a Christmas card using a hand stamped, digital stamped or Cricut cut image of an animal, and any colors you'd like!"



One little cut from one great cartridge - Jolly Holidays - yep that's it.  I absolutely love the little critters on this cartridge.  They're so fun and festive and let's not forget versatile.

Now grab that Christmas cartridge you've been dying to pull out and make your own creation for this challenge and link up to play along too.

Sunsets

Happy Friday everyone.  I am excited to announce that I have been chose to participate with yet another great Design Team.  This one is the Pause Dream Enjoy Team, and just as with the other two teams that I am a part of you won't want to miss any of the upcoming challenges.

This week our challenge over at PDE was to create a project with Sunset as the theme using either the colors of a sunset or a sunset itself as the focal point.  So when was the last time you watched the sun set (or rise for that matter)?  I used to watch it rise every morning on the drive in to work but now that I work closer to home I have not watched it rise in a while.  Watching it set though is another story and seeing the sun set over the Gulf of Mexico (or even the bay) is a breathtaking moment with all the beauty and splendor that is displayed before your eyes.

So all of that said, I wanted to try to capture at least some of that awe in my card.  So I created layers of sunset colors as my background. 

To do this I cut 1" scalloped borders from Accent Essentials.  I think inked along the scallops and laid them out in what I felt was the best color pattern for a sunset scheme.  I then used A Child's Year and Campin Critters to create my silhouette shapes.

And now that you've seen my creation hop on over to Pause Dream Enjoy and check out the other fabulous designs that our team created.  Then after you have been amply inspired, create your own sunset project and link up for your chance to win a $5 gift certificate to Ginger Snap Scraps.  You have until Thursday, July 12th to submit your project - I look forward to see what you come up with.

Happy 4th of July

I hope that today's post finds everyone of you doing well and enjoying some fun time with your friends/family.  Being in the hospitality industry (and this being one of the busiest weeks at the over three dozen communities my company manages) I will be one of the many who have to work.....but that's okay because I'll only be working for half of it. 

In the meantime, I wanted to encourage all of you to join us over at Just a Scrappin for our July 4th challenge.  The rules for this particular challenge are to create a July 4th project (card, layout, etc) using the colors red, white, blue and two others. 

For whatever reason I missed the color blue as one of the given colors and chose it as one of my 2nd colors.  Sorry about that.  Nonetheless I trust that everyone will approve of my creation. 

This was a rather easy card to create and required only two cartridges:

Accent Essentials and A Child's Year

I created a flag for my background using the scallop border from Accent Essentials and then as you can see chose a July 4th silhouette for my focal point.

Let's not forget the sentiment!  For this card I needed something special.  So I chose:

"How important it is

for us to recognize and celebrate

our heroes and she-roes!

~ Maya Angelou"

And now that you've seen my project be sure to hop over to Just A Scrappin to see all the other fabulous projects created by Team One of Design Team group.  Then after you have been amply inspired create your own project, link up, and play along with us.

Summer's Here

I didn't have time to play in my craft room this weekend since we spent a good bit of our weekend getting some many needed errands ran along with some gym and cycling time.  So since I wasn't able to create a new card to share with you I wanted to re-share one I made a couple of years ago.  Hope that's okay.

I love the Summer season because it means I get to spend more time outdoors and I am such an outdoors person.  I could lay on the yard swing and just sleep in the sun for hours if allowed.  Unfortunately though I don't go to the beach much because I live in a highly touristed area and just don't think it's worth "fighting" for a spot.  So I wait until it's off season and go then.  lol

But I digress.........

To create this great little pop up card I used a combination of my Sizzix dies and Cricut cartridges.  The pop-up chair is a Sizzix die.  Then I used:

Mickey & Friends for the Sun

Life's a Beach for the Seagull, lizard and flip flops

The beach towel is a piece of fabric I cut using my Sizzix "dress up bath clothes" die.
 
On the inside of the card I used sand paper for my beach "sand" - although it's not white like our beaches here in Florida.  One of these days I'm going to have to see if I can find some white sand paper.  In the meantime this will do tho.  And I love the look that the sandpaper gives when using it this way.
 
Do you have a summer card you'd like to share with me?  If so leave me a comment sharing a link to your card.  I'd love to see them.....