My Little Spot of Sanity: 2014

Clowing Around Gift Box

It's time for our mid-challenge post over at DoubleClick Skittles and this challenge is all about something new........That's right - just create a project for a new baby, using a new product, trying a new technique - whatever NEW might be for you.

For me the new is my new Cameo that my husband got me for Christmas as well as a new style of gift boxes. I've never made a gable style box with my machines before and I have to say it was rather fun and easy to do.

To create my project I used the Cute Clown Box (ID #61090) from the Silhouette store. The skittles that I used for the highlights on my balloons are the Grinch Green and Stream colors.

Now that you've seen my project for our NEW challenge be sure to check out the other wonderful designs our team created for you then create your own, link up and play along with us.

I can't wait to see what is NEW for you......

In the meantime, remember that you can purchase a variety of skittle colors here.

And now I'm off to enter this into the following challenge:

Anything Goes - Silhouette Challenges - Ends December 31st

In the Kitchen Recipe Page

This Christmas I made scrapbooked recipe albums for two of my son's girlfriends. It was a slight challenge in that I started on them late - two weeks before Christmas - and one child in each household is a vegetarian. Luckily, I was able to pull it all together in plenty of time and the girls loved them.

Now I've already shared a couple of pages from the albums and today I have yet another to share. This one was inspired by a page I found on Pintrest. I did change it up just a bit - instead of the potholders that were on the wall over the stove I decided to place a picture of each of the girls. Choosing the picture was very easy since all I did was use their Facebook profile pic. There was something else I did a bit different but I don't remember what it was now.

But to create this page I used the appliances from the Cricut cartridge From My Kitchen.

And there you have it - a quick and easy to put together recipe page.

Dynamic Duo Gift Set

Happy Sunday everyone. Today I'd like to share a gift set I put together using both my Cricut Explore and my new Silhouette Cameo. My oldest son is a huge Batman fan and I thought of him when I saw this Dynamic Duo file over at Too Cute by Jessica.

To create this set I used not only the flying Batboy, Robin and building but I also used one of the gable boxes I found in the Silhouette store. I was very fortunate to still have a few sheets left of this comic scene paper I purchased a couple years ago as it is the perfect back drop for these characters. This is paper that was put out by EK Success and I really need to see if I can find more of it somewhere.

The stamped sentiment on the outside of my card is from the Jaded Blossom stamp set titled Super Hero.

On the inside of my card, if you look down at the door I have another sentiment. This one is from the Craftin Desert Divas stamp set titled Teenage. Of course I'm certain that I used this particular reference incorrectly as my children so often tell me I do, but that's okay because I thought it was fitting given the situation.

And now I think I'll go enter this into the following challenge:

Freestyle (Anything but Christmas) - Hiding in My Craft Room - Ends January 3rd

We Click

So my wonderful husband decided to surprise me with a Silhouette Cameo for Christmas. Now I have to admit that after two days of on and off playing with this machine I have had more than my share of frustrations with it. Out of the box I would have to say that I have personally found it to be less user friendly than my Cricut machines. But the more I play and learn the easier it is becoming.

Thus far I have completed two different projects with this machine and while I am sharing one with you today it is not my first......that one I will share for a challenge on Wednesday.

Today's project though is a card that I made using this cute mouse holding a camera file I purchased from the Silhouette store. (For those that are interested it's design ID #45801)

Now this is where I tell you about one of my learning curves with this new machine......When I added the design to my mat everything was white with only the outline. Unlike my Cricut there were no colors to guide me and I felt like a lost kid in a crowd. Fortunately several ladies on my PDE Linky Party Design Team were there to help answer questions and get me going on how to add colors so that I could cut out this cute mouse and get it all put together. And then when I saved my work I was ecstatic to see that it saved my color choices as well as the locations in which I had placed my pieces on the cutting mat. Kinda like the old Cricut software used to do.

To finish off my card I used a sentiment from the Craftin Desert Divas stamp set titled Capture the Good Times.

With that I am off to enter my card in to the following challenges:

Let's Get Sketchy - Moving Along With the Times - Ends January 7th

Anything Goes - Silhouette Challenges - Ends December 31st

Freestyle (Anything but Christmas) - Hiding in My Craft Room - Ends January 3rd

Captive Elf

I guess our Auburn elf wasn't too happy about being told that he was going to have to go home so while we were at work today he decided to really act up. When we got home this is what we saw.....

I sure hope these two behave themselves better come next year......

Until then we're running over to DL Art to enter their final antic in to her Elf Antics contest.

TP'ing the Christmas Tree??? Oh My

Yep, now they've gone and done it. Last night we caught the elves in the act of TP'ing our Christmas tree. Of course when we asked them why they blamed each other. Crazy elves.

Oh well, I guess there's not much more trouble they can get in to when tonight is their last night here before they go back home. Hopefully I'm not speaking too soon, but I guess we will find out soon enough.

Until then we're running over to DL Art to enter their latest antic in to her Elf Antics contest.

Minecrafting Elves???

Who knew elves were in to Minecraft? I guess it's not too surprising given the exposure they've received since coming to our house. You know some wives joke around about being football widows. Well, I'm a Minecraft widow. My husband LOVES this game and hard as I try I have yet to figure out why. Of course our son plays it too but not as much as his Tibia or whatever it's called.

So yeah, I walked into the living room and there I found our silly elves decked out in a creeper head reading one of my husband's books. I suppose I shouldn't "complain" though since they were getting along so well. However, it wasn't long before I did begin hearing some yelling coming from the room and when I went back to see what the commotion was all about I guess they decided it was time to start practicing what they had been reading up on because there they were with controls in hand.....

There's still time to play along in Diana's 2nd annual Elf Antics linky party. so If you have an elf why don't you come join the fun at DL Art.

Elf File - Gift Card Holder

Today I have a final gift card holder that I'd like to share with you. It's actually a card, but it's doubling as a gift card holder since I added glue dots to the gift card, stuck it on the inside of the card and then stamped my sentiments around it.

I made this for my dad - the man who has everything. Every year I ask my mom what I should get for my dad and every year it's the same thing. Just get him a gift card to Bass Pro because he's always finding something new he wants for his fishing. And so that's what I do. I get him a gift card.....

Rather than just giving him the gift card in an envelope though I wanted to make a card or something for it to go in. So I thought it would be cute to use all the different elf stamps I had and set to work creating this themed card. I used the Buddy the Elf file from the recent Christmas movie blog hop sponsored by SVG Cutting Files and the file folder from the Cricut cartridge Graphically Speaking.

All of the different stamped sentiments you see on my file folder, pages and inside of the card are from the Jaded Blossom stamp sets Elf Workshop and Elf Report Card. Sadly though I do not have any markers or colored pencils with which to color in my elf, but that's okay I think it's fine the way that it is.

Now of course I'm entering this card in to a challenge or two. Want to come play along as well? I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

Anything Christmas - SVG Cutting Files - Ends January 14th

Elf (Holiday Inspired Project) - Red Carpet Studios - Ends December 31st

December Linky Party - DL Art - Ends December 31st

Anything Christmas - Bitten by the Bug 2 - Ends December 28th

Spartan Elf Games

We heard quite the ruckus coming from the living room last night and wondered what all the commotion was about. You wouldn't believe what we found we got in there......

Yep, true to form, our house divided elves decided to have a friendly little Spartan race competition of their own. Those silly elves. I can't imagine where they got such an idea. :)

And now it's off to the linky races for this post. I discovered that Diana is hosting her 2nd annual Elf Antics linky party so we're heading there to play along. If you have an elf why don't you come join the fun at DL Art.

Playful Penguin Gift Card Holder

With all the rain and cold weather that moved in yesterday we just might end up having a cold Christmas this year. Of course the good thing about that is that I've been sitting in my craft room in my jammies, drinking coffee with the space heater going while I get the last of my gifts made.

Right now I want to share a gift card holder that I finished this morning. For this project I cut the mug from the Cricut cartridge Everyday Pop Up Cards and George. I welded two of the mug shapes together and then used George to create the slit for the gift card tag to slide into.

To create my tag/card holder, I embossed the tag using one of my Christmas folders and then inked over it with some Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Broken China. To hold the gift card in place I simple adhered glue dots to the back and stuck it on the tag.

The penguin is from the Playful Little Penguins file at Too Cute by Jessica. The stamped sentiment on the mug and the snowman on the tag are from the Simply Christmas set by Craftin Desert Divas.

And now I am going to enter this project in to the following challenges:

Christmas - Craftin Desert Divas - Ends December 21st

December Linky Challenge - DL Art - Ends December 31st

Anything Goes - Fantabulous Cricut Challenge - Ends December 21st

You're a Mean One.....

I have to admit it. Other than Rudolph and the Miser Brothers the Grinch is my all-time favorite Christmas character. So as I had some free time I decided to create a Christmas shadowbox that was inspired by this T-Shirt I saw when I was at Universal Studios last month.

And it all comes just in time for some great challenges that end this week as well. (But more about those later.) First let me tell you how I created my shadowbox. I started with an 11 x 14 frame that I picked up from Michaels. Then using Excel I created the line-up back drop on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of white cardstock.

The Grinch cut out is from the Krafty Nook and the Ornament in the Grinch's hand is from the Cricut cartridge Simply Charmed.

To create the mugshot placard I simply cut a piece of black cardstock and had my Cricut Explore write the verbiage. The Grinch and Who-ville Police Dept. verbiage I cut out from vinyl and adhered to the outside of the glass. The font used in both cases is called Grinched and I downloaded it from dafont.com.

And now I'm going to enter this shadowbox into the following challenges:

Christmas Carol Inspired - Die Cuttin' Divas - Ends December 21st

not necessarily a "carol" but it is one of my favorite Christmas songs....

Christmas Ornament Challenge - Bitten by the Bug 2 - Ends December 21st

Anything Goes - Fantabulous Cricut Challenge - Ends December 21st

December Linky Challenge - DL Art - Ends December 31st

Elf, (project inspired by the holiday season) - Red Carpet Studios - Ends December 31st

House Divided Elf Games

While traveling back from Atlanta we stopped at one of my favorite stops - Priester's Pecans. This is usually an annual stop for us during Thanksgiving. This year however, we spent the Thanksgiving holiday at Universal Studios instead of in Birmingham.

While at Priester's looking for our annual ornament to add to our tree I found these wonderful collegiate Elves and just had to bring them home! And now I can play some of the Elf games! So what kind of mischief will these two get themselves in to?

Stick around to find out, but first it looks like they decided to bring all of their new friends out to play.....They even found Ms. Hope - our new friend who came to us from Diana over at DL Art.

Bah Humbug Holidays

I absolutely love Christmas but I just could not resist these funny sentiments and perfect files to go with them. So since today begins the mid Holiday challenge over at Double Click Skittles I thought I'd have some fun with these guys.

Both of my cutting files are from blogs hops sponsored by SVG Cutting Files. That means the files are only available during the blog hops.

The stamped sentiments on my wine tag and card are both from the Jaded Blossom stamp set titled Bah Humbug. The inside of my card also has a sentiment......

... it's from the Naughty or Nice? stamp set by My Craft Spot. The list cut is from one of the Christmas Cricut cartridges but I don't remember which one.

Now that you've seen my take on this week's challenge be sure to check out the other designs our team created for you and then create your own holiday project, link up and play along with us. And remember, you can always buy your skittles here.

And now I'm off to enter this into the following challenges:

Anything Christmas challenge - SVG Cutting Files. - Ends January 14

December Linky - DL Art - Ends December 31

Elf, (project inspired by the holiday season) - Red Carpet Studios - Ends December 31st

Creamy Hot Cocoa Recipe Page

Here in Florida we seem to be having a love - hate relationship with the weather. One day it's "cold" and the next it's warm. Today was a mixture of both depending on which side of town you decided to be in. A 30 minute distance between areas yielded at least a 5 degree temperature difference and I wasn't too happy about it as I am a warm weather lover.

Needless to say, cold weather leaves me drinking a lot of coffee, hot tea and/or hot chocolate. So today I decided to make a recipe page using the Cute Cocoa Cups files from Too Cute by Jessica.

I have to admit that I did some changing up to the file though. I opted not to use the penguin that the file had for the stirrer and I also opted to use a pre-printed striped paper for my straw rather than using the pieces to create stripes that are in the file.

For the 'froth' on my cocoa cup I used some Tulip brand glitter paint that I heat embossed to make it puffy. (It doesn't show up too well in the picture.) I also chose to use a rhinestone snowflake that I found in my stash for my stir topper. I thought this would go well with the chipboard snowflakes I wanted to use on the page.

And there you have it. A quick, easy scrapbook recipe page.

Jammin' Quiche Recipe Page

Hello fellow bloggers. I've been on a little bit of a recipe album kick here lately as I'm attempting to get some Christmas presents completed. This evening I'd like to share one of the pages I just finished putting together.

For this particular page I used this Chicken Little SVG cut file from SVG Cutting Files. I don't remember which hop he came from or if he was just a freebie that was given to those who belong to their Facebook group or not. The eggs though are from the Cricut Cartridge titled From My Kitchen.

The recipe itself is one that I've had for at least 20 years back when prepping several meals and placing them in the freezer for later use was really popular. I used to do this type of meal prep every time I was pregnant and close to giving birth. Of course I still try to do it now but the difference is that I plan healthier meals that don't go in the freeze.

And now I'm off to enter this in the following challenge:

Anything but a Card - Fantabulous Cricut - Ends December 14th

Elf Shoe Treat Holder

Hello my fellow crafty bloggers! Welcome to a new PDE Linky Party Challenge. This week we want you to pick a theme from of the three following choices:

1. 3D - Make a 3D projects (tags count for this one)

2. Fun Folds - think step cards, gate fold cards, etc.

3. Mini Albums

So choose your favorite or, make them all. Remember you can link up as many times as you want so long as you are not back linking.

For my project, I chose the 3D theme. I found this great elf shoe treat holder at SVG Cuts and just had to give it a whirl. It was pretty easy to put together - especially since they have a tutorial that shows you exactly how to do so.

The stamps I used for my treat holder are from the Jaded Blossom Elf Workshop and Elf Report Card stamp sets. I love, love, love the candy stamps. They always help with adding that finishing touch to the various treat boxes.

And now that you have seen my project for this week's challenge be sure to create your own, link up and play along with us. I'm so excited and can't wait to see what you create. Remember you have until December 15th to link up.

Before you do that though be sure you check out the other designs our team created for you. I promise you're going to love them!

Now I'm off to enter my project in to the following challenges:

Anything Goes - DL Art - Ends December 31st

Holiday Inspiration with Elf - Red Carpet Studios - Ends December 31st

Rockin' the Ugly Sweater

Happy Monday everyone. I am so excited and honored to be one of the Guest Designers for Jaded Blossom this month. Be sure to check out the Jaded Blossom blog daily as there is a different designer slated each day.

Today I would like to share with you a card and treat box that I made using the Bah Humbug stamp set. If you haven’t gotten your hands on this set you are so missing out. These hilarious sentiments offer such a world of opportunity for some fun Christmas crafting. Combine them with one of my favorite Christmas characters - the Grinch - and the fun never ends.

To create my card I used one of the Grinch files that I found from Krafty Nook. The background paper and the frame are both from a Grinch mat stack that I have in my stash. The paper I used for my sweaters though is from the Jolly Holiday mat stack from Recollections.

To create the treat holder box I used the popcorn treat box as well as the Ugly Holiday Sweaters - both from SVG Cutting files. I have a "twist" though. I wanted to tie the treat box in with the sweater so instead of using the pieces in the file to decorate the sweater I chose to use the print 'n cut feature on my Cricut and used another Grinch file I had from Krafty Nook to decorate the sweater front.

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm entering this project in to the following challenges:

Anything Goes - DL Art - Ends December 31st

Holiday Inspiration with Elf - Red Carpet Studios - Ends December 31st

Christmas Colors - Hiding in My Craft Room - Ends December 13th

Just Believe

As another week comes to end a new challenge begins over at Cardz TV. This week is the cards team challenge and this week our theme is Let it Snow. So come on and create a card using either snowflakes or snowmen. But first be sure to check out the designs our team have put together to share with you.

For my card I decided to use one of the adorable Olaf cuts from the new Frozen cartridge. Because of some of the intricacies I decided to once again use that fabulous Design Space feature called Print 'n Cut. Needless to say I think he turned out beautifully.

The scalloped circle that is showcasing my sentiment was done using a Martha Stewart punch. The sentiment itself is from the Cardz TV Stamps set title Very Merry.

And there you have it. My card for this week's challenge. Now before you create your own card to link up and play along remember to check out the other designs our team created.

Now I'm off to enter this into the following challenges:

Beyond Red & Green - Fantabulous Cricut Challenge - Ends December 7th

Freestyle - Hiding in My Craft Room - Ends December 6th

Anything Christmas - Crafty Hazelnut - Ends December 31st

The Elves are Reporting

Happy Thursday everyone. Today I'd like to share a project that I put together for a Secret Santa swap I was in.

For my project I used a couple of different cutting files from SVG Cutting Files: Elf Life Set and the Journal Note Tube Holder. I also used The Elf Report Card and Elf Workshop stamp sets from Jaded Blossom.

I even ventured out and decided to try to using the Print 'n Cut feature on my Cricut Explore for the very first time. Those toys that you see next to my elf - they're from the Cricut cartridge Santa's Village. I was so excited with the way this works that I've even used it a couple times since then. If you haven't tried this feature yet I really encourage you to do so. It's been a life saver for some of the cuts I've wanted to try but never did because of how small some of the pieces would turn out.

And now I'm off to enter this into the following challenges:

Freestyle - Hiding in My Craft Room - Ends December 6th

Anything Christmas - Crafty Hazelnut - Ends December 31st

Rootin Tootin Birthday Wishes

It's time for another fun Skittles challenge at DoubleClick Connections. Are you ready? This week (and last week) we're designing birthday projects.

For my card I chose to use one of the Jessie figures from the Cricut Toy Story cartridge. And since I'm still playing catch up from my vacation last week I decided to use the print n' cut feature in Cricut Design Space. I gotta tell ya that ever since I learned how to use this I am simply in love!!! This wonderful feature opened up a whole new world for me!

My sentiment is from the Cardz TV Stamps set titled Country at Heart, and I used the rust colored skittles that can be purchased here.

And now that you've seen my project for the birthday challenge be sure to check out the other great designs our team has put together for you. Then create your own, link up and play along with us!!

Now I'm going to enter this into the following challenges:

Freestyle - Hiding in My Craft Room - Ends December 6th

Winner! Winner!

Happy Tuesday everyone. Last Friday was my birthday and to celebrate I had a prize up for grabs that includes two embossing folders and a set of stamps. Well today we have a winner of that prize package.

Chosen by Random.Org - the winner is......

Congratulations Tina H. send me an email at Barbara@ThreeCraftyDivas.com with your mailing address and I will get your goodies in the mail.

You Bake Me Happy

Welcome to our ninth Craftin Desert Diva's stamp release blog hop!! We're super excited to share with you in full the CDD November release stamps. For this 2 day hop the CDD DT are being joined by the Too Cute by Jessica DT to share some awesome Christmas projects for you. There are five new stamps that are being released today in the Craftin DesertDivas Shop and are available now for purchase.

**All stamps with images have a FREE SVG(digital cut file)**
This makes it so easy, you just cut out the image and then stamp on it. The SVG cut file will be in the CDD Gallery for you to download or after purchase just send an email to craftindesertdivas@gmail.com to claim your SVG cut for the stamp set you purchased. Tara has also added images and sizes for the SVGs in the CDD Shop.

So without further ado here are the latest stamp sets which can be found in the New Release section of the Craftin DesertDivas Shop:

Here are this release specials for you:

1. Use Code: NOV to receive 20% off your entire order. Sale ends Dec. 5 Midnight MST.

2. 4x6 Freebie is for $30 minimum purchase (before tax & shipping) in the CDD Shop. Offer ends Dec. 5

Today you can get this freebie pattern by following and commenting on ALL the blogs in today's hop. After you have done this you can email craftindesertdivas@gmail.com or send Tara a message on FB to claim your pattern.

Make sure you hop with us again tomorrow because there will be a new pattern and hop line up tomorrow.

What would be a blog hop without some more prizes??

Hop Prizes:

1. CDD giving away 1 stamp a day.

2. Too Cute by Jessica - $25 gift card (reg. priced patterns)

And now on to my creation....