Something Wicked

With Halloween closing in upon us I figured it was time to get a couple of cards made.  Today's card was made with the Jack O Lantern card file from the Haunted Forest set by SVG Cuts.  At first I wasn't so sure about using black as the top layer for the pumpkin but after trying the colors in reverse I will say that this order popped better.  Especially with the paper choices I made.

 

The stamped sentiment is from the Cardz TV Stamps set Trick or Treat.

 

And since pumpkin is technically a "fruit" even though it's a member of the squash family I thought this would also be the perfect time to remind everyone that you still have some time to join us in the fruit challenge over at DoubleClick Connections.  All you have to do is create a project using fruit, link up and play along with us for a chance to win a yummy pack of hand dyed Skittles along with some other crafty supplies. 

 

Not sure what skittles are or how to use them?  Take a look at the top right of my card - those are skittles (Summer Release) and they are uber easy to use and the possibilities are endless.  For more ideas and a video on how to use skittles click here.

Dinosaur River Layout

 

 

As we get ready to embark on our weekend I wanted to share a quick layout  put together.  A while back I created a dinosaur layout that was "on land" - today I want to share one that is "on water". 

 

When we were at Universal Studios we loved the rides at the Jurassic Park section and everyone agreed we had to ride on the River Adventure.  Of course I'm not one for heights so that drop at the end got me.  So anyhow, I am going to take the pictures from that section of the park and use them on this layout.

 

For this layout  used the Cricut Cartridge Dinosaur Tracks.

Got Brains?

Today I have a fun Halloween card I'd like to share with you.  I'm a huge Walking Dead fan so it only made since to create a fun card featuring this cute zombie from SVG Cutting Files.  The tombstones are from the Cricut cartridge Life's a Party.  I wanted to be able to stamp on them so I hide all the extra layers and contours.

 

The design of my card is based on the current sketch challenge over at Peachy Keen Stamps.  You can either follow the sketch or create a project based on the color palette posted at PKS or a combination of the two.  I chose to use just the sketch.

 

 

 

Other elements I used/added to this card include using the Martha Stewart drippy goo punch along the bottom edge of the border.  And I also placed my zombie on an action wobble.

 

The stamped sentiments (inside and out) are all from Peachy Keen Stamps.  I used two different sets:  Halloween Sentiments & Labels and Trio of Girl Ghosts.

 

 

 

I am entering this fun card in the following challenges:

 

Any Holiday - Hiding in My Craft Room

 

Anything Goes - Action Wobble Challenge - Ends September 3rd

 

Sketch 14-12 Challenge - Peachy Keen Stamps - Ends September 13th

 

Anything with Fall Colors - SVG Cutting Files - Ends September 14th

Happy Camper

Once again I had a little bit of crafting time before we get started back on our remodeling project.  Today we need to finish laying the new floor.  Yesterday we tore it up all the way down to the floor joists and that was a lot of work.  I even had to crawl up underneath to install new installation because the crawl space was too small for my husband to fit into.  Fortunately this week will be easier as all that will be left is putting up new walls and framing out the closet.  (We didn't like where the closet was originally located.  It blocked some of the sunlight from the windows.)

 

But I digress.  This post isn't about our remodeling, but about the project I finished this morning.  I had originally intended for this wonderful little picnic basket to be a part of a going away gift I was making for someone.  However, things weren't turning out as I had hoped and my friend moved her leave date up a bit.  That's okay though.  I just did something all together different for her and now I'll have this for something else later. 

 

I found this cute basket over at My Scrap Chick and the Happy Camper card is from the Cricut cartridge Camping Critters.  The stamped sentiments on my chocolates are from two different Jaded Blossom stamp sets:  Hello Candies and the new set, BFF Candies.

 

Of course who wouldn't be a Happy Camper when they're receiving a basket full of yummy chocolate?  This would even make a great little treat box kit for some s'mores.  I just didn't happen to have the items needed on hand so I stuck with plain ol' Hershey kisses.

 

And now that you've seen my project I'm running off to enter it into the following challenges:


Camping challenge over at Fantabulous Cricut Challenge - Ends 8/24

Food Fun challenge over at Scrappy Moms Stamps - Ends 8/25

Then it's back to work.......

UPDATE:  This project was chosen as a top 5 design team pick over at Fantabulous Cricut Challenge.

Smile

I had a few precious minutes to get some crafting done this morning.  Once the guys were awake it was time to get up at the remodeling project that was slated to begin.  After that there would be no crafting today.

 

So in the few moments I had I quickly put together a "masculine" birthday card using this great new file I acquired during the Best Friends blog hop sponsored by SVG Cutting Files, and that Smile sentiment - that's from the Say it Big stamp set over at Craftin' Desert Divas.   The good thing about it is that this particular cut was also pinned on Pintrest which meant I could use it for a Pintrest inspire project for a challenge I wanted to enter.  Man you gotta love it when things come together like that.

 

Here's the Pin from Pintrest:

 

 

 

 

As you can tell I changed it up just a bit.  I wanted more of a cartoony/hero type background.  Granted it's not very "birthday" looking but that's okay.  Remember it's a card for a guy and that means more manly things are needed.  Hopefully they'll love it.

 

In the meantime though I'm off to enter this card in the Pintrest inspired challenge over at Die Cuttin' Divas.  

UPDATE:  My card was chosen as a showcase pick over at Die Cuttin Divas                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

You Are My Sunshine

 

I haven't played along in a BBTB2 challenge in quite some time and decided that the current sun challenge would be a good one to get my feet wet again. 

 

For this card I used the Hello Kitty cartridge to cut my sun shaped card.  The front is supposed to have a smiley face in the center but using the contour feature I did away with the smiley because I wanted a solid cover for which to place the stamps I used.  Both stamps are from the Lil Bit Buggy stamp set by Craftin' Desert Divas.  As you can probably tell it's been quite some time since I've colored.  I have a mild case of carpal tunnel but holding pens/pencils is often difficult and my handwriting and such suffers.  Plus the only coloring instruments I currently have in the house are colored pencils. With time and better coloring tools it can only get better, right?  Besides we don't want to waste these wonderful stamps.

 

 

For the inside of my card I used the you are my sunshine phrase from Wild Cards 2.  I just thought this was a perfect way to follow up the stamped sentiment - especially with my card being a sun shape.

 

And now with that I am off to go enter my card in to the challenge before it ends on Sunday.

Berry Thank You

It's time for another Skittles challenge over at DoubleClick Connections.  I hope you're as excited as I am for this challenge.  This time it's all about something juicy - fruit.  Yep, it's that simple.  Create a project that features fruit and you're golden.

 

For my project I chose to use this great strawberry shaped card from the Hello Kitty Cricut cartridge. To add some texture to the card I chose to emboss the berry portion.  Then I added a couple of the Grinch Green skittles at the top of the stem.

 

On the inside of my card I wanted to add a stamped sentiment so I cut a shadow of the strawberry just a tad bit smaller than the card.  I removed the stem and then inked with some red color. 

 

The sentiment is actually from two different stamp sets:

 

Count Your Blessings from Card TV Stamps and Say it Big from Craftin' Desert Divas

 

And now that you've seen my take on this challenge be sure to check out the other wonderful designs our team created for you.  Then after you've been amply inspired, create your own project and link up with us for your chance to win a set of skittles.  You have until September 2nd to play along.

Be Merry Gingerbread

It's time for another PDE Linky Party everyone!  This time we are showcasing projects that use either metal dies, punches or a combination of the two.  I chose to use the Martha Steward Drippy Goo punch for my project.

 

This cute little gingerbread is part of the Baking for Santa file over at Too Cute By Jessica.  I love these gingerbread because they're cute and they give me a reason to break out this punch for something other than Halloween. 

 

For this project I wanted to give the look of whatever gooey mess is being rolled out for the baking was just dripping from the rolling pin.  I punched out my punch, lined it up on the pin and then applied some Tombow glue and then sprinkled on some blue embossing glitter.  After that I heat embossed the area so that the glue would bubble up a bit and add some texture.

 

The stamped sentiment is from the Peace Joy Love stamp set by Lawn Fawn.

 

And now that you've seen my project be sure to check out the other fabulous projects our team have created for you this week.  Then take some time to pull out your dies or punches and play along with us.  We'd love to see what you create.

Beary Merry Christmas

I woke up early this morning and since I couldn't go back to sleep I decided it was a perfect opportunity to get some crafting done.  Especially since I'll be having to take a "break" soon so we can get some remodeling done.

 

I wanted to play along with the sketch challenge at Craftin Desert Divas one last time but go caught up with other things and never got it entered.  That's okay though because I still get to have the joy of sharing it with my fellow bloggers.

 

For this card I used the Wreath Bear cut from Treasure Box Designs.  This little guy is so adorable and was too irresistible to pass up.  I paired him along with a sentiment from the Holly Day Punnies stamp set and viola - I have a quick Christmas card.

So tell me, have you started on your Christmas cards yet?

Stop Scaring Me

 

I have a fun card I wanted to share with you this afternoon.  This cute little scarecrow is a new file over at SVG Cutting Files and I thought he was perfect for spotlighting on a Fall color themed project that I'll use in the current SVG Cutting Files challenge.

 

I cut him out at just under 3 inches and centered him on a circle that I cut from George and Basic Shapes..  I then used a sketch from a challenge that's going on over at Fantabulous Cricut Challenge to create my card.

 

I chose blue and green as the color for my strips because this is one of my favorite color combinations and it's also the focus of yet another challenge that I'm playing along with over at Die Cuttin Divas

.

 

This is the inside of my card:

 

 

 

What do you think?  I thought it was cute and my husband actually chuckled so I must have been on the right path. 

 

The stamped sentiments are from the Peachy Keen stamp set titled Trio of Girl Ghosts.

Hooded Bear Cowl

Popping in real quick today to share a hooded bear cowl I finished loom knitting earlier this week.  I came across the pattern on Ravelry and was amazed at how quick and easy this was to put together.  It took just a little less than two skeins of Lion Brand thick and quick wool ease yarn.

 

With the cold weather on the horizon I thought it was the perfect time to start putting a few together.  My kids are too old to wear something like this now, but they'll still make great gifts for the younger nieces and nephews.

 

So now that I know how easy they really are to knit up I guess I need to get back to Walmart so I can buy some more yarn.....

Jack O Lantern Cracker Box

 

Happy Saturday everyone!  I thought I'd get some crafting done this morning before my son wakes up and readies himself for his move to Savannah.  You know, kinda take my mind off the fact that another child is moving away.  At least I'll still have four close by.

 

So SVG Cutting Files started a new fall colors challenge yesterday and since I'm always up for a good challenge I decided to play along.  The only "rules" to the challenge is that you have to use an SVG Cutting Files cut as the main focus and you have to use fall colors.

 

Well here's what I came up with.  I used the Pumpkin Cracker box for my project and used a variety of papers from one of the My Mind's Eye Halloween stacks I have laying around.

 

This is the back of my box:

 

 

Quick, easy and fun.  Oh, and you have until September 14th to play along.

Sore Today Strong Tomorrow

I have a few friends who are body builders and compete.  My third oldest son has recently gotten in to and will do his first show next year.  And my husband and I also like to lift weights.  All of that to say I was excited when I found this cut file over at SVG Cutting Files.  It's actually supposed to be a treat box but I didn't want the 'box' so I just cut out the flexing arm portion and used it on my card.

 

Even better yet I found a young lady that was de-stashing and had a set of Fitness Junkie stamps from Jaded Blossom for sale.  Yep, put the two together and you have a recipe for another great masculine card.

 

I think maybe I'll even enter this in a couple of the challenges over at Hiding in My Craft.  Just one last entry before the challenges end this weekend......

Hiding in My Craft Room - Freestyle - Ends August 16th

 

Hiding in My Craft Room - Keep it Simple Sweetie - Ends August 16th

Masculine Card for Any Occasion

This morning I have a quick masculine card to share with you.  I don't remember how I came across this cut since I don't own the Sesame Street Seasons cartridge but I'm glad I did because I LOVE it.  This cut is great for a masculine card just combine it with this Hello Handsome sentiment from the Cardz TV stamp set You're the Man, and viola.  It does not get much easier.  Especially in a world where masculine cards can be difficult.

 

Here's the inside of the card with my stamped sentiment.

 

 

 

So now I'm going to go enter this into a couple of challenges:

Die Cuttin Divas - Favorite Color Combo - Ends August 18th

 

Hiding in My Craft Room - Freestyle - Ends August 16th

 

Hiding in My Craft Room - Keep it Simple Sweetie - Ends August 16th

Science Nerd

Today I have a fun project to share.  It's my final back to school project and I incorporated several challenge elements into this one project.  They are:

 

• Back to School
• Specific sketch
• Use a favorite color combination
• Create a 3D Back to School project

For my project I used files from SVG Cutting Files - the Kawaii Beaker treat box and Gigi Facebook sticker.  The Gigi file is not for purchase as it was a file that was provided during one of the blog hops awhile back and you only get the file if you participate during the specified time period.

The square background is from George and Basic Shapes and the small scalloped circles on the candies are from Gypsy Wanderings.

 

The stamped sentiments are from Jaded Blossom.  One is from the Hello Hello stamp set and the other is from the Wizard Candies stamp set.

 

And with that I am off to enter this into the following challenges:

 

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge - Sketch - Ends August 17th

 

Exploring Cricut - Back to School - Ends August 16th

 

Die Cuttin Divas - Favorite Color Combo - Ends August 18th

 

Cardz TV - 3D Back to School - Ends August 21st

 

SVG Cutting Files - Back to School - Ends August 14th

UPDATE:  This project was chosen as a Design Team Top 5 winner over at Fantabulous Cricut Challenge.

First Halloween Project of the Year

Today I thought I was going to take a break from challenges and then I remembered the Freestyle challenge going on over at Hiding in My Craft Room.  Yippee!  That means I can create a project I've been dying to make.  For example, this Jack O Lantern I found over at SVG Cuts.  It's part of the new Haunted Forest set and if you haven't purchased this one yet you are missing out.  My husband loves Halloween.  It's his favorite holiday.  As for me, well I could do without it.  But because my husband loves it I have started getting in to the Halloween mode.  Oh, and I admit most of the projects I've worked on are fun.  Perhaps that's because I create with him in mind though.

 

So back to my Jack O Lantern.  I cut this file out at the sizes indicated with the pattern and it made an 8" tall Jack O Lantern.  (To the tip of the hat)  I wanted to embellish the hat but didn't really have a lot of supplies on hand to do so.  I did find some ribbon that worked well and I had a couple of Halloween buttons that I used.  Here's a close up of the flower.

 

 

 

See the skeleton crawling inside?

 

I added a flameless tea light candle inside and it made for a wonderful piece.  Yeah, I think I'll be making a few more of these.....

 

 

This kit actually comes with other fun projects including a haunted house, couple of cards and a witch's hat treat box.

 

Happy Birthday Birdie

I thought I would start the week off with a birthday card.  There's just something about a celebration that makes everything better.

 

For today's card I used the 3 Birds on Parade cartridge - cut at 3 1/2 inches.  I painted and glittered up the cupcake frosting to add a bit of bling and texture.  Then when I was all done I placed my bird on an action wobble to add some interaction to the card.

 

 

 

My background paper is from Heidi Grace Designs and it's a double sided paper (although I didn't use the backside).  It's called It's My Party/Cake.  Isn't it a beautiful paper?  I almost hated to use it. 

 

The stamped sentiment is from the Cardz TV Stamps set titled Good Times.

 

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

 

Cardz TV - Feminine Birthday - Ends August 14th

 

Action Wobble Challenge - Awesome Animals - Ends August 20th

 

Red Carpet Studios - Sixteen Candles & Birthdays - Ends August 23rd

Fluttering By

Today I have a friendship card I'd like to share with you.  As you can tell I have once again followed one of the challenge sketches I found this week.  I can't help it as this particular sketch has been so awesome in helping me think outside the box when it comes to choosing my background papers.  Never would I have thought to lay my cards out in this manner and I love it. 

 

I also changed up the sketch just a bit as well.  After all it's all in how you interpret the sketch right?  Well I decided to angle my papers in the opposite direction.  For some reason I like this way more.  I also swapped around the sentiment and the embellishments.  I placed my sentiment at the bottom and the embellishments at the top. 

 

For this card I used this cute little butterfly from the Disney Classics cartridge and George for my circle.  The stamped sentiment is from the Lil Bit Buggy set over at Craftin Desert Divas.  And the skittles are some that I found at Michael's in the dollar bin.  They had several colors - blue, clear, green, yellow and purple.

 

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

 

Die Cuttin' Divas - Sketch Challenge - Ends August 11th

 

Fantabulous Cricut - Bug Out Challenge - Ends August 10th

 

Hiding in My Craft Room - Keep it Simple Sweetie - Ends August 16th

UPDATE:  My card was chosen as one of the Design Team's top 5 over at Fantabulous Cricut Challenge.  What an honor!

Some Gave All

Thank goodness for the weekend!  For the second time this week we had prank callers in the middle of the night and it was not fun.  So thank goodness it's the weekend and that meant being able to sleep in - even if was for only an extra hour.

 

Before I get up and start my weekend routine I wanted to share a card with you that I started working on last night and just finished this morning.  I've mentioned before about how I come from a family of many service members from different branches of the military.  Well today's card is one of appreciation for those service members - whether in my family or not.  They sacrifice so much for us and I want them to know that I appreciate them.

 

For this particular card I used one of the bears from the Loving Memory Bear file over at Kadoodle Bug Designs.  The stamped sentiment is from the Say It Big set over at Craftin Desert Divas.

 

The card sketch used is one that is actually a current challenge being hosted by Craftin Desert Divas as well and I will be entering this card in that challenge.  If you haven't checked it out yet you should - it's a lot of fun and the possibilities are endless.

 

Challenges that I'm entering this card in are:

Hiding in My Craft Room - Freestyle - Ends August 16th

 

Craftin Desert Divas - Sketch Challenge - Ends August 17th

 

KBD Challenges on FB - Bears - Ends August 21st

Bug Me Anytime

Today I have another cute lil buggy card to share with you.  Ever since making the worm one a couple days ago I find myself drawn to this Lil Bugaboo file set from Too Cute by Jessica.  Especially since the little girl bugs pair up so beautifully with the Lil Bit Buggie stamp set from Craftin Desert Divas.

 

The design for this card though was inspired by three different challenges that I'm going to enter it into.  They include:

 

Die Cuttin' Divas - Sketch Challenge - Ends August 11th

 

Fantabulous Cricut - Bug Out Challenge - Ends August 10

 

Action Wobble Challenges - Awesome Animals - Ends August 20th

 

(Now before you say that a ladybug is NOT an animal let me tell you that I wondered the same thing.  After doing some research I discovered that yes ladybugs ARE animals.  Even though they are technically an insect they belong to a large class of animals called arthropods.)

 

 

Oh, and I also used the George and Basic Shapes cartridge to cut out the rounded rectangle I used for the white backdrop for my ladybug.

 

 

I Love You

We are now in the home stretch.  Two more days and the weekend will be here and if you're like me that means I can get some crafting done......especially since the guys will be wrapped up in their computer games.  Works for me since it gives me time to catch up and play with some challenges that start mid-week.

 

Today though I have a card to share with you.  This one was created using the adorable Air Force Penguin file from Kadoodle Bug Designs.  I cut the penguin out at 6.64 inches tall and that made my penguin about 3 3/4 inches tall.  The badge mat is also from the same cut file.

 

And that too cute stamp?  Well that's from the Say it Big stamp set over at Craftin Desert Divas.

 

I made this card following this week's sketch challenge at Die Cutting Divas.  

 

I'm glad that they chose this sketch because I never would have created this style card before had it not been for this challenge.  Needless to say I love the way it turned out and I'll be trying this again.

 

Heck, you should give it a try too.  There's so many great challenges out there this week that you should do like I am and find several that get your creative juices flowing, create, link up and play along.......

 

Die Cuttin Diva's - Sketch Challenge - Ends August 11th

UPDATE:  My card was chosen as a showcase winner for this challenge at Die Cuttin Divas.

Hello Nerd

 

Welcome to another DoubleClick Connections Skittles Challenge everyone.  For the next two weeks our design teams will be sharing Back to School Projects with you. 

 

For my project I wanted to play around with this nerdy hello kitty file I received during a recent SVG Cutting Files blog hop.  I thought she was just the cutest thing and perfect for a back to school challenge at that.  I cut two of the same image, making one large enough for my card and one small enough to fit on this lunchbox treat holder (also from SVG Cutting Files).

 

 

I used both caramel and purple skittles to accent the lunchbox handle and latch.  On my card I used the Grinch green skittle to accent kitty's hair bow.

 

 

 

As for the stamped sentiments, those are from Jaded Blossom.

 

Now that you've seen my take on this week's Skittle Challenge be sure you check out the other designs our team has created.  Then after you've been completely inspired create your own back to school card, treat box, teacher's gift, etc. and link up to play along with us.

 

The challenge begins today - August 6th and ends on August 19th.  The winner of the Back to School challenge will be announced on August 23rd.  I promise you won't want to miss out on all the fun.

 

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

Party Time Tuesdays - Back to School - Ends August 11th

 

SVG Cutting Files - Back to School - Ends August 14th

 

Jaded Blossom - Crafter's Choice - Ends August 23rd

 

Worm Wishes

 

Happy Two-Fer Tuesday everyone!  This evening I want to share a card with you that I put together for a couple of fun challenges that are going on this week.  (I apologize for the picture quality.  I had to take it indoors since I didn't finish before the daylight was gone.)

 

This adorable cute file is from Too Cute by Jessica and the file is titled My Little Bugaboo.  If you haven't seen this file you really should check it out.  It has several cute little buggies that match up beautifully with the Lil Bit Buggy stamp set from Craftin Desert Divas.  I also used George and Basic Shapes for the rectangles.

 

So for my card I cut out the little girl dressed as a worm at 4.57 inches tall.  Then I followed the sketch for the current Linky Party at Craftin Desert Divas that looks like this:

 

 

Only difference is I decided to create my card in the landscape mode rather than portrait.   I just felt like it was the better choice for the card.

 

Oh and those yummy skittles you see in the top left corner - those are from the summer release over at DoubleClick Connections.  If you love crafting with skittles you should really check out her selection.  And speaking of checking things out be sure you come back tomorrow because we'll be starting a brand new challenge at DoubleClick Connections and you won't want to miss out on the fun.

 

Until then I'm off to enter this card in to the following challenges:

 

Craftin Desert Divas - Sketch Challenge - ends August 17th

 

 

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge - Bug Out - ends August 10th

Back to School Calendar

Happy Tuesday everyone and welcome back to another PDE Linky Party.  This bi-weekly challenge is all about kid's and since our kid's are preparing to head back to school I thought putting together a back to school calendar would be perfect for the challenge.  Granted my son is a Senior in High School this year but he's still a kid.

For my calendar page I used the true type font on my computer titled Cooper Black to create the month and dates.  The kitten sitting on the pile of books and celebrating pug are both files from SVG Cutting Files. However, only the Peebles the Cat file is available for purchase.  The pug was a file that was 'awarded' after a hop that I participated in and those files are only available during the time of the hop.

Now that you've seen my project for the kid's theme challenge be sure to check out the designs created by the other wonderfully talented members of our Design Team.  And then while you are feeling all inspired create  your own project, link up and play along with us.

While I wait to see what you create I'm going to go enter this project into the Back to School challenge going on over at SVG Cutting Files.  Challenge ends August 14th.

Wedding Cake Treat Box

You've probably noticed that I've been doing a lot of playing around with treat boxes and such lately.  This weekend was no exception and I will be sharing a couple of them with you this week.  Today I'd like to share the wedding cake treat box I put together for the 3D Wedding/Bridal challenge over at Cardz TV. 

 

I found this file over at SVG Cutting Files and it's not a difficult one to put together.  However, it didn't have that size reference on the file that most of them do.  So that made it a bit difficult for me to properly size the project.  And while I was still off a little bit it turned out okay. 

 

Needless to say, the next time I make this project I'll have to spend a bit more time with it so that I can size it all better.  In the meantime though it works pretty good.

 

For my sentiment I used the Count Your Blessings stamp set from Cardz TV Stamps.