My Little Spot of Sanity

Give Thanks - First Published Work

2012-01-22T07:56:00.000-06:00

It has long since been a dream of mine to have one of my "works" published. For a couple years now I have sent items in to a couple of magazines (like so many of you I'm sure) hoping upon hope that they would pick me to be published. But month after month it was not meant to be........until one happy day last year when I received word that Cricut Magazine wanted to publish my submission in the November 2011 edition.

And now that the issue is over a month old I am able to share my submission with all of you. For this projects I used:

A Child's Year for the fonts, cut at 1 1/2"
Accent Essentials for the scalloped shapes cut at 4 1/2", 5" and 6" all layered using pop dots
George for the circle cut at 8"
Thanksgiving for the corn cut at 3 1/2"

Oh, and guess what. I just received word yesterday that another of my projects has been accepted for publication in the upcoming July issue...............

June in January CCChallenge #100

2012-01-18T06:38:00.002-06:00

Happy Wednesday my fellow bloggers! Today I'd like to share a card that I created for the June in January Cricut Cardz Challenge #100. Our directive for this week was to make a card with summer as our theme using any cartridges and colors of our choosing. Since we're talking summer I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to use my Block Party cartridge for the first time.

Using Block Party I cut my grill master at 5 1/2". To add a bit of texture to the mix I used my mosaic embossing folder for the apron. Before running the cut through I smear some orange colored ink to the folder.

The grill was cut at 5 1/4" and while you can't really see it in the picture I added some glossy accents to the handles and wheel hubs.

The cartoon bubble (aka call out) was cut from Graphically Speaking and then pop dotted to add some dimension to the card.

So a man thinks he can cook better on an outdoor grill than what you ask?

............than his wife can on an indoor stove.

And now that you've seen my card be sure to check out the other awesome designs created by the team. Then create your own, link up and play along with us.

Infinity Scarf

2012-01-12T17:05:00.002-06:00

Who says timing isn't everything? Here I am trying to make a nice, warm, cheerful card to get my mind off this silly cold front coming in only to find I have no blades....so now what am I supposed to do? Yep, finish my infinity scarf.

I really like the way that this one turned out. It's not only nice and toasty warm but it has a texture that looks good too. I mean I'm not much of a pink person but this pink with black pattern is just fabulous looking and the pink isn't overpowering so I can wear the scarf with most anything.

The only drawback to this particular scarf is that it's made with a Boucle yarn that's 88% acrylic and 12% nylon which means hand wash only. Of course I can probably put it in a pillow case with other delicates in my front loader and have at it.

Here's a closer look at it.

Frustrated, With a Touch of Summer Warmth

2012-01-11T18:37:00.001-06:00

Okay so I sat down the other day and laid out an idea I have for a summer/Father's Day card and when I cut it my paper tore up leaving me to believe that my blade needs to be replaced because the mat is fine. So I go to my draw only to discover that there are NO BLADES!! What in the world? In the 5 years that I have been papercrafting I have never been without a new blade..........until now.

Well today I stopped by Michael's on the way home from work because I wanted to pick up some of the yarn that's on sale and I knew I'd find my blades too. Wrong. They were all sold out! Seriously? I had this same problem with I was at AC Moore a couple months ago and we all know that Walmart has quit selling them so now what am I supposed to do? I gotta tell ya this really stinks.

So instead of sharing my new card I guess I'll just have to share one of the older summertime cards I've made. Just in time too because the temperatures here in Florida are dipping down low (for us) tonight. I mean I've been hot flashing lately and I'm cold kind of cold. LOL

Anyhow, this is a card that I made oh gosh back almost three years ago. I just loved the idea of sitting under the palm tree enjoying life with a jar of cookies in hand. Besides who can resist good ol' lovable cookie monster?

Power of Caffeine

2012-01-07T17:24:00.000-06:00

I was sitting at my desk drinking my second cup of coffee and going through some old ideas that I had printed out years ago when I came across one that said anything is possible with enough caffeine. Well that was all it took and off I was to grab my Love You A Latte cartridge.

Now I will say that what I had envisioned in my head is not what turned out on paper because I was dreaming of much grander things. But given some of the delicate cuts for the size I needed it just wasn't meant to be. That's okay though because I think the final product still turned out pretty good.

And now that I have this one out of my system I'm thinking of warmer days. Yep, I'm over this little bit of cold weather in Florida already. I absolutely hate being cold in any way fashion, shape or form. So my sights are set on the dog days of summer and all things related..............don't say I didn't warn you...........

My First Pair of "Knitted" Socks

2012-01-04T07:06:00.000-06:00

WooHoo I am so excited about the way these socks turned out. My very first attempt didn't turn out so well because I thought I understood what I was doing when it came to the toe. However, it was very obvious as soon as I took the sock off the loom that I had no idea.......So off to the internet I went scouring for a more basic pattern. Oh I watched all the videos to ensure I knew what I was doing. I even took screen shots and wrote out the directions so I could have them by my side. But when I sat down with the pattern in the book - forget about it.

Isn't amazing sometimes how two people can talk/write about the very same thing and yet use different words that will cause the listener/reader to interpret it differently? That's exactly what I found on the internet at Twitchy Fingers Blogspot she wrote out directions for the same type sock I was trying to make only her directions were much easier to understand.

So all of that said, if you've ever thought about trying your hand at making socks take a stroll over to Twitchy Fingers and check out her step by step guide - you'll be glad you did.

Versatile Piglet Card

2012-01-02T10:22:00.000-06:00

I needed a thank you card and after looking through my cartridges this morning this cut was the one that ultimately caught my eye. I love the baby pooh and friend characters on the Pooh font cartridge but admit that I haven't used them much.

Well today I thought that Piglet hugging his little teddy bear was a perfect cut for a thank you card. Then again this cut would work other occasions including: new baby, friendship, and love.

Upcycled Sweater Scarf

2012-01-01T12:34:00.000-06:00

Over the Thanksgiving holidays I was introduced to a new craft called 'upcycling' and just fell in love with some of the things that I saw being made. I began searching all over the internet, looking at blogs, etsy and anywhere I could find more on this interesting and not so surprising craft. The more I looked the more I knew that I had to participate and so it began.....

I bought a couple of new books from Amazon Sweater Surgery and The Sweater Chop Shop. Both books have some fabulous ideas but before I could play I had to find some sweaters so off I went to the thrift store where I found several for $1 to $3 each.

Now rather than hand stitching some of the projects I wanted to stitch them using a serger because I loved the look it gave to the finished project. Problem was this I didn't have one......And true to his nature, my wonderful husband bought me one for Christmas! However, I did not have time to actually sit down and learn how to use it until this weekend when I finally stitched my first (and oh so easy to do) upcycled project.

This scarf was so easy to do. I snipped the sleeves off of 4 different sweaters. Cut them along the seam to open them up and then cut as many 6" x 7" squares as I could from each sleeve. I then laid my squares out into a configuration with which I was happy to create the desired length. The I stitched the squares together one at a time with the wrong sides facing each other so that when the stitching was done you would see it.

See I told you it was easy. And what a great idea for using up those unwanted sweaters you have hanging around on your closet shelf.

'Prairie Primer' Quilt

2011-12-25T07:37:00.000-06:00

It's been about 8 years in the making but I have finally finished my Prairie Primer quilt. Years ago when I used to homeschool my children I belonged to a yahoo group dedicated to all things related to the study of the Little House on the Prairie books. Now, if you're asking yourself what one could possibly have to study that would turn these books into schooling - you'd be amazed.

When my children and I used these books for our schooling one year we learned all sorts of things. We studied the gold rush, learned about various Indian tribes, learned how to make butter/jerky/other foods, learned a variety of 'crafts' such as sewing and making soap, we learned about homesteading, the Civil War and many other history items and we learned a variety of science related items about the human body and nature. It was a great year and I think one of the most enjoyable of our homeschooling.

Now during our time in this group the ladies got together and decided to do a quilt block swap. We all designed a block that told who we were and what state we were in and the fabric was related to something studied in the Prairie Primer. Once I received my blocks I decided to make a Jacob's Ladder block to intertwine with mine and then put my quilt top together. Well that was as far as I went all those years ago.

Fast forward to a couple months ago when I came across my quilt top and decided it was high time that I finish putting it together. A month later I am happy to say that she is finally done and ready to be enjoyed!

Tag, You're It!

2011-12-14T06:54:00.000-06:00

Today's post is brought to you by Cricut Cardz Challenge #98 where today we present you with two different Christmas tags using any cartridges of our liking. As you will see I chose several cartridges. And you might also notice that one of my tags is a recreation of a tag originally created by Scrapping Mommy. Truth by told these tags offered me that final push I needed to go ahead and buy the Winter Frolic cartridge, and I'm so glad I did.

All of that said, I created these two tags using:

Winter Frolic for the Christmas tree
Accent Essentials for the scalloped tag
Tags, Bags, Boxes and More for the snowman's tag
Gypsy Wanderings for the Snowman

Snowman Toilet Paper Cover

2011-12-12T06:49:00.000-06:00

After making a couple of hats and scarves I finally felt brave enough to venture out and try something new on my knifty knitters. So I took a couple hours and scoured the net for newbie type patterns and came across this great one over on Loom Lore.

With the exception of the nose (because it's crochet - which I have always struggled with but want to conquer) this was very easy to put together. Now to decide what to do with him.....

Rocking Around the Christmas Tree......

2011-12-07T06:16:00.001-06:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! It's been one of those weeks in my little part of the world. My oldest daughter is graduating from Armstrong State this Saturday and wouldn't you know it but at the last minute I decide to go and get sick. Regardless of all the chaos I did find time for this week's fun, fun, fun Cricut Cardz Challenge over at Cardztv.

This week our challenge was to create a card based on our favorite Christmas carol. While I don't have an end all - be all favorite because it's too hard to chose just one - I did choose to use Brenda Lee's Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree.

For my card I used:

Christmas Cheer for the tree cut at 4"
George for the frame - I laid two rectangles one inside the other. The largest one cut at 3 1/2" x 5" and the smaller one 2 1/2" x 4".

In order to get my text to print on the frame I had to use MS Word to layout three different text boxes at the correct size and spacing to print as seen on the card.

And now that you've seen my card why don't you play along? Create your own Christmas card based on a carol/song link it up to this week's challenge.

Annual Holiday Sales Event

2011-12-03T08:25:00.000-06:00

In need of a last minute gift? Looking for something unique and one of a kind? Come check out my webstore at Spot of Sanity where you'll find a variety of hand crafted items ranging from Christmas ornaments, crocheted dolls and plushes, home decor and more.

Right now everything in the store is discounted 20% so what are you waiting for? Stop by and reap the savings today.

Snowball Fight

2011-12-02T06:42:00.000-06:00

Here in sunny Florida we don't really have the opportunity for snowball fights but that doesn't mean I can't dream it......So today's card is another in my line of quick and easy.

One cartridge is all I used - Winter Frolic. Cut the boy at 4" - and the words snowball fight at 1 1/5". I used pom poms for the snowballs and after putting it all together wish I had pop dotted the top snow hill layer.

On the inside I chose a clip art piece that would coincide with my sentiment to finish out the card.

Outdoor Nativity Set: Product Review

2011-11-29T06:24:00.001-06:00

I was provided with a wonderful opportunity to set up, display and review this beautiful outdoor nativity that you see pictured. Now before I tell you about the nativity I want to apologize that my yard isn't as well manicured as most but seeing as how I have massive oaks, grass that never wants to grow because of the trees, dogs and children, I have what I have. lol Even still this nativity puts the focus where the focus needs to be.....

So who made this little beauty and where do you purchase one? Well let me tell you. Outdoor Nativity Sets is a child company of Teak Isle Manufacturing - a marine supply company. In 2010 they faced the possibility of having to lay off some of their workforce due to the economic challenges. Instead of doing so they listened to an employee who recommendation that they try building nativity sets for the holidays as they had done in the past and the rest as they say is history.

Made of a marine grade plastic this nativity is different than any I have ever seen. It's simple in design, and as I said earlier leaves the focus where the focus needs to be - on our Lord. The set up was amazingly quick and easy. And when the season is over everything will be able to be stored in one box thus minimizing space unlike the plastic or inflatable type nativities.

Now all I need to do is start purchasing the add-on pieces such as the angel, wisemen or shepherds. And you need to "run" on over to Outdoor Nativity Sets to purchase yours today. What are you waiting for?

Coming Down the Chimney Tonight

2011-11-28T07:31:00.000-06:00

Hello fellow bloggers. I hope that everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving. We spent our Thanksgiving in Alabama with family and had a wonderful time. But now that I'm back I figured I'd better get back to making my Christmas cards since it's almost time to get them in the mail.

So today I wanted to share my Coming Down the Chimney Tonight card. I made this one with the Jolly Holidays card. It's another quick, easy card - just set your cuts for 4 1/2" and have at it. I originally cut the house and door in other coordinating colors but it just didn't look right so even though I wanted something other than black for the house I thought it looked best.

And now that I have shared my card I guess I best get back to the unpacking and getting ready to go back to work tomorrow......

Say it With "S" Challenge

2011-11-23T06:15:00.000-06:00

I hope that everyone has enjoyed the cards I've shared over the last couple of days. Today's card was created for this week's Cricut Cardz Challenge. Our directive this week was to create a card using any image that started with the letter 's'.

For my card I chose:

Snowflake - cut from Accent Essentials embossed with the snowflakes folder and then lightly inked with broken china distress ink

Santa hat (and bird) - cut from Jolly Holidays

The words Merry Christmas were also cut from Jolly Holidays.

And now that you've seen my take on this week's challenge be sure to check out the other fabulous designs our team created. Then create your own and link up to play along with us.

Here We Come a Caroling....

2011-11-22T06:32:00.003-06:00

Hello fellow bloggers. Today I would like to share another card in what seems to be becoming my "Winter Frolic line". And this is another card that was inspired by the background paper. I have this paper in my stash for a couple years now - patiently waiting for the perfect card........

I cut the carolers at 4". Since I didn't have a paper print that would work for creating the song book I decided to emboss it with the script folder and lightly ink over the embossing. The music notes were cut at 1".

And remember how I mentioned the other day that I've been using clip art on the inside of my cards to help "finish" them off? Well today I wanted to share a picture with you. It's very simple but yet effective, and I love how it looks.

Old Fashion Santa

2011-11-21T06:21:00.000-06:00

I love the way that this card turned out and wish that you could see it in real life because I promise that it looks better than the picture. I made this one using Christmas Solutions/Noel, Accent Essentials and George (for the ribbon holes).

I chose this particular Santa cut because I thought it was perfect for the paper - another Tim Holtz Seasonal mat stack selection. On the inside of my card I even printed one of the clip art pics of Santa under my sentiment to help finish/compliment the card. And because I like the look it gave I decided to start doing that on the inside of all my cards that I don't actually scrap.

So what are you doing for your Christmas cards this year? Are you doing just one design or are you designing a different card for each person on your list? I'd love to hear how you're doing yours.......

A Child Is Born

2011-11-20T17:29:00.001-06:00

This a quick and easy card that I put together this afternoon. It only required one cartridge - Winter Frolic. The cuts were done at 3" and the top star was coated with a yellow glitter to add some bling.

Since I wanted some hills I started looking around on some of my other cartridges but then remembered My Cut Search and completed my search there. However, I was unable to find a cut that I wanted and had yet another recollection. A while back I purchased one of those Fiskars paper edge guides, found and used it to create my hills.

All in all I was able to get four cards designed, cut and put together today. Hopefully this means I'll be okay with getting all the cards made that I'll need this year. lol

Christmas Light

2011-11-20T10:26:00.000-06:00

I was looking through one of my card magazines and saw an advertisement that had this card layout in it. I loved it so much I just had to scraplift it!

I used:

Christmas Solutions/Noel for the street light cut at 6 1/4" and then stretched to widen just a bit
Accent Essentials for the scalloped oval and oval - both of which were circles that I skewed into the oval shape

The paper is from Tim Holtz's Seasonal mat stack. Don't you just love all things Tim Holtz? I know I do.

My First Knifty Knitter Scarf

2011-11-19T07:08:00.000-06:00

I made this scarf for my little sister who's adoption into the family was finalized this week and has a birthday coming up this week. She'll be 5 and is all about the princesses and anything dress up so I hope that she'll like this scarf.

I've been trying off and on for weeks to figure out how to use the long looms and after scouring the net found a step by step pictorial that was more helpful than any of the videos I've seen. Finally, everything clicked and I was on my way. So to make this scarf I used my smallest knitting loom and then the 12 peg flower loom for my little flowers.

Now that I have this figured out I'm going to try my hand at making some Christmas bells. According to the pattern it's supposed to be an easy pattern - only thing is I've got to learn a new stitch. Shouldn't be too difficult to do after watching one of the youtube videos I found.

I'll let you know how it turns out. Until then..........

Christmas Squirrels

2011-11-17T06:41:00.000-06:00

Now that the Cricut Craft Room is up and running I wanted to play around with my E2 so I broke it out and made this card using:

Just a Note for the squirrels
Cricut Essentials for the scalloped circle
Paper Dolls Dress Up for the Santa hats

I love these little Cosmo Cricket critters on the Just a Note cartridge but I'm saddened that my choice in papers did not help the card pop as I had envisioned. Guess I'll just have to try a different set of cuts and colors for the upcoming CCC challenge for this Wednesday.

Stay tuned..........

Peppermint Hat

2011-11-16T06:29:00.000-06:00

Last week I decided to pick my knifty knitters back up so I could give them another whirl. The long boards have been frustrating me so I set that aside again and went with my round loom for yet another hat. I love the way that this one turned out, but I think that the beautiful colors of the yarn is what makes this one look so good.

And after finishing this hat I scoured the net to find even more instructions for long looms and think I finally have it figured out. I pulled out a play skein of yarn and actually have a scarf going so we'll see what happens soon as I'm almost at the end.

I Heard Him Exclaim

2011-11-15T06:41:00.001-06:00

I first made this card three years ago but had lost the file. Thank goodness I photograph all my cards (even ones I don't like - lol) because I was able to recreate and add a new twist on this one.

For those who would like to try creating this one themselves I used:

Christmas Noel/Solutions for the window (door cut stretched to look like a window and fit my card size)
Christmas Noel/Solutions for the Santa and his sleigh
George for the moon
PPDU for the hair and hand

I adhered the window frame to a piece of an acrylic sheet and then pop dotted that to the night sky so that I could add a little bit of flower soft and MS mica flakes for the snow on the window sill.

Harvest Blessings

2011-11-09T06:35:00.000-06:00

It's that time again......Yep, it's time for another installment in the Cricut Cardz Challenges and this week our challenge is all about thankfulness. Our directive this week was to make a Thanksgiving card using any card feature of our liking.

I chose to use the card feature from page 35 of the Autumn Celebrations cartridge. I cut this feature out at 5". But since I wanted all the colors of the cornucopia I cut the top layer of the card feature at 4 1/8" and hid all of the inside contours on the cornucopia. This then would enable me to create the cornucopia to fit on the card.

I then cut the top half of the card feature in a colored paper so that I could use that to create the inside of the card. As for the sentiment, it's in there but I had to use my handy dandy ruler to measure and decide where to place my printing so that it wouldn't show behind the cornucopia.

So now that you've seen my take on this week's challenge hop on over to Cardz TV take a gander at the other fabulous cards our Design Team members have created then create your own and play along with us by linking up.......can't wait to see what you come up with.

Elf Approved

2011-11-06T14:46:00.000-06:00

Hello fellow bloggers. I hope that today's post finds you and yours doing well. As I sit in my craft room smelling the wonderful smell of Spruce mixed with Apple Cinnamon thanks to the air fresheners around my doorway I'd like to share another installment in my Christmas card collection this season.

Today's card is another that was inspired by one I saw in a magazine. I don't remember which one but the card had an elf and a little tag that said "elf approved". I thought it was a great card and chose to re-create the theme (not the card itself) using:

Jolly Holidays for the elf pulling his wagon
Christmas solutions for the bear and the baby doll
Christmas Cheer for the gift
Accent Essentials for the tag (which is pop dotted for effect)

Dear Santa

2011-11-03T06:27:00.000-05:00

This is another quick and easy card that I put together last night. I just LOVE Christmas and have all these ideas running around in my head. Now I just need the time to start committing them to Design Studio or my Gypsy.

In the meantime I created this card by beginning with my computer to create a couple of letters to Santa. I found this great font called Darlin BTN which I used because it looks just like a child's handwriting. The hardest part in writing these letters was deciding which words to misspell. Well okay, it was also difficult remembering what a 6 and 8 year old would ask Santa for - even though I wasn't sure what parts of the letter would be visible when the card was complete.

Once the letters were printed I cut them down to place on my cutting mat so that I could use Graphically Speaking to cut the paper to look like it came from a notebook of some kind.

I also used Winter Frolic for my Santa and the verbiage. And I must say that I'm happy that I finally broke down and bought this cartridge. I've toyed around with that decision for the last year so it was about time that I made one. lol

Warm and Toasty

2011-11-01T17:50:00.000-05:00

It's official.....my Christmas card season has now begun. And this is my first card - inspired by a stamped one I saw in the current issue of Paper Creations.

For my card I used:

Create a Critter for the lamb

Just Because Cards for the word "Ewe"

George for the rectangles

The lamb's scarf is a scrap of eyelash yarn, and speaking of the lamb - I pop-dotted her layers to give her a little bit of dimension.

Spooks, Monsters, Ghouls and Goblins Challenge

2011-10-26T07:25:00.002-05:00

Happy Wednesday everyone and welcome to another Cricut Cardz Challenge where this week the challenge is "Spooks, Monsters, Ghouls and Goblins!" Our directive? Make a card for Halloween using any Halloween image, from any cartridge(s) and using any colors.

Now, I'm going to admit that I have been super busy preparing for a craft show this Saturday so I chose a 2009 redo that I fell in love with thanks to Papercrafts Magazine. That was the time that using glitter on cards became all the rage and a particular project had caught my eye.

This card though I did more in a post card fashion so it doesn't open, but flips over for the sentiment. I used Stretch Your Imagination, A Child's Year, and Paper Dolls Dress Up, and I embossed my trees to add some texture. My background night sky is made of nothing but glitter. I used two different colors beginning from the top and the bottom for each and then fading the one into the other.

So now that you've seen my card take a look at the other Design Team entries for this week for more inspiration then create your own and link up to share your design with us. C'mon it'll be fun.

Hot Chocolate Mugs

2011-10-25T07:01:00.000-05:00

I know this was all the rage last year, but sometimes I'm a little behind the eight ball. For whatever reason though I had the urge to make some and went on a search trying to find how they were done last year. Once satisfied I opened up my Design Studio and went to work creating my own.

For my mugs I used Everyday Pop-Up Cards. Oh, and I used George to create the slit for my hot chocolate packet to slip inside. All my little characters are cut using the Jolly Holidays cartridge.

Now to add some peppermint sticks and marshmallows.......

Happy Graduation

2011-10-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

I had a few leftovers from my daughter's graduation cards that I made a couple weeks ago so I decided not to waste. ......

Yep, all I changed was the you're invited to Happy Graduation using the Graduation cartridge and now it's the perfect card to give to a graduate. Best thing about this card is that the colors are those of my local high school as well as FSU so I won't have any problems finding someone to give this one too.

The inside sentiment says - Now - go confidently in the direction of your dreams. ~ Henry David Thoreau

Count Your Blessings - Altered Charger

2011-10-19T06:51:00.000-05:00

Isn't it funny how sometimes you figure out a new "trend" before it even becomes one? Case in point, I decided about this time last year to try my hand at altering charger plates like the ones you get from Michaels, AC Moore or any other craft store. And now it seems to be the rage - I even have one that's being published in the November issue of Cricut Magazine.....

Today though I want to share with you a redo of the first one I created last year. I used the same cuts:

Thanksgiving for my verbiage (Count Your Blessings)
Christmas Noel (Solutions cartridge) for the Christmas tree and the star
George for the Circle cuts
Speaking of Winter for the snowman

So what's different about this plate and the one I did last year you ask?

This time I decided to add a couple of different glitters for added texture on my snow covered ground.
The tree once again has textured snow from my snow writer's pen. I sprinkled a little snow glitter while damp and once it was dry I came back with a layer of glossy accents.

I also decided to add a sentiment to the backside of the plate.

So now that you've seen my altered plate I'd love to see what ideas you come up with. In the meantime, I have another idea or two running around in my head. Fortunately I have several plates that I bought on clearance after the holidays last year......

Last of the Onsies

2011-10-18T07:05:00.000-05:00

Finally, finally, finally I have finished the last of all the onsie albums I needed to get made. For the longest time I had an inspirational block but then I found the Cricut Lite cartridge 9 months and it was game on. Not all of the pages for these albums used the new cartridge but it at least got me out of my funk.

And with that I wanted to share the new pages I made for these particular albums.

For the covers I used 9 months for the blocks and the heaven sent.

This cute little elephant is also from 9 months.

Now I know that the tubs are nothing new, but I found these great "bubbles" with the cutesy buttons at Michael's this past weekend and just had to redo these pages.

And finally, these cute rubber duckies were perfect for this new baby print I found. The ducks and the hands are both from A Child's Year.

Think Pink Awareness Card

2011-10-12T06:37:00.001-05:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! In honor of breast cancer awareness month our challenge for Cardz TV this week was to create a "think pink" card using any cartridges we choose so long as pink is the primary color. For my card I chose:

Everyday pop-up cards for the butterflies and I don't mind telling you that I had difficulty figuring out the pop up for the interior. I played around with it using scotch tape so I could position and re-position without ruining the card and once I basically had it figured out I permanently adhered it to the card. It's still not "perfect" but it works.

I also chose to emboss the interior butterfly using the ribbon texture plate from my Sizzix scrap pink kit.

The word 'hope' is from Home Decor and was coated with "bubblegum" glitter from Martha Stewart.

The ribbon used for the 'body' of my butterfly is from Stand and Salute and was also covered in "bubblegum" glitter.

The papers used for this card are from Me and My Big ideas. It's one of their Mambi sheets specialty cardstock pads.

I've just found out about a Link Up for Pink Party happening over at JustYolie, JustCreate so I'm going to play along there as well. (Thanks for the heads up and invite ladies)

And if you haven't made your think pink card yet why not do so today and join in on the fun at both CardzTV and LUFP? Then when you're done you'll also have a great card to give to a friend or donate to a breast cancer charity.

Nativity Scenes

2011-10-11T07:20:00.000-05:00

Today I'd like to share another plastic canvas project that I recently finished. These were quick and easy to put together and I love the way that they turned out.

Sadly though my carpal tunnel is flaring up in my right wrist somewhat so my wonderful husband has banned me from needlework for a couple nights.....Guess that means I'll have to do more papercrafting!! LOL

Halloween Envelope Album

2011-10-09T18:19:00.000-05:00

I purchased this wonderful little Halloween envelope album kit from Scrapbook.com a few weeks ago and finally had the opportunity to sit down and put it all together this weekend. I had a lot of fun with this one and even broke out some old and new cartridges as well as some Martha Stewart punches that had not been used in a while - if at all.

So let's break it down..........For the cover of the album I use Happy Hauntings for my cuts. When adhering my headless horseman I wanted the pumpkin raised so I cut it away from the die cut and then pop dotted for a better effect.

For this page I used Happy Hauntings once again along with some papers from Tim Holtz and DCWV and then used my MS cracks punch around the page set.

Happy Hauntings and Accent Essentials were used for this page along with some stickers from the Booville collection from My Little Yellow Bicycle. Oh and I used my MS Drippy Goo punch.

On this page I used a cut from the October 31st cartridge and this is one that I just purchased this summer but had not yet found an opportunity to use - until now.

For this page I broke a classic - Paper Dolls Dress Up for the spider web. After cutting, I ran it through my Xyron and then sprinkled on some glitter fibers. The spiders are from a Recollections pack in my stash.

The eyes have it......or so they say.....lol.....these eyes are cut from October 31st.....gotta love that sinister, don't mess with me look they give.

And last, but not least, my ending pages.....nothing fancy - just a couple of rectangles punched and distressed.

Sitter's Info Chalkboard

2011-10-08T16:52:00.000-05:00

Now that I have finished my daughter's graduation invites I can get back to other paper crafts. And today's project is a couple of chalkboards I did starting with an unfinished board I found at Michael's. My mom had some chalkboard paint on hand so she painted the blackboards for me and then I stained and polyurethaned the wood for a nice finish. I then had my wonderful husband drill a couple of holes for the ribbon to slip through and then it was off to my craft room for the final touches.

I used Create a Critter for one of the boards, cutting the giraffe at 4" and the duck at 1" to coordinate with the ribbon I used for the "hanger".

On the other board I used Baby Steps, cutting the baby boy in the tub at 3".

I then chose coordinating buttons for each board and viola - a great gift idea for new parents.

Ruler of the Remote - Coaster and Tray Set

2011-09-30T06:49:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday everyone. Today I'd like to share a plastic canvas project I just finished up last night. I love doing this craft but hate that it takes so long to complete a project. I worked on this one for a couple hours a night for about 3 weeks - talk about time intensive. But that's okay, the end product is worth it.

view showing the coasters

College Graduation Announcements

2011-09-29T17:52:00.000-05:00

Sorry that I've been so quiet lately. Things have been beyond crazy over here with getting ready for an upcoming graduation and a couple of craft shows. We just tried our first time at the Oktoberfest and were pleased with the turnout. Needless to say we'll do that show again next year. But now it's all about getting ready for the big one next month.

All of that said, I completed the first half of my daughter's graduation announcements for this December. We worked together to come up with a design and she decided on the verbiage. This is the final result. I posted them up on FB the other day and quite a few people loved the way they turned out my daughter included....and that is of course a good thing. lol

For these announcements I used:

Accent Essentials for the maroon & gold mats

Hello Kitty for the diploma

Locker Talk for the graduation cap; and

Thanksgiving for the "you're invited"

Trick or Treat Spooks

2011-09-14T07:25:00.001-05:00

Today is the day that our Cricut Cardz challenge moves to Cardz TV and this week we are on challenge #91 - things that go bump in the night. For this challenge our instructions were to make a card for "Halloween with the spookiest, scariest image you can find on any cartridge(s), and using any colors".

I chose to use:

Autumn Celebrations for my trick or treating spooks
Paper Doll Dress Up for the tree, moon and stars

The spiders are from a Studio G punch that I picked up at Walmart.

And now that you have seen my card pop on over to Cardz TV and take a look at all the other delightfully spooky creations our DT has in store for you this week. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Purse Album

2011-09-13T06:58:00.001-05:00

Happy Tuesday everyone! Today I want to share a new album with you that I made using the booklet purse and pages die from Sizzix along with a couple of Cricut cartridges - Girl's Makeup Party, Graphically Speaking, Indie Art, Rock Princess and Accent Essentials.

This is a smaller album with the pages measuring only 2 x 3 inches at their largest so my cuts were small but they all cut rather well.

Starting with Rock Princess I cut the word 'diva' for the purse cover.

The shoes and word attitude were cut from Graphically Speaking.

The blow dryer, compact, lip gloss, and sleeping mask were cut from Girl's Makeup Party.

The lips - coated with a pink glitter - are from Indie Art.

Finally all of the mats are from Accent Essentials.

Prayer Bear Tissue Box Cover

2011-09-11T07:31:00.001-05:00

This morning I'd like to share a plastic canvas project that I have been working on over the past couple of weeks. I'm not sure what it is about tissue box covers but I love making them and right now I think this one is my favorite.

Update: I've had a couple people ask me about this TBC so I thought I'd go ahead and let you know that yes, I do have this for sale. If you're interested you can visit my store here. And if you want to have one made special made in different colors just let me know.

Gone Fishing Clock

2011-09-10T16:49:00.000-05:00

I've had this clock sitting in my craft room for months now - just waiting for the perfect idea. Well this week I saw a post on the Cricut MB that sparked the inspiration for this clock.

I really LOVE the way that this one turned out. I used Campin Critters for all of my cuts, and the paper is Great Outdoors mat stack from atd.

What do ya think? Don't ya just love altered items?

You're Da Man

2011-09-05T06:29:00.000-05:00

Here's another quick and easy masculine card that I've put together using Block Party. The best part is that this card can be used for several "manly" occasions: birthday, thank you, Father's Day, etc.

So I've been looking at this cartridge since it came out but never could justify buying it at full price. However, now that Walmart has clearanced everything it was easy to do. We were concerned as we went through the clearance aisle though because there was so much craft stuff on clearance. I mean everything scrapbook related was there as well as some of the new fabrics they just brought in. So when we saw an employee we asked about it. She assured us that all was well with the craft section and that they were just getting ready for a revamp because they are bringing back the bolts of fabric along with the cutting table. Seems that they had received a lot of complaints since they did away with it all.

Manly Man Birthday Card

2011-09-03T23:08:00.000-05:00

Since I've been homebound today thanks to Tropical Storm Lee and dh being on-call I decided to get a couple of manly cards made up. This one was so easy to make that it wasn't funny, but I love the way it turned out. Thanks to this wonderful DCWV paper no hard work was necessary. lol

For this card I used the Cricut Lite cartridge Billionaire and that's it. See? Told you it was easy.....But you know what? Sometimes, simple is best and I do believe that was the case on this one.

New Pages for Baby Album

2011-09-02T06:45:00.001-05:00

As I get closer to my first craft show of the season I decided to get a few onesie albums made up and I thought I'd add some new items to the pages this go round. I changed up the way I did the covers by adding in some embellishments. I love the way that they look and think it's more inviting than just having the words on the cover.

Other new additions include a couple of pages with the baby birds from the 3 birds on parade cartridge. You'll see them here along with some of the other pages I've made.

I also added in some new journaling tags.

But this one is my favorite. I got this idea while shopping around on Scrapbook.com and decided to try my hand at creating my own journaling strips.

I used Wild Card for my pocket and A Child's Year for the crawling baby. The journal strips were created in Microsoft Word and to hold them in the pocket I added the little foot paper clip. If you like this page and would like to make some of your own you can download the cut file as well as the strips file by clicking on the link for the tutorials page on the right hand side.

So what do you think? Do you have any ideas for what you'd like to see in a baby album? Have you made one that you'd like share? Drop a line and let me know.

Boo!

2011-08-31T06:13:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone and thanks for stopping by. I know I don't tell you all often enough but I really enjoy seeing you stop in to look at my projects and especially love it when you share your thoughts with me. It's help me know that I'm on the right track (so to speak).

So today is another Cricut Cardz Challenge and this week our directive was to create a card using the card feature on any of the cartridges we desired. Once again I chose to use the recently released Autumn Celebrations cartridge. After all I've made a few Christmas projects so why not make a Halloween one now that it's right around the corner?

I cut my project at 4 1/2" tall. My little monster was embossed using the swiss dots folder and his horns were "textured" using a gold embossing powder.

And now that you've seen my card take a peek at the others our design team created this week at challenge #90. Then create your own and link it up so we can all see your creativity for this challenge. C'mon - it'll be fun!!!!

My Little Hug A Bell Elf

2011-08-29T18:20:00.000-05:00

Today I wanted to share a plastic canvas project that I recently finished with you. This is just one in a long line of Christmas ornaments I've made for a couple of upcoming craft shows I'm doing in September and October.

Doesn't he have the cutest little face?

Review: Selah - Hope of the Broken World

2011-08-26T06:51:00.001-05:00

I have once again been bestowed the honor of reviewing a great......I don't want to call it a product because it is soooo much more than that......for you. Before I do that though I would like to offer my apologies for being late in doing so. My hope is that even though I'm a couple days late my fellow bloggers will be enticed enough to want more.

With that said, I was provided with a copy of the newly released (as of August 23rd) CD by Selah. The alubm is titled Hope of the Broken World, and features a variety of uplifting/inspiring songs. Their first single being released is the title track and you can view the video here. This song, along with two others on the album, were written by Jennie Lee Riddle who also wrote the Revelation Song.

Hope of the Broken World is an album that is full of messages that will bring you a hope and peace that is hard to find these days. How can you miss with lyrics like these??

"Into my weakness, Into my darkness, Your Spirit's moving upon my heart and you speak the words 'Let there be light!' Into my chaos comes your promise. The new is rising the old is past on. You are revival and making all things right."

Now combine lyrics/messages like that with music that (to me) sounds like a mix between Country meets modern hymnal/ballad melodies and you have a powerhouse collection of songs that only Selah can deliver. And if you don't believe me you can sample their entire album as well as purchase a copy of your own here.

So what are you waiting for? Watch the video. Take a listen. Purchase your copy today. Then come back and tell me what you think.

Baby Dreams

2011-08-25T06:46:00.000-05:00

Today's card was made for a friend of mine who's due in a couple of months. The idea to have baby dreaming about their bottle of milk just popped into my head the other day so I wanted to commit it to paper. Then I thought it wold be perfect for using one of those action wobbles and thus I incorporated that into the card as well.

Each one of the cuts used are from Baby Steps. I cut the sleeping baby at 4 1/4" and the hearts were all scaled to various sizes in Design Studio with the largest heart measuring 1 3/4" tall. The smallest hearts were pop dotted and the largest has the wobble. I had to trim a bit of the wobble along the heart's edge but that was easy enough to do.

I found the sentiment on the internet and fell in love with it. It says, "Babies are a gift from heaven. You must be special to have one of its angels."

Scarecrow Tins

2011-08-21T10:08:00.000-05:00

I found these wonderful tin buckets in the dollar bin at Target and decided to bring a few home to alter using my new Simply Scarecrow cartridge. It was a lot of fun deciding which images to use. I really love the lady scarecrow with a close second going to the one who's having his hat taken away by the crows.

I cut all of my scarecrows at 3" and then cut the additional crows at 1". As you can see I also tied some glittery Halloween ribbons to the handles to add bling. What you don't see is that I added some circles to the bottom of the tins - this was to hide the bits of the price tags that were stubborn.

So there you have it.....another fun and easy altered project. Perfect for the upcoming Fall season.

Little Red Schoolhouse

2011-08-17T06:04:00.000-05:00

This week's Cricut Cardz Challenge was to create a back to school card and incorporate the 3 R's: ribbon, rhinestone and red. I was excited about this challenge because it was the perfect opportunity to use my new Autumn Celebrations cartridge.

Using my AC cartridge I cut the school house at 4 1/2" and used a rhinestone for the door knob. I also cut the stack of books used on the inside of the card at 1 3/4" and used a piece of ribbon for the bookmark. The "A+" is cut at 1" and is a part of one of the phrases from this cartridge. As you can see I also used the color red on all of my cuts.

So now that you've seen my card why don't you join in on the fun, create your card using the guidelines mentioned above, and then link up over at challenge 88. I look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with.

Snowman Ornaments

2011-08-13T17:13:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, I did it again. But I couldn't help myself since Michael's has their clear ornaments out for sale. I saw these on the Holidays Crafts & Creations website and had to make some of my own. When I made mine though I changed things up a bit as I'm sure you will when you make yours.

So remember the craze last year of using floor wax to get glitter to stick to the inside of the ornament? Well that's what I did with these. I started with the glitter and while that was drying I finished my other prep work.

I cut the eyes from George and the noses from Christmas Cheer.

I cut the top portion of the socks off and threw out the foot portion. Cut slits around the sock on one end, fold up the bottom edge and using hot glue adhere it in 3 or four places around the ornament to hold the sock in place. Take a section of ribbon and tie it around the sock to form the top of the hat.

Glue the eyes and nose on using a regular glue. Glue a snowflake or whatever you want to the hat and viola - you're done.

Hanging with my Gnomies

2011-08-03T06:16:00.001-05:00

Happy Wednesday everyone. Today is Cricut Cardz Challenge day for this week's challenge we were directed to use fruit on our card using an cartridge/s and color/s we desired. For my design team entry I chose to use apples as my fruit.

I just received the Freshly Picked cartridge in the mail (I cashed in some of my Cricut reward points for this one), and decided to give it a go for this card. My gnomes were all cut at 2 1/2". The apples and basket are from Doodlecharms and were scaled to a size that was comparable for my gnomes.

Now that you've seen my project for this week's challenge be sure to check out the other exciting entries from our Design Team - then create a card of your own, link it up at challenge #86 and play along with us.

Did Ya Hear? Did Ya? Huh?

2011-08-01T06:25:00.001-05:00

Have an annoucement to make to your friends and/or family? Here's a great way to do it if you're not able to break the news to them personally.

For the outside of this card I used the newspaper cut from Love You a Latte.

On the inside of the card I used Everyday Pop ups for the pregnant mom and the cloud from Graphically Speaking (cut at various sizes) to create the "call-out".

Hope you enoy this card as much as I did making it.

Santa Pants

2011-07-31T08:14:00.000-05:00

Happy Sunday fellow bloggers. Today I wanted to share one of my plastic canvas projects with you. I've been working on these off and on for a while now and finally finished them this weekend. I love the way they turned out and think they'll make great little "gift bags".

Don't worry now that July is almost over I'm getting out of my Christmas in July phase and am working on some other projects so stay tuned.....

Blistery Wind

2011-07-25T21:03:00.001-05:00

.....well in a hot sorta way, but today's card is designed to help keep ya cool. I created this one to play along in the BBTB2 challenge from last week where the challenge was to use the penguin with the umbrella cut from Jolly Holidays.

For my card I cut the umbrella away from the penguin's hand so I could place it a little more like I wanted. My idea was to make it look like it got caught up in the cold, blistery wind only my card wasn't large enough to quite grab the effect I wanted. It still turned out pretty good though I think.

My "wind" was made using a flourish from the Home Decor cart.

An Apple A Day.....

2011-07-22T06:18:00.000-05:00

This is a quick and simple card I threw together using some of the older cartridges. After all we do need to dust them off every once in a while. For this one I used:

Accent Essentials for the scalloped square

Pooh and Friends for the Apple basket

Doodlecharms for the Apples

Have Your Cake & Eat It Too

2011-07-21T06:38:00.000-05:00

I created this birthday card using the Sweet Treats cartridge. But I wanted to give a textured, more realistic look and feel so I applied Tulip fabric paint in white metallic to the main body of the cake. I then used my heat embossing gun and gently dried the paint paying mind to allow it to settle back down as it bubbled up. Once I had the white layer complete I moved on to the pink.

For the pink layers I applied Tombo glue and sprinkled on some Distress embossing powder and heat set that as well. The blue swirls were created using Memory Thread. If you haven't seen this yet look in the aisle where the embroidery thread is kept. I will say that I have not found it at Michael's - just AC Moore and Hobby Lobby.

Coffee Smells Like......

2011-07-20T05:57:00.000-05:00

....freshly ground heaven.....and so today, while I sit at my crafting table enjoying a cup of Donut House coffee, I bring you my entry for this week's Cricut Cardz Challenge. This week our direction was to make a card using a monogram from any cartridge and in any color we desired. So I sat down this weekend and thought about what I would do but nothing really came to mind. After all I didn't want a card that just had a monogram on the front.

Then I decided to reach for some of my old magazines for inspiration. And so there in the pages of Paper Crafts special edition, Go to Sketches I found what I needed on page 124...........

Armed with my new found inspiration I began creating my card. For this one I used:

George for my square tiles cut at 1 1/2"

Winter Woodland for my monogram cut at 1" (C is for coffee after all - lol)

Love You a Latte for my couple having coffee cut at 3"

So now that you've seen my creation, why don't come play along with us and create your own monogrammed card. We'd love to see what you come up with.

Rocking Holidays

2011-07-18T20:51:00.000-05:00

Yep, I just couldn't resist one more Christmas card. This time though I decided to make it a little more interactive and added an action wobble to the mix. I really love the way that this one turned out and this little elf just makes it all so easy with his stinkin' cute face.

So for this one I used Jolly Holidays for the elf and Joys of the Season for my snowflake background. That's it quick and simple but cute as ever.

Now why don't you create a Christmas card and come play along in my Christmas in July challenge. There's still a couple days left to join in...

God Thinks You're Wonderful

2011-07-18T06:57:00.000-05:00

I was inspired to create this card after I received an email from DaySpring that was advertising Max Lucado's book God Thinks You're Wonderful.

For this card I finally broke down and used my E2 just so I could use this cut from the Just a Note cartridge. Being spoiled with Design Studio like I am I will be thrilled when Cricut is either able to get CCR up and going or updates Gypsy to be able to use the pre-loaded carts. But I digress.....

The hand on the inside of the card was cut from A Child's Year.

Baby Teeth Tins

2011-07-17T15:37:00.001-05:00

I purchased one of those 30 count packages of favor tins from Michaels a couple weeks ago and used my 40% off coupon so that I could get them at a great price. Well since it's been raining all weekend I've been able to sit in my craft room and scrap my lil' heart out, and one of the first projects I completed was several of these baby teeth tins.

I made two different styles - one for when the tooth fairy comes and one for keeping all those precious baby teeth we as mom's tend to hold on to.

For these tins I used:

George for the Background circles cut at 1 7/8"
Baby Steps for the baby with the toothbrush cut at 1 1/2" and the teeth cut at 1"

On the inside of the tooth fairy tins I made little yellow pillows, sewed pink and blue buttons in the center for holding the tooth and then hot glued the pillows into the tins. The other tins are empty since they can be used to either hold several baby teeth or for party favors at a baby shower.

And now I'm off to enter this project in a no cards/no layout challenge over at Scrapping with Cricut. You should come play along too.....it is about having fun after all.

Espresso Yourself

2011-07-14T21:48:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday everyone! Today I want to share a card with you that I made using the new Cricut Lite cartridge Love You a Latte and Rock Princess.

I was going through some of my old Paper Crafts magazines looking at the quotes/sentiments they have in the back pages. In so doing, I came across a couple of great quotes that are just perfect for this cartridge and today's card showcases one of those quotes. Even the font I used is perfect for this theme as it's called Catharsis Espresso.

It looks like this new cartridge has some great cuts and I can't wait to have an opportunity to sit down and play with it some more.

Across the Miles

2011-07-11T19:33:00.000-05:00

My poor dh is working a long day today so I've been hiding in my craft room putting together this card. For this one I used:

3 Birds on Parade cut at 1 7/8"
Sweethearts for the stamps one cut at 5" with all contours hidden except the lines along the edges and the other cut at 4" in blackout

I also used my new Sizzix postcard embossing folder and inked on the embossing with distressed ink in tea dye to help bring it out.

The inside sentiment says, though mioles may lie between us, we're never far apart, for friendship doesn't count the miles, it's measured by the heart. And just underneath that I printed a clip art heart.

You're a Cut Above

2011-07-10T19:08:00.000-05:00

I've had this quote running around my head for days and finally got it put into a card today. I had fun making this card - like I do all of them of course....

For this card I used:

April Showers for the squirrel, butterflies and tree
PPDU for the frog
Plantin Schoolbook for the grass
Chore Chart for the lawnmower

I don't remember which one I used for the clouds as they were leftovers from a previous project.

Christmas on the Beach

2011-07-09T19:03:00.000-05:00

I saw a picture of the Jolly Holidays lite cartridge that came out last year and just had to have it. And since it's July I decided to create a Christmas in July card. For this card featuring Santa and his elf decorating a palm tree. I used the following carts:

Stretch Your Imagination for the tree
Jolly Holidays for Santa and the elf
Handy Man for the ladder

Fun in the Sun

2011-07-06T06:09:00.001-05:00

This week's Cricut Cardz Challenge was to use a summer apparel or accessory cut from any cartridge. I thought, and I thought about this one but I kept drawing a blank as to what I could really do with summer apparel. Problem was nothing came to mind. Sooooo, I chose to use "accessories".

For this card I used Life's a Beach for the umbrella and the adirondack chair. Everyday Paper Dolls was used for the towel and the beach ball is just a sticker I found in my stash.

My 'beach front' was made using sand paper to give it a more textured look and feel. Being from the Panhandle of Florida where we have some of the World's Most Beautiful Beaches I would have loved it even more if I could find white sandpaper. Oh well..........

Sweet 16 Birthday Card

2011-07-05T18:25:00.000-05:00

I have another new cartridge to play with today. This time it's one that's been out forever, but I just picked it up after much hemming and hawing. I've been wanting it primarily for a layout that I want to do with some pics of my husband and I but for now I'll start with a card.

For this one I used Forever Young for the girl and Sweet Treats for the "16" candles in her hand. My background paper isn't really paper but a sheet of aluminum foil from Walnut Hollow. I loved the way it turned out so much that I went back to Michael's this weekend and bought a pack of ever color available.

My inside sentiment on this one says, "Say goodbye to dolls and toys. Say hello to makeup and boys! Happy Sweet 16"

Prayer of Encouragement

2011-07-04T08:40:00.000-05:00

Just picked up the Chore Chart lite cartridge the other day and I admit I wanted it specifically for this cut. However, I waited for Walmart to mark it down because I just couldn't justify paying that much for one cut.

The dove is from Joys of the Season.

Inside Sentiment says: In those times when I can't seem to find God, I rest in the assurance that He knows where to find me. - Neva Coyle

Over What Hill?

2011-07-03T17:00:00.000-05:00

I finally broke down and ordered a few new cartridges this week and was elated when I won Life's a Party for only $18 on ebay. I've been toying with buying this one for some time but for that price I just couldn't pass it up..............and I'm glad I didn't!

Since my husband's on call this weekend we haven't really left the house and thus I've gotten a few cards made. For this one I used Life's a Party for everything except the grass which I cut using Zooballoo. I created the splatter effect using Distressed Ink in vintage photo and a brayer. At first I wasn't sure if I liked how it looked but it's grown on me.

So what do you think? Isn't this just a cute card? Especially with that little buzzard sitting there looking things over.

Graduation Congrats Pop-up

2011-06-27T20:16:00.001-05:00

My oldest child is graduating from college soon and called the other day asking if I would please make her graduation announcements for her. Well that of course prompted my newly found need/desire to purchase the Happy Graduation cartridge that was released a while back. I mean up until now I didn't really feel the need to purchase this cartridge but I'm glad I did.

For my first project using this cartridge though I decided to do a Congrats card. Now combine Happy Graduation with one of the wonderful Sizzix pop up dies and you get a great gift giving surprise. I'd been drooling over this die as well but finally quit talking myself out of buying it.

So what do you think?

Pregnancy Congratulations Pop Up

2011-06-20T06:29:00.000-05:00

By now you might have noticed that I LOVE pop-up cards. Well here's another one that I put together this weekend to add to my arsenal. I used the recently released Everyday Pop-ups cartridge for my cuts:

Bundle of Joy was cut at 3"

Pregnant woman cut at 4 1/2"

When I initially put this card together I had forgotten all about the PDF diagram file that Joy had posted on her blog over at Obsessed with Scrapbooking and kinda messed up. But then I remembered that I had downloaded the file, opened it up, figured what I did wrong and viola.

If you haven't made a pop-up card before I'd love to see you give it a try. They're a lot of fun......Hmmmm I think I'll have to come up with a challenge for us to all play along in......stay tuned for dets. lol

Elephant Crayon Holder

2011-06-19T13:56:00.000-05:00

Dusti over at Scrappin with Cricut was so very kind and invited me to come play along in her No Cards or Layouts Monday Challenge #3 and I thought it would be fun so instead of waiting for a couple days to post this other plastic canvas project that I've completed I'll just post it now.

This was another one that I had a lot of fun doing, but sometimes it's a pain in the tail trying to match things up like the legs for these silly elephants. Yeah, that was a lot of fun. But all in all I think they turned out cute and am pleased with the end result.

And now that you've seen what I'm entering into the challenge why don't you hop on over to Dusti's blog and enter a no card/no layout project of your own so that we can see how crafty you are. ;o)

Flip Flop Tissue Box in Plastic Canvas

2011-06-19T07:55:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've shared one of my plastic canvas creations so today I wanted to share with you another tissue box cover I finished. I figured since it's that time of year and I live in Florida where it's always flip flop weather this was a natural project to create.

I love the way that it turned out with all the colors.

Dad's Tool Belt - Take Two

2011-06-17T06:56:00.000-05:00

I decided to make another one of these wonderful tool belts only this time I wanted to make the tools using my Handyman cart so I figured out the sizes I needed and went to work.

The tool belt was made using the cut file from Ruelysi that I mentioned in the original post. The tools were cut again from Handyman at the following sizes:

Hammer at 5"
Wrench at 4 1/2"
Screwdriver at 3 3/4"
Tape measure at 2 1/2"

I used a gray metallic paper for the main layer and this enbled my tools to look more realistic.

The Best Dad Ever badge is from the Father's Day cartridge and was cut at 2".

Knifty Knitters Here I Come

2011-06-15T21:41:00.000-05:00

Okay, I did it. I finally broke down. This past Saturday I picked up a set of the round Knifty Knitter looms from Michael's and used my 40% off coupon so I got them dirt cheap. And this is the hat that I just finished making. It's plain but exactly what a newbie like me needs to begin - it was also super easy and a lot of fun to do.

Problem now is that much to my husband's dismay I have found yet another craft to which I am addicted. I can't wait to get my hands on the long looms so I can try a scarf and then there's the one for making pom poms and all kinds of other gadgets too.

Kudos to my wonderful son who so graciously, involuntarily volunteered to model even though my hat was done in pink.........He was after all the only one in the house with a head small enough to do so.

Best Step-Dad Father's Day Card

2011-06-15T06:23:00.000-05:00

This is a quick put together card I did for my children to give my husband for Father's Day. All the cuts are from the new Father's Day cartridge cut at 1 and 1 1/2".

I wanted to create a card in a Venn diagram style but my brain wasn't doing so hot at formulating the layout using cuts from this cart. So I opted for more of a Spider diagram style without all the little feet or whatever you want to call them. lol

Milk Carton Treat Container

2011-06-13T18:52:00.000-05:00

I wanted to try something new and different as a treat holder and this is my take off from the sour cream containers. For whatever reason I have never been able to really put those silly things together well enough. Maybe because I always wanted to fill them too much? I don't know.....but this is easier for me because I know when it's so full I can't add any more. ;o)

I created the milk carton cut using Design Studio and George so if you have both of those and would like the cut file you'll find it under my files and tutorials tab. I also have the instructions ready for dowload as well in case you need them.

Since this was my first go round as a trial I didn't really embellish my container too much but I still think it turned out really cute. My bear is from Campin' Critters and my little fish is just a brad from my stash.

Hope you enjoy and if you happen to create one of these containers I'd love to see what you did with it so please let me know so I can hop over to your blog and take a look.

Fishing You A Happy Birthday

2011-06-12T18:11:00.000-05:00

I found a set of four sea life charms by Blue Moon at Walmart yesterday and instantly fell in love with them. As soon as I saw them I knew that they would be perfect to use in tunnel cards and so I bought a set.

I started designing the card last night and just finished it this afternoon. For this one I used:

George to cut the inside mat and ovals for creating my tunnel and frame.

Tags, Bags, Boxes and More for the tag on the front of the card.

Sweet Treats for the cake.

Life's a Beach for all other cuts.

Forever....

2011-06-08T06:23:00.000-05:00

This week's Cricut Cardz Challenge was to create a wedding card using any colors and cartridges of our choosing. I chose to use Home Decor and Stretch Your Imagination.

My hearts are cut at 1" and the scallop type oval was cut at 4" - both from Home Decor

The couple was cut at 3 3/4" with the top layer cut twice to provide the black and white.

Added a little bling in the form of silver metallic ribbon and a silver charm and viola. Only 'problem' was that the photo didn't capture the colors and vibrancy of the card very well.

Official Visit from the Tooth Fairy

2011-06-04T10:26:00.000-05:00

I was inspired to create these tins thanks to a stamped version I saw. I found my tins in the dollar bin at Michael's but now that I've made these two I'll have to go back and pick up a pack of the wedding favor tins. They'll be smaller versions but will cost less to make in the long run. Not to mention the fact that I couldn't find a tin in boy colors in the dollar section.

For my version I used George for the circle cut at 2 1/2". Added the verbiage using MS Word - Arial font and using word art to create a 2" circle.

The tooth is from Baby Steps cut at 1 1/2".

I made the pillow myself as well, but the pic doesn't show the dimple I put in the center of the pillow very well. Could be because of the button I added in order to give the tooth a perfect resting spot while waiting to be 'cashed in'.

Springtime Butterfly Pop-up

2011-06-02T20:54:00.000-05:00

I have been drooling, like a teething baby, over the new Sizzix pop-up dies. Problem is I can't find them locally so I can use a coupon. So in an effort to remedy the situation I set out this week to try re-creating some of them using my Cricut and Design Studio.

I am happy to report that my first effort was a success and so I give you my first pop-up card using my scallop 3D circle for the Cricut. I made this file using Accent Essentials and George. The scallop is cut at 6" and fits perfectly into a 6 1/2 x 5" greeting card blank - so if you have the tools and would like a copy let me know and I'll be more than happy to send it to you.

The beauty of this pop-up is that you can turn it for use in either direction.

So for this card I also used:

Home Decor for my flourishes
Cuttlebug for the blue and green butterflies - I have the cut and emboss butterfly set
April Showers for the other butterflies, trees, worm and spring banner

Forest Friends Pop up Birthday Surprise

2011-05-30T06:45:00.001-05:00

I made this card for my mom whose birthday is today.

For the outside of the card I used Campin Critters. I cut the forest at 4 1/2". Cut the forest "floor" a second time out of sandpaper and embossed the tree tops. The critters behind the trees were cut at 1" using the layers from those cuts and the fox was cut at 1 1/2". I pop dotted the call out, little tree and the fox to add dimension.

The inside pop up was made using a now retired Sizzix die but it would be very easy to create this cut using your cricut if you have Design Studio or the Gypsy. My critters on the inside were cut at 1 and 1 1/2". The call out was created using two different ones from campin' critters welded together. The song notes are from a punch (forgot to add those until everyone had signed the card - oops) and the embossed greeting is from a Sizzix folder.

Girlie Mini Onsie Album

2011-05-29T07:31:00.002-05:00

My sister asked me to created a onsie album for her to give to a girlfriend that's due within the next couple of weeks and this is what I came up with. Now before I get started on filling you in on all the deets I have to give credit to IslandV over at Scrap Innovations because she enabled me to create my first one and a couple of the pages I used in this one I scraplifted from her. So if you haven't checked her blog out before you really should......

Once again I used my Sizzix onsie die for the pages. Don't have Sizzix? No problem....if you have the New Arrival cartridge that is. Just use the onsie cut from New Arrival cut at 5.5 inches and you'll have the onsie base for all your pages. Be sure to cut your pages from chipboard to give the album a sturdy base.

I also used A Child's Year, New Arrival, Baby Steps, and Accent Essentials for my other cuts.

For the first pages pictured I used Accent Essentials for the scalloped oval -originally a circle that I skewed in Design Studio and cut at 3.5 x 2.5 inches.

From Baby Steps I cut the bear at 2" and the baby's head (from the baby in the bathtub) at 1.5". I cut two of the baby's head, flipping the second one and hiding all the facial features for the backside of the baby's head. I then cut a piece of paper 3 x 2.5", used my corner rounding punch and ran it through my printer for the verbiage. The blanket was made using a piece of double sided paper cut at 6.5 x 3" folded in half from the long side. I then cut a slit from the top down on the front side, folded the edges back and glued along the side edges only.

For the baby crib page I used Baby Steps and cut the crib at 2.5". The mat I used was cut at 3 x 2.75". I then glued the mat down and then adhered the crib on top of the mat gluing along the bottom and side edges only so that a picture could be slipped in. (Next time I create this page I will pop dot it some for easier access though)

For the next set of pages I made the following cuts:

New Arrival - Stork, Baby, Bottles and Moon cuts all at 1.5"

Baby Steps - Little Girl cut at 1.5", words baby steps, highchair, food jars all cut at 2"

A Child's year for the mom holding a baby cut at 3"

Accent Essentials for the other mats cut at 3 x 2.5"

The Giraffe and baby bib are stickers that I found in my stash.

To put it all together I added 3/16" or 4.7mm eyelets and used 1" loose leaf binder rings.

Graduation Invitations

2011-05-25T05:56:00.000-05:00

It really shouldn't be a surprise, but this week's Cricut Cardz Challenge was to make a graduation card using any cartridges and colors we choose. Great timing right? You betcha. So if you're stumped for ideas hop on over to see the great creations our design has in store for you this week.

Before you go though let me tell you about my easy to create invitation........My nephew decided at the last minute - last week to be exact - that he wanted to invite people to his graduation. So what was my sister to do? Well call me of course. (lol) She old me exactly what she wanted, my nephew wrote the "copy" and I put it all together for them.

For this card I used:

Graphically Speaking for the clock face cut at 2 3/4" - positioning the hands to read the time of the ceremony

Locker Talk for the graduation cap cut at 1 1/4" - for the tassel I used embroidery thread in the school colors

Craftiest Mom Contest - Please Vote

2011-05-23T18:54:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone.....I don't know how many of you were aware of this contest on Cricut's FB page, but I entered it in the hopes of winning that elusive E2. With that said, I would greatly appreciate it if you would help me out and cast a vote for me.

I entered the Graveyard Centerpiece that I made for my husband last Halloween. You can vote for me by clicking on this link: Graveyard Centerpiece

Many thanks to my fellow friends and bloggers out there!!

Gift Bag & Card for Baby

2011-05-21T16:36:00.000-05:00

I've been working on this project off and on since 6am this morning and finally finished it up. About a week ago I won this wonderful Sizzix scoreboard die blog candy from Melissa and I have been dying to play with it. Thankfully today was the day!

Armed with my new Sizzix die, Zooballoo, Baby Steps and a couple of embellishments I created this baby bag and gift card holder. I cut the bag out of chipboard and then came back and cut it from paper, making a second cut of just the flap for an accent piece.

After adhering the paper to the chipboard I added a couple of white heart eyelets to the top so I could add a ribbon handle.

For my gift card holder (2 3/4" x 3 1/2" folded) I cut some grass and a cloud from Zooballoo and the little girl clothesline from Baby Steps. On the inside I cut a section from a vellum baby saying sheet I have, ran it through my Xyron and adhered to the top portion of the card. For the gift card holder I created a "place card here" the same size as a standard gift card and added a couple of glue dots to hold the card in place. Until it's time to add the card though I've left the protective cover on the glue dots - thus the little squares you see.

Baby's Toy and Action Wobbles

2011-05-15T17:51:00.000-05:00

This past week I received my first shipment of action wobbles and I have been dying to try them out. Ok not literally dying but I have been as anxious as a dog chasing a cat. So with this weekend's show over and two new orders about a quarter complete I decided to set them aside and play for a few minutes. But then my play ended up working into work for one of the orders. Don't you just love how that happens sometimes?

Anyhoo, I decided to go with a baby's toy as my action item because those are generally wobbly things. I mean what better for my first use? Baby Steps was my cartridge of choice for this card. I cut the baby girl at 5" and the toy at 2".

And in case you haven't seen or heard of action wobbles here's a little video to show you what they do.

Father's Day Tool Belt

2011-05-13T21:47:00.000-05:00

A year or two ago these tool belts were running around the Cricut MB thanks to the creative genius of Ruelysi. Well I just rediscovered this great project and decided to create one for my own dad this year. With that said this tool belt and tools were created using the cut file created by Ruelysi using George and Basic Shapes. (If you download this file from her please make a donation as a lot of work went into creating this great file.)

I also added the Super Dad badge using the new Father's Day cartridge. The screw brads I found at Michael's yesterday and are the perfect touch for this manly belt.

Baby Dreams

2011-05-11T05:58:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! Today is Cricut Cardz Challenge day and our challenge for today was to create a baby card using any cartridges and colors we desire. What a perfect opportunity to break out and use my brand new Baby Steps cartridge. This is another great new cartridge that is chock full of adorable cuts and I love that they have cuts specific for a boy or a girl!

For my card this week I used Baby Steps for the following cuts:

Baby Girl on the Moon cut at 5"
Bottles cut at 3/4"

George for the ovals, the large one skewed to measure 1 1/2" tall and 2 1/2" wide and the smaller ones skewed to a proportionate size.

Rush Delivery Birthday Pop-Up

2011-05-08T18:06:00.000-05:00

I had some free time to sit in my craft room and play around this afternoon so I decided to break out my new Everyday Pop-Ups cartridge. I've had it for a couple weeks now but didn't want to play with it until I had time in case I had issues figuring out whatever mechanism I chose.

So for my first card I decided to use one of the easier pop-ups and went with the airplane. For the inside piece I cut the pop-up itself and also cut layers to add color and definition to it. Before putting it all together I made sure to score and fold all the pieces ensuring that they would lay and work together properly.

The gifts on the front of the card were cut from Sweet Treats.

Now that I've made one of the pop-ups from this cartridge I'm anxious to do some others as I'd really love to see how they turn out. Hopefully this will be a cartridge that won't let me down!

Under the Weather Get Well Card

2011-05-05T06:33:00.000-05:00

Today's card is brought to you from the wonderful new April Showers seasonal cartridge. I just love the boots on this cartridge and truth be told were the motivating factor in my purchase.

For this card I used:

Accent Essentials for the background piece cut at 5 1/4". I placed a 2nd second cut on the DS mat in such a manner that I could cut the bottom portion only for the grass.

Graphically Speaking for the rain puddles scaled down to sizes that were proportionate with what I was doing.

April Showers for the boots cut at 1 1/2" and the umbrella cut at 2 1/2".

To add texture to the card I used swiss dots to emboss the umbrella. I also applied glossy accents to the rain drops and lighty sprinkled some turquoise glitter on them. Glossy accents was also applied to the rain puddles and toes of the boots.

You're Such A Stinker

2011-05-03T06:33:00.001-05:00

As soon as I received the new Campin' Critters cartridge I knew that I wanted to use this adorable skunk cut. I cut him out at 3" and the little frog I cut at 1".

On the inside of my card it says "...thank you for your kindness".

Want a Chance to Win???

2011-05-02T21:54:00.000-05:00

Run on over to Scrappin With Cricut and check out her wonderful blog, become a follower so you can keep up with all the terrific projects she creates and then follow the rules for your chance to win a Cricut Everyday cartridge.

Mother's Day Card challenge

2011-04-27T06:27:00.001-05:00

This week's Cricut Cardz Challenge was to create a Mother's Day card using any card feature and to include a flower. I chose one of the card features from A Child's Year and while I admit that the outside of the card ended up being too busy for the cut used I love the way the inside turned out.

For the inside of my card I used Car Decals. For my flower I cut off the flower portion of the girl cut and added a ribbon flower to add texture and depth to the card.

Bambi

2011-04-26T19:05:00.000-05:00

I received a RAK in the mail the other day and inside the package were a couple of pages torn from old books. At first I was thinking that was the craziest thing I'd ever seen but then I kept looking at the pages thinking "why not?" and thus this card was born.

For this one I used Create A Critter for all my cuts. The deer was cut at 3 3/4" and the darker brown layer was covered in flock to add texture. The butterflies were cut at 1".

This was a very simple car but with the addition of the pages taken straight from the book Bambi it has wonderful life breathed right into it.

Blog Candy Alert

2011-04-26T18:37:00.000-05:00

Would you like a chance to win the new Campin Critters cart? Pop on over to Sherrie Scraps and while you're there check out all the fabulous projects that she's created. I just love her So Grateful for You card that she made with that wonderful sun cut from this cart.

What are you waiting for? Get over there and check it out.....

Just a Note

2011-04-25T20:19:00.000-05:00

I love, love, love the new Campin Critters cartridge. If you haven't checked out yet you should - especially if you love the Create A Critter cartridge. When I first saw this one I knew I was going to have to get my hands on it as soon as I could afford to do so and when I found it cheap on ebay it was mine. lol

So this is the first card I made using this great cartridge. Isn't he just one of the cutest birds you've seen??? For this card I not only used the new Campin Critters, but also

Accent Essentials for the inside scallop

Wild Card for the sentiment (combined with George for the ...)