I'd Rather Be Making Cards

Cricut 360° Blog Challenge #15 ... Think Winter

2011-10-28T04:00:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone, are you ready for another challange from the Cricut 360° Challenge Blog? This week we're doing 'white-on-white' projects.

For my card, I started with a 5.5" x 5.5" base then added a layer embossed with the Snow Burst embossing folder. To highlight the embossing, I rubbed on a little White Frost shimmer paint. Both the embossing folder and the shimmer paint are from Stampin' Up. Then I tied on some white tulle and satin ribbon. The skates are from the Winter Woodland Cricut cartridge ... cut a 3.25". I sprinkled the blades with Martha Stewart coarse glitter, swiped more of the shimmer paint on the boots and finished them with some pearls and embroidery thread. It still looked a little plain, so I added the ribbon and snowflake charm. All in all, I'm pleased with this one, even though it didn't photograph very well ... it's one of those that looks better 'in real life'.

Now, here's a second card. Actually, I made this card first ... then I re-read the challenge requirements and realized that there isn't supposed to be any 'color' in the project. For this card I used a kraft base, inked all the edges with Tim Holtz Brushed Corduroy distress ink and used a kraft/white bakers twine for the laces. The sentiment is from My Pink Stamper's Winter Punnies set.

I like that you can get two very different cards using the same basic elements!!

So, now it's your turn. Link your project at the Cricut 360°Challenge Blog. ... I'd love to see your project!!

Thanks for stopping by ...

Blog Candy Winner

2011-10-23T15:28:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all who participated in the Cricut 360° Blog Spooky Halloween Blog Hop! First, I need to apologize for being so late in posting my blog candy winner ... this week has been just crazy and this is the first opportunity I've had to post. Now, without further delay, the winner of the blog candy is:

#35 DIANA L. said...

Love this card and the googly eyes are great
DIANA L.

Congratulations Diana ... I'll have your goodies in the mail and on their way to you soon!!

Cricut 360° Blog ... Spooky Blog Hop

2011-10-14T05:00:00.002-05:00

Welcome to the Cricut 360° Blog Spooky Blog Hop. If you got here from Sonya's blog, then you're on the right track. If you've just popped in, you might want to start here ... this is where you'll find a list of all the blogs in our Spooky Halloween Blog Hop. And, of course we have some blog candy up for grabs ... a Freshly Picked Cricut cartridge.

To be entered to win, visit all the blogs and collect the "key" words ... they'll reveal this week's challenge. Then make a challenge project and link it on the Cricut 360° Blog ... how fun is that!!

Now, here's my project:

My card is a 5.5" x 5.5" square. I love the colors in this ... the orange and green papers are from DCWV and the spider web paper is from Echo Park. Of course, it wouldn't be a proper Halloween card without the classic Halloween colors of purple and black, so I added those colors with a big, floppy seam binding bow. My cute little spider was cut using the Doodlecharms Cricut cartridge. I embossed her with several coats of UTEE (ultra thick embossing enamel). Before she cooled completely, I bent her legs down so she looks like she's standing. And don't you just love those flirty lashes and googly eyes ... perfect for the My Pink Stamper sentiment.

Now it's time for you to hop on over to Heather's blog. I know she'll have something fabulous to share with you!! But, before you go ... here's a little blog candy I'm offering:

If you would like to be entered for a change to win, just leave a comment with a way to contact you. I will use Random.org to select a winner on Oct 19th and I will ship worldwide.

Finally, my key word is COLORS ... remember to link up your project for a chance to win!!

Thanks for stopping by ...

Cricut 360° Blog Challenge #13 ... Welcome Baby

2011-09-30T09:14:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday everyone, it's time for another challenge at the Cricut 360° Blog. This week we're making something for babies.

My card this week is sweet and simple. The image was cut from the Wrap it Up cartridge and embossed with the Love Language embossing folder. I coated the wheels and trim with Glossy Accents and added ribbon, twine and buttons.

I hope you'll join us for this challenge ... I'd love to see what you create!

Thanks for stopping by ...

Cricut 360° Blog Challenge #12 ... Native American Inspiration

2011-09-16T08:25:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday! Are you ready for another Cricut 360° Challenge? This week, I'm keeping it simple. My image is a digital from Daisy's Digi Doodles. I printed it on kraft paper, colored it with Copics, then used a small paint brush and white craft ink to highlight the feathers. I added a drop of Glossy Accents to each of the beads to give them a little shine and texture. I layered this with papers from Stampin' Up and some twine, and then finished with a sentiment cut from the Graphically Speaking Cricut cartridge.

Hope you like my little card ... now it's your turn. Visit the Cricut 360° Challenge Blog to see the design team's wonderful projects. Then link up your project ... I'd love to see what you create!!

Thanks for stopping by ...

Cricut 360° Blog Challenge #11 ... For A Hero

2011-09-09T04:00:00.001-05:00

Welcome to another Cricut 360° Blog challenge. This week we are commemorating the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and making projects to recognize those who serve.

I love dogs, and I'm especially fond of working dogs, so I decided to make a card honoring the search and rescue dogs who worked at ground zero. I used Paper Pups, Stand and Salute, and Plantin Schoolbook (for the little white cross). The sentiment is computer generated and is the motto of Search and Rescue teams worldwide.

I hope you join us this week at the Cricut 360° Blog ... we have a special sponsor!

Robyn from My Pink Stamper had donated one of her stamp sets, so link up your project for your chance to win "Freedom Rocks". Good luck and ...

Thanks for stopping by ...

Cricut 360° Blog Challenge #10 ... Grandparents

2011-09-02T04:00:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Challenge #10 for the Cricut 360° Blog. Grandparents' Day is September 11th, so we're making projects just for them.

For my card, I chose designer papers and cardstock from Stampin' Up and a flower from Art Philosophy. I cut the petals three times and layered them using large glue dots. I added some doodling, a big button and a little seam binding. The sentiment is a stamp from Pink By Design. All in all, it's a simple card, but I love the bright colors. Now, head on over to the Cricut 360° Blog to see what my design team sisters have come up with ... their projects are awesome, and be sure to link up your Grandparents' Day creation ... I look forward to seeing it!!

Thanks for stopping by ...

Cricut 360° Blog Challenge #9 ... Relax

2011-08-26T04:00:00.001-05:00

Labor Day is September 5th and over at the Cricut 360° Challenge Blog we think it's time to relax.

For my relaxing card, I chose to use my new favorite cartridge ... Art Philosophy. If you haven't seen this cartridge, I highly recommend that you check it out ... it's amazing!!

The patterned papers are from Stampin' Up, the cardstock and sentiment stamp are from Papertrey Ink, and I added some faux stitching and self-adhesive pearls.

I used some netting to make a hammock. It didn't turn out quite like I imagined, but when I showed my card to a couple of friends, they recognized it as a hammock without any prompting ... so I guess it works!

Be sure to check out all the other 'relaxing' projects at the Cricut 360° Challenge Blog ... I know you'll love them. And I hope you get a chance to play along ... I'd love to see what you create!

Thanks for stopping by ...

Cricut 360° Blog Challenge #8 ... Back To School

2011-08-19T04:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday! Here's my project for this week's Cricut 360° Blog challenge ... where we're headed "Back To School".

For my project, I decided to alter a notebook. I started with an inexpensive composition book and covered it with paper I printed using my Imagine and the Imagine More cartridge. Then I used my Gypsy with George & Basic Shapes to make the chalkboard frame and backed it with black cardstock. The font is from Lyrical Letters ... sized and welded with my Gypsy.

I added some frosted gems (from Martha Stewart), lots of ribbon and a cute little owl charm.

Of course, I needed an apple, so I went with the apple and books from Hello Kitty ... sometimes I forget what a versatile cartridge this is!

So, there you have it! Now it's you're turn ... head on over to the Cricut 360° Blog and show us your "Back To School" stuff!!

Thanks for stopping by ...

Cricut 360° Blog Challenge #7 ... Old West

2011-08-12T04:00:00.006-05:00

It's Friday, and you know what that means ... another Cricut 360° Blog challenge. This week we're headed out west to find our inner cowgirl!

For my card, I chose a digital image from Bombshell Stamps. They have great vintage images and I just love this cowgirl! I used PhotoShop Elements to change the line art color from black to brown, and then used Copics to color the image. The patterned paper is from K & Company and the cardstock is from Papertrey Ink. The frames are from the Elegant Edges cartridge ... I used my Gypsy to size the frames to fit my card base. To make the tarnished gold frame, I cut the image from a cream colored cardstock, inked it first with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink, then with a bronze color Ink Spot and finished with a spritz of Tattered Leather Glimmer Mist. I then ran it through my crimper to give it a some dimension. My image is pop-dotted and to finish, I added a little crochet thread and a metal star I found in a old jewelry box.

I added a computer generated sentiment to the inside of the card. It's a quote from Dale Evans ... it really brings back memories of watching Roy Rogers and Dale Evans on Saturday afternoon (I'm dating myself here!) and I thought it was perfect for my vintage style card.

Now it's your turn ... mosey on over to the Cricut 360° Blog and see the great projects my design team sisters have created. I hope you're inspired to join us this week.

Thanks for stopping by ...

Cricut 360° Blog Challenge #6 ... Refreshing

2011-08-05T04:00:00.003-05:00

It's Friday and time for another Cricut 360° Blog challenge. It's been crazy hot so we're going to try to cool things down with some refreshing projects!

For my project, I tried to recreate one of my favorite things: an Olive Garden Italian Margarita. My, oh my ... they are yummy!

There are martini glasses on a couple of Cricut cartridges, but no margarita glasses, so I used my Gypsy to make my own. I welded an oval from Plantin Schoolbook to the top of the martini glass from Smiley Cards to create the margarita shape. I cut it two times, one from white cardstock and one from frosted Shrinky Dink material. I used a Copic marker to ink the frosted side. It's kind of hard to tell from the picture, but I inked the stem of the glass with a light blue Copic marker. I used Glossy Accents to adhere some clear Martha Stewart micro beads to the rim. Then I used more Glossy Accents (just on the side edges) to adhere the Shrinky Dink layer to the card stock layer.

I like my margaritas 'on the rocks', so I used more the of Shrinky Dink material to make ice cubes. The rounded squares are from George and Basic Shapes. I used my Gypsy to weld three together to form a base. Then I cut three separately. I inked the frosted sides with a light blue Copic marker, and then embossed them with the Tiny Mosaic Cuttlebug folder. I used clear dimensional dots to attach them to the base and slipped them in between the Shrinky Dink material and the cardstock. I like how they look like they're floating. Of course, every margarita needs a straw ... I used a pipe cleaner (slipped behind the white cardstock) to make mine!

The orange slice is from Preserves. It looked a little flat, so I glossed it up with a thin coat of Glossy Accents. For my sentiment, I used Thickers from American Crafts. They're actually yellow, so I inked them with the same Copic marker I used on the margarita.

Oh, and I guess I should tell you my card is a 6" x 6" square and the designer paper is from Stampin' Up. I hope you join us for this week's challenge ... I'd love to see your refreshing ideas!!

Thanks for stopping by ...

Cricut 360° Blog Challenge #5 ... Transportation

2011-07-29T04:00:00.011-05:00

Happy Friday!! Are you ready for another Cricut 360° Blog challenge? This week we're celebrating vacations and all the ways people travel to get to their favorite destinations.

For my project, I made an A2 size card from navy blue cardstock. Then I used one of the built-in shapes on my Imagine, filled with a pattern from the Buccaneer cartridge, to create the mat. The life preserver and the anchor are from the Life's a Beach cartridge ... they were also filled with colors from Buccaneer and cut with my Imagine. I added lots of inking, a spritz of Pearl Glimmer Mist and some doodling.

The sentiment is computer generated. I hand cut the banner, inked the edges and then formed it around a pen to give it a little dimension.

I hope my little card has inspired you to join our challenge this week ... I'd love to see what you design.

And remember, we always have a weekly give-away.
This week's prize is a 6" x 6" Basic Grey paper pad.

Thanks for stopping by ...

Cricut 360 Blog Challenge #4 ... The Great Outdoors

2011-07-22T04:00:00.007-05:00

Wow, it's hard to believe we're already up to Challenge #4 ... time is just flying by. I've really enjoyed seeing everyone's entries ... they are a great source of inspiration for me ... thanks to you all.

Are you ready for more? I hope you'll join us this week because we're are going "Outdoors" at the Cricut 360° Challenge Blog.

One of my favorite outdoor activities is gardening, so I made my card with that in mind. I started with this sweet little image from Mo Manning that I colored with Copics. I wanted this image to be the focal point of my card, so I kept the mats and embellishments simple. The tools were cut from the Walk in My Garden Cricut cartridge. I cut the first layers from gray cardstock, inked the edges with Tim Holtz distress ink (Black Soot) and then embossed them with UTEE ... leaving the handle portion un-embossed. I cut the second layers from brown cardstock, spritzed them with Glimmer Mist (Tattered Leather), and then embossed them with the Herringbone Cuttlebug folder. Then I finished with some twine and a sentiment stamp from Pink By Design.

Hope you like this ... can't wait to see what you design!!

And remember, we always have a weekly winner ... up for grabs this week:

Thanks for stopping by ...

Wenching You a Happy Birthday!

2011-07-20T11:29:00.000-05:00

Here's a quick and easy card I made

for my brother-in-law's birthday.

I used black cardstock from Papertrey Ink to make a 5.25" square card base. Then I used my Imagine and the Buccaneer cartridge to print and cut the background paper and the cute little 'wench'. I used pop dots to adhere all her layers, and then more pop dots to attached her to the front of the card.

For the inside, I printed more of the background paper and added a computer generated sentiment. So much fun ...

I love my Imagine!!

Thanks for stopping by ...

Cricut 360° Blog Challenge #3 ... For Parents

2011-07-15T04:00:00.008-05:00

Once again, I am absolutely amazed at the reponse we had for Challenge #2 ... are you ready for Challenge #3 from the Cricut 360° Blog? Well, July 24th is Parents' Day and we're making projects in honor of moms and dads everywhere.

For my project, I started with a small, inexpensive frame ... the inside dimensions are about 4" x 11". I removed the glass and covered the backing with some patterned paper from Michael's. Then, using quick dry glue, I added a crocheted trim to the inside edge.

I then selected word art from several cartridges and used my Imagine to print and cut. All of the papers were printed from the Imagine More cartridge. For each word, I selected a pattern and solid paper. Both printed and then cut at the same size. All the edges were inked using a coordinating Stampin' Up marker. I off-set the solid paper to create a shadow effect. Each word is pop-dotted ... they kind of look like they're floating! I finished by adding self-adhesive pearls to the background and the edge of the frame.

At that point, I thought it needed a little something else, so I decided to add a flower. I used the Mother's Day Bouquet cartridge and Imagine More patterns for the flower petals and leaves. Those were inked, as well, and I added a pearl, some crinkle ribbon, crochet trim and a little copper wire to finish. I'm really happy with this little flower. If you haven't tried making flowers with the Mother's Day Bouquet cartridge ... you're missing out!!

Here are the cartridges I used for the word art:

Family - Gypsy Wanderings cut @ 2.3

Together - Graphically Speaking cut @ 1.8

Forever - Home Decor cut @ 2.4

Love - Beyond Birthdays cut @ 1.4

Oh, I almost forgot ... everything was spritzed with Pearl Glimmer Mist ... for just a little sparkle!

Now it's your turn ... for our random drawing this week we have an Echo Park 'Dots and Stripes' paper pad. Good Luck!!

Thanks for stopping by ...

Pinwheel Birthday Card

2011-07-09T21:51:00.000-05:00

Pinwheels are so popular nowadays,

I thought I see what I could do with one.

I started with 2.25" square, made the pinwheel, then added a button and some crochet thread. The stem and leaves were cut using the Serenade Cricut cartridge. I cut extra leaves, embossed them by hand, and pop dotted them on top of the original leaves.

The flower pot was cut from the Kate's ABCs Cricut cartridge ... this has become my favorite flower pot! I inked the edges and pop dotted the layers.

The mat was cut from the Elegant Edges Cricut cartridge ... I inked the edges added a little faux stitching.

My sentiment is a stamp from Verve Stamps.

The cardstock I used is from Papertrey Ink and the patterned paper is My Mind's Eye ... isn't it lovely!! Hope you like my little pinwheel card ...

Thanks for stopping by ...

Cricut 360° Blog Challenge #2 ... Thank You

2011-07-08T04:00:00.001-05:00

I am so excited about the response we had to our first Cricut 360° Blog challenge! It was wonderful to see everyone's entry ... you all are seriously talented. After such a great first week, it's appropriate that our next challenge is to create a 'Thank You' card. The only rules: create a circle shaped card and, of course, use your Cricut. Here's what I came up with for this week:

I got my inspiration for this card from Michele Kovack. She is one of the design team members for the Circut Circle blog and she recently did a tutorial on using your Cricut to cut felt. The trick is to stabilize your felt with Heat & Bond or Wonder Under. Then you place it, felt side down, on your mat and cut using a deep cut blade. Two more tricks: tape the edges of the felt to your mat and keep your cuts simple. The felt will shift a little, so intricate cuts won't work well.

So, to make my card I used my Gypsy and Elegant Edges to create the base out of a cream colored cardstock. Then I cut two mats, one from a peach colored cardstock (using the shadow feature) and one from a patterned paper. The next layer is a doily that I inked with distress ink and spritzed with Glimmer Mist. The peach is from the Preserves cartridge, cut from three colors of felt. I did some embroidery stitches to dress it up a bit and added a button to the center. My little tag is from Tag, Bag, Boxes & More and my sentiment stamps are from My Pink Stamper (You're a Peach!) and Papertrey Ink (thanks). The felt and cardstock are also from Papertrey Ink.

So, there's your challenge ... I'm really looking forward to seeing what you all create ... and remember, we'll use random.org to select our weekly winner. This week the prize is a paper pad from Echo Park. Also, you just might be chosen as one of our weekly Top 3 and be entered in our monthly giveaway. Have fun creating!!

Thanks for stopping by ...

Cricut 360° Challenge #1 ... Invitation

2011-07-01T04:00:00.001-05:00

Yah, I'm so excited ... it's finally here ... the first challenge for the new Cricut 360° Challenge blog! To get started, we've created invitations to invite you to come and play along with us.

For my card, I used white cardstock from PaperTrey Ink to make a 6"x6" base. The frame was cut using the Elegant Edges Cricut cartridge, embossed using the Polka Dots Cuttlebug folder and then lined with some polka dot paper from Stampin' Up. The balloons and the Cricut head were cut using Cricut Decals, which is one of the 'built-in' cartridges on the Expression 2. I used my computer to print the sentiments and then inked the edges of the balloons and added crochet thread for the strings. All the images on my card are 'pop dotted' to give it some dimension.

I hope you like my little card ... now it's your turn. For more inspiration, hop on over to the Cricut 360° Challenge blog to see what the other design team members have created ... you'll be very impressed. When you get to the blog, be sure to click on the 'Rules' tab at the top of the page. That's where you'll find all you need to know about our challenges.

Wait, there's more: We have a prize this week. We will use random.org to select a winner from this week's participants. Up for grabs ...

a 6"x6" Life of the Party paper pad from Basic Grey.

And even more: each week the Design Team will pick three weekly favorites. Those selected will receive a badge to display on their blog. Then, at the end of each month the Design Team will select a monthly winner from the weekly favorites, and that winner will receive prize, too! How much fun is that!!

So, get busy ... I can't wait to see what you all make!

Thanks for stopping by ...

Cricut 360° Blog ... A Great Beginning

2011-06-24T04:00:00.002-05:00

Wow, I can't wait for you all to see what Sonia from Scraps 4 Fun and Nana from Younique Reflection have created! The Cricut 360° Blog is a fresh, new challenge blog that's sure to be fun and inspiring. The Design Team is ready to go and excited to get started, and we want you to be excited, too! So, to get the ball rolling, we've got some blog candy ... a Create a Critter Cricut cartridge ... how fun is that! Create a Critter is one of my favorites and is definitely a 'must have'.

For your chance to win, visit the Cricut 360° Blog and have a look around, you'll find all the details there. Then be sure to come back on July 1st and join us for our first challenge ... I know you won't be disappointed!

My Poor Neglected Blog!

2011-06-23T10:20:00.000-05:00

June is such a hectic month for me ... I haven't had much time for blogging, but I have gotten some crafting done. I hope to get back to regular posting soon.

Here's a quick little card I made using a digital image from Mo Manning ... isn't it sweet!! I colored this with ProMarkers and then cut it out using Nestibilities. The blue circle is from the George and Basic Shapes Cricut cartridge, and the border was made using a punch from EK Success. I finished this with some pearls, ribbon and a dark gold button. I know it looks like an orange button, but really, it's gold ... that photography/lighting thing is tricky!!

Thanks for stopping by ...

Tic Tac Toe Challenge & Cricut 360 DT Call

2011-05-27T10:50:00.000-05:00

This card is doing double-duty ... I'm submitting it for the Tic Tac Toe Challenge on the Cricut Circle blog and also for the Cricut 360 design team call.

For the challenge, there is a Tic Tac Toe board with a design element in each of the squares. You get to choose a row and then incorporate the three elements in your project. I chose the bottom row ... use a flower shape cut, use a Cuttlebug embossing folder, and use the Imagine for your patterned paper.

For the design team call, the requirements are to create a layout or card using lime green and a bug. Click here to find out more about this new challenge blog.

All the images were printed and cut with my Imagine, using the Blast Off cartridge. The flower pot is from Kate's ABCs, the flowers and leaves are from Mother's Day Bouquet, the butterfly is from Ashlyn's Alphabet, and the mat is one of the stock shapes from the Imagine.

For the butterfly, I printed a pattern on cardstock for the the base and then printed a solid color on vellum for the wings. I attached just the 'body' of the vellum layer to the base to create a little dimension.

I embossed the leaves with the D'Vine Swirl Cuttlebug folder and spritzed the flowers and leaves with Pearl Glimmer mist.

I love how bright and cheerful this is ... hope you like it, too!

Thanks for stopping by ...

Flamingo Jelly Bean Jar

2011-05-23T20:57:00.001-05:00

I have a co-worker who is crazy for flamingos ... her birthday was last week and I made this for her. I cut the vinyl with my E2 and it cut like a dream!

The images are from the Life's A Beach Cricut cartridge. I used my Gypsy to eliminate some of the smaller details and placement marks ... everything layered nicely and I'm happy with how this turned out.

All in all, this is a quick, easy and inexpensive gift ... unless you count the $10 worth of Jelly Bellies!!

Thanks for stopping by ...

Frank Got a New Boat!!

2011-05-16T08:00:00.001-05:00

My husband, Frank, got a new boat this spring ... this was a really big deal really around our house! I used my Cricut and vinyl to cut the registration numbers (that go along the sides) and then Frank decided I should 'dress up' the back of the boat, too! Love it ... another reason to play with vinyl!

I used my Gypsy to lay this out and weld the letters. The font for the names is from the Lyrical Letters Cricut cartridge and the other font is from the George and Basic Shapes Cricut cartridge. Now, I was going to leave it at that, but Frank suggested adding a little fishing pole and make it look like an exclamation point. Who knew he could be so creative!? This pole is from the Simply Charmed Cricut cartridge and is actually pretty realistic looking. I thought it needed a little something else, so I added the bobber. I made the bobber by welding shapes from the George cartridge ... I'm really proud of that little bobber ... it's my favorite part of this!!

Here's the story about the other name on the boat: Tatum is the 4 year old grandson of one of Frank's fishing buddies. Tatum is just a sweetie and he adores Frank. Now we're not quite sure what Frank said to him, or when he said it (because Frank talked about this boat for months!), but apparently he told Tatum something about having to save money so he could get a new boat. Well, a few weeks before we got the boat, Tatum's mom stopped by our house with a dollar and instructions to give that dollar to Frankie 'cause he needed money for his new boat ... too cute! We figure this makes him a co-owner, so his name is on the boat, too!!

Thanks for stopping by ..

Russian Doll Gift Card Holder

2011-05-14T22:44:00.001-05:00

I needed a quick gift card holder, so I turned to my Imagine. This cute little Russian doll box is on the All Wrapped Up Imagine cartridge. I printed and cut the box and its layers at 10.6". For a little dimension, I used pop dots to attach the face and flower ... then finished with a frosted gem.

The flower is one of the icons included on this cartridge. It's stamped with a sentiment from Penny Black. I attached the gift card to the flower with a glue dot and put a little tissue paper in the bottom of the box to hold the gift card in place. That's all there is to this one ...

I think this is going to be one of my favorite cartridges ... the colors are so bright and cheerful and there are lots of fun images!

Thanks for stopping by ...

Better Late Than Never ...

2011-05-07T10:52:00.002-05:00

I am so behind in all my crafting and blogging. For some reason, I thought spring cleaning was more important ... what was I thinking! Anyway, my daughter made these cute little Easter peeps cupcakes for the children in our neighborhood, and I just had to post them. Remember when peeps were only yellow? Now they come in six colors. The orange ones where a little hard for us to find ... at one point, there was a statewide orange peep search!!

These are yellow cupcakes, baked in wrappers that match the color of the peeps. Topped with vanilla frosting, some cupcake glitter, and, of course, the peeps.

Here they are, wrapped in cellophane ... ready for delivery. We added a tag made from the Tags, Bags, Boxes and More Cricut cartridge. The image is a digital from Whimsie Doodles that I colored with Copics. To make them look more 'peep like', I covered them with a layer of Glossy Accents and glitter. The sentiment is a Penny Black stamp. These were a hit and so much fun to make.

Thanks for stopping by ...

Jinger Showed My Layouts on HSN!

2011-04-26T21:39:00.006-05:00

Well, I didn't win the contest, but Jinger showed my layouts during the first airing on HSN. Check out this video ... my layouts are the 4th and 6th shown. Provo Craft received almost 500 entries. They were so impressed with the response they added five more categories. They gave away 10 new Expression 2 machines. How cool is that? Thanks to Provo Craft for sponsoring such a fun contest and congratulations to all those who won ... your layouts were fabulous!!

A Happy 5th Birthday to Cricut

2011-04-22T20:40:00.004-05:00

Provo Craft is having a layout challenge to go along with the launch of their new Expression 2. The launch is scheduled for April 26th on HSN. They're giving away 5 of the new machines and also showcasing some of the entires. The challenge was to create a 12"x12" layout with a birthday theme, and you could enter up to three layouts. I decided to give it a try ... here are my two entries:

For this one, I used my Imagine and the Elise cartridge to print the patterned paper and the cream colored paper for the squares. I embossed cream colored squares with the Number Collage Cuttlebug folder. The lettering is from the Lyrical Letters Cricut cartridge ... sized and welded with my Gypsy. The cupcake is from the Simply Charmed Cricut cartridge. I crimped the wrapper and pop dotted the layers.

And for this one, I used Gypsy Wanderings for the 'Happy Birthday' and Plantin Schoolbook for the '5'. The 'th' are stickers from American Crafts and all the patterned papers are from Stampin' Up. It's hard to see in the pictures, but there's lots of stitching and I used a Martha Stewart border punch on the mats. I finished with some ribbon and lots of buttons.

I've only done a few layouts and wasn't really sure what I was doing, but for the most part, I'm happy with the way these turned out. I have little expectation of winning, but I really did enjoy making these ... and who knows, maybe I'll get to catch a glimpse of one of them on HSN.

Thanks for stopping by ...

Simply Charmed ... It's Your Birthday!

2011-04-20T08:16:00.001-05:00

I recently sold some of my cards ... yah for me! A friend asked if I would make a couple of birthday cards for her to give to her mother and mother-in-law. I made six, to give her a choice, and she pick three ... this was one of them.

I used patterned paper from Echo Park, cardstock from Stampin' Up, and a flower from the Simply Charmed Cricut cartridge. I dressed the flower up a bit with some doodling and I used pop dots between each layer. The sentiment is a stamp from Verve Stamps. I stamped it using Versamark ink and then embossed it with white embossing powder. To finish, I added a little blue ribbon. Simply and fun!

Thanks for stopping by ...

Tulips ... It Must Be Spring!

2011-04-16T20:44:00.001-05:00

Tulips are one of my favorite flowers and these cuties are from the Create a Critter Cricut cartridge. I used my Imagine to flood fill them with patterns from the Blossom cartridge. I inked the edges, added glitter and pop dotted the flowers. The next layer is a paper doily that I inked with Antique Linen and Peeled Paint Distress ink and some Stampin' Up Shimmer ink. The scalloped layer is from the Paper Lace Cricut cartridge. I flood filled this with a pale yellow to match the tulips and then inked those edges, too. Finished it with a satin ribbon and a little pearl trim.

Thanks for stopping by ...

A Card for Sweet Grayson

2011-04-10T08:00:00.002-05:00

This is one of my all time favorites ... I'm so pleased with how this turned out. A sweet little card for a sweet little baby boy on his Baptism day.

I used cardstock from PaperTrey Ink to make the 5.25" square card base. The patterned paper is from Echo Park and is a very pretty, pale seafoam green ... that layer is 5" square. The white layer is 4.75" square and I embossed that with my Cuttlebug and the Polka Dots folder (it's one of the larger 5"x7" folders). I also rubbed a little soft green chalk over the embossing ... it's very subtle, so it's hard to see in the photos. The cross is from the Wedding Solutions Circut cartridge, cut at 4.5". I cut base layer from the patterned paper using the blackout feature. The top layer was cut from a white textured Bazzill paper.

The little lamb is from the Paper Doll Dress Up Circut cartridge. It was cut three times at 3". The first layer was cut from a medium shade of gray cardstock. The other two layers were cut from white cardstock. For the white layers, I used the hide contour feature on my Gypsy to eliminate the cut for the ear. On one of the white layers, I trimmed off the face, tail and hooves. On the other white layer, I trimmed off everything, leaving just the body. I ran this layer through my Xyron and then covered it with white flocking powder. To finish him, I used a black gel pen to color his eye.

The butterfly is from the Create a Critter Cricut cartridge, cut a .75". I cut two of the base layers from the medium gray cardstock, then one 'layer 1' from a light yellow cardstock. The 'layer 2' was cut from a seafoam green cardstock. Then I cut two more of the 'layer 1s' (one flipped) from the green cardstock ... I adhered the flipped one on the back of the top butterfly and the other one the top of the bottom butterfly. When I put the two butterflies together, I only adhered the bodies. This made a cute little 3D butterfly, and really, it's much easier to make than it sounds!

Now here's a look at the inside ... the sentiment is computer generated. I layered this over more of the patterned paper and added a few self-adhesive pearls. I really enjoyed making this ... hope you like it too!!

Thanks for stopping by ...

A Belated Birthday Card

2011-04-09T10:06:00.000-05:00

Here's another quick card I made using my Imagine. All of the papers and images are from the Imagine More Circut cartridge. I cut everything using the layers feature and I cut an extra flower so I could pop it up. The card base was made with cardstock from PaperTrey Ink and I added a few buttons, some twine and a sentiment from Verve Stamps. I'm still amazed at how quickly you can create a card with the Imagine!!

Thanks for stopping by ...

My First Imagine Card

2011-04-06T23:17:00.000-05:00

Okay, I caved and bought the Imagine during the sale at Cricut.com ... wow, what took me so long!? I am so going to enjoy this machine.

This is my first Imagine project. After I set up the machine, and did the calibration and the update, I wanted to see how it would work with the original Cricut cartridges. I grabbed the cartridge that I had sitting on the counter and picked an image ... this is what I came up with. This image is from the Country Life cartridge and the patterns are from the Imagine More cartridge. I used a Peachy Keen stamp to add the smiley face on the sun. The background paper and the cardstock for the card base were printed using the Hopscotch cartridge. (It's hard to tell from the picture, but the color of the card base matches the color of the clouds.) To finish, I added the green cardstock, punched with a Martha Stewart border punch, a double-sided ribbon and a little bling. Quick, easy and fun.

I spent an afternoon playing with my Imagine and made several cards. I'll post the others over the next few days.

Thanks for stopping by ...

Yay ... A Blog Award

2011-03-27T10:42:00.000-05:00

I received this from Jessica ... thanks so much!! Please be sure to visit her oh, so cute blog ... you can find it here.

Kate's ABCs Flower

2011-03-20T12:03:00.003-05:00

This is a card I made for my friend Kelly. It's a large card, 5"x7" ... I wanted lots of room for that flower. I used the Kate's ABCs Cricut cartridge for the flower. I cut the layers at 3.5", 3", 2.5", 2" and 1.5", spritzed them all with Juneberry Wine Glimmer Mist and then scrunched them up a bit. There's a pop dot between each layer, so the flower has a lot of dimension. I added a self-adhesive pearl and finished it with leaves made using a Martha Stewart punch. The flower is layered over a a Bo Bunny chipboard swirl, a doily (inked with with Tim Holtz Antique Linen distress ink and Stampin' Up Champagne Mist shimmer ink), and a little pearl trim.

On the inside, I used a Verve sentiment stamp, added a Bo Bunny chipboard flower and a self-adhesive pearl, and layered this over the little extra piece of doily that I used on the front of the card.

I'm very happy with this one ... it's perfect for Kelly! Hope you like it too.

Thanks for stopping by ...

Best Vacation Ever ... Jamaica 2011

2011-03-15T00:30:00.000-05:00

I just spent the weekend with ten of the most amazing women
in one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Love, laughter, friendship ... I am blessed!

Blog Awards!!

2011-02-27T12:44:00.003-06:00

I received this blog award from Cassandra and Jennifer ... how sweet!!

Click on their names to visit their wonderful blogs.

To accept this award, I'm to tell you eight things about myself. Here goes:
   1. I'm tall ... 6ft to be exact, but when people ask, I tell them I'm 5' 12".
   2. My husband and I are military retirees. We retired from the US Air Force in 1994, which means
     we've been retired almost as long as we were on active duty. Time really does fly.
   3. Yellow is my favorite color.
   4. My family and I lived in Germany for three years (1988 to 1991) and absolutely loved it!
     5. I love a good nap.
   6. I'm the accounting chairperson for a Relay for Life committee.
   7. Cherry Dr. Pepper is my newest addiction.
   8. I'm the youngest of six children.
Now, I'm passing this award on to:
   1. Heather at housesbuiltofcards.blogspot.com
   2. Katie at craftingwithkatie.com
   3. Dawn at deegeescraps.blogspot.com
   4. Sarah at scrapbookingwithsarah.blogspot.com
   5. Tracy at crazyforstamps.blogspot.com
   6. Sharette at scrappernthemaking.blogspot.com
   7. Jeannie at aplaceformycards.blogspot.com
   8. Carol at lovebutterflies2.blogspot.com

Be sure to visit these blogs ... I know you'll be inspired!

It's Your Birthday Sundae!

2011-02-23T10:28:00.000-06:00

Here's a card I made for my friend, April. April always appreciates my cards ... I love that! Anyway, my cute sundae image is a digital from Pink Petticoat. If you're interested in digitals, you should check them out. They have lots fun images to choose from and have digital papers, too.

I colored this with Copics, added a little glitter, then used Glossy Accents on the cherry and dish. The scalloped ovals are from the Lacy Labels Cricut cartridge. I pop dotted the pink and purple layers and used an Action Wobble to attached the layer with the image. Finish it with some Stampin' Up ribbon and a sentiment from Verve Stamps. Oh, I also used a Stampin' Up border punch to finish the bottom edge of the blue layer. Too cute!!

Thanks for stopping by ...

Baby Giraffe Baby Card

2011-02-15T08:00:00.001-06:00

Baby cards are so much fun to make! I bought this designer paper sometime last year and was just waiting for the perfect project for it. The onesie is from the Wrap it Up Cricut cartridge and the little giraffe is from New Arrival ... I'm really pleased with how well the die cut giraffe matches the giraffe on the paper. Wrap it Up doesn't have a shadow feature and I really thought this image needed a border of some sort. Without it, the onesie gets lost on the background paper. Anyway, my daughter cut a shadow for me. She has a knack for free-hand cutting (a skill I don't have ... so glad she does). I added some brads for the onesie snaps and a few more for embellishment, and finished it with a little rick-rack trim. Hope you like this one.

Thanks for stopping by ...

Sweethearts Gift Card Box

2011-02-14T16:57:00.002-06:00

I made this gift card box for my daughter and I'm so happy with how it turned out. I've had this idea in my head for a couple of weeks ... just wasn't sure if I could get it to turn out like I imagined.

The box is the Crayola box from the Tags, Bags, Boxes and More Cricut cartridge. I used my Gypsy to size it as large as it would fit on a 12"x12" mat. The finished size of the box is about 6.5"x5". I used the George and Basic Shapes cartridge to cut out the heart shape on the front of the box, then I cut a piece of acetate and adhered that behind the heart cut out. The conversation hearts are from the Simply Charmed cartridge. I stamped them with sentiments from the My Creative Time "You Had Me at Chocolate" stamp set and then randomly placed them on the acetate ... attaching them to each other and to the edge of the heart cut out. I also attached a square of pink cardstock behind the conversation hearts to hide any gaps and to secure them a little more.

Finished with a ribbon, some buttons and a little tag. I used this to give a gift card, but it's a nice sized box ... you could put chocolate bars or a set of notecards in it for a fun little gift. If you're interested, there's Gypsy file available for this. Just click on the tab at the top of this page.

Thanks for stopping by ...

Frank's Valentine 2011

2011-02-13T14:17:00.000-06:00

This is a Valentine a made for my husband, Frank. The truck is from the Nate's ABCs Cricut cartridge. I embossed the truck with UTEE and added a little piece of vellum for the window. The hearts are from the George and Basic Shapes cartridge and the sentiment is a stamp from My Creative Time "You Had Me at Chocolate" set. I used pop dots to adhere the truck to the card so the little heart is hanging freely. Cute!!

Thanks for stopping by ...

Rotary Valentines 2011

2011-02-12T12:23:00.000-06:00

Each year, our Rotary Club sends Valentines to the residents of the nursing homes in our community. For some reason, I always volunteer to make them and I usually underestimate how long it will take. I had hoped to get these done by Wednesday so we would have plenty of time to get them delivered, but that didn't happen. I did, however, have them finished by Friday morning so all is good. Since I have so many of these to make ... this year 260 ... I try to keep the design simple. I found value packs of 12"x12" cardstock at Joann's in white, red and kraft. That kept making these economical.

The base is 4"x4" with the corners rounded. The white layer was cut at 3.75"x3.75" using the Lacy Labels Cricut cartridge, and the heart is from the Martha Stewart Seasonal Cake Art cartridge. I used my Gypsy to size and cut the hearts ... the size for them is 3.57"x3.09". The 'Be Mine' is a stamp from the My Creative Time "You Had Me at Chocolate" set.

On the reverse, I used the Valentine Script stamp from Stampendous. Then printed a sentiment on clear mailing labels to finish (using labels kinda feels like cheating, but they worked). These are pictures of the sample I made for these cards. Originally, I put a dab of Frosted Lace Stickles in the center of each flower cut on the heart ... that didn't make it to the final cards. The thought of putting Stickles on 260 cards was a little overwhelming and probably not a very good idea to begin with!!

Thanks for stopping by ...

So, We Got a Little Snow ...

2011-02-04T23:47:00.017-06:00

... 23" on the back deck!

On Thursday afternoon,

my daughter and I decided it was time to dig out.

Check out our helpers:

Sunny Birthday Wishes

2011-01-31T00:38:00.000-06:00

Here's a birthday card I made for my friend Lisa. We're expecting another huge winter storm this week, so I thought a bright and cheerful card would be a good idea!

This is a 5.25" x 5.25" square card. The cute smiley sun is from the Simply Charmed Cricut cartridge, cut at 4.25" and layered with pop dots. I added some doodling and embossed the sunglasses with UTEE.

The patterned papers are from the Cosmo Cricket 'Earth Love' stack and the 'sunny wishes' letters are Thickers from American Crafts. The inside sentiment is computer generated. Thanks for stopping by ...

Nate's ABCs Anniversary Card

2011-01-25T21:49:00.000-06:00

Nate's ABCs is my new favorite cartridge and I can't wait to get my hands on Kate's ABCs. I chose the Quail, cut at 4.25" for this anniversary card, inked the edges and 'pop dotted' the wing.

To dress it up a bit, I added some twine, prima flowers and stick pins.

And here's a peek at the inside. My sentiments are stamps from Verve. Hope you like this one ... thanks for stopping by!

Going Buggy Challenge Card

2011-01-19T08:00:00.022-06:00

Have you heard, Enfys had a big party on her blog last week. Lots of fun things to do and prizes, too. It's not too late to join in ... just click on the link at the top of my sidebar.

On day one, Enfys challenged us to Go Buggy and create a card with a bug on it. This is what I came up with. For my card, I chose one of my all-time favorite cuts from the Wild Card cartridge. I cut four of the petal layers and four of the leaves, inked the edges with Distress Ink and curled the petals. I attached all the layers using clear Zot Dots to add some dimension. For the center of my flower, I cut a circle from the George and Basic Shapes cartridge, embossed it with my Cuttlebug and then inked it with Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint.

Now, for my bugs, I chose the Ladybug cut from the 'Just Because' Cards cartridge. I inked the bodies with a bit of shimmer paint and embossed the wings with UTEE. I think that makes them look at a little more realistic and not so flat. I also added some self-adhesive pearls to the Ladybugs and the card base.

Here's a side view to show the dimension of the layers ...

and a peek at the inside. The sentiment is a stamp from My Pink Stamper's Fruit & Veggie Puns set and all the papers are from Stampin' Up. I had a lot of fun "Going Buggy" at Enfys' blog party ... hope you do, too!

Entered in the following challenges:

Going Buggy Blog Party - Add a Bug

2 Sisters - Flowers

Fairy Tale - Flowers

Stamp Insanity - Let it All Hang Out

MelJen's Designs - Square or Round

Pile it On - Anything Goes

Baby Shower Gift Tags

2011-01-18T08:00:00.002-06:00

My daughter and I went to a baby shower on Sunday. We took gifts for the mom, dad and new baby ... so I made tags for each. The tags were made using Tag, Bag, Boxes & More.

The 'for' is from Cake Basics, sized and welding using my Gypsy. The 'mom' and 'dad' cuts are from Beyond Birthdays.

The 'baby' cut is from Gypsy Wandering.

The papers and card stock are from Stampin' Up. I added a little doodling and self-adhesive pearls and gems. Quick and easy!!

Stacey's Happy Birthday Smiley Cake Card

2011-01-17T08:00:00.002-06:00

This is a card I made for my daughter's birthday. Isn't that a happy face? It's from the Smiley Cards Cricuit cartridge.

I used my Gypsy to weld two of the base images together to create a shaped card and sized the layers to fit. I ran the 'frosting' and candle 'flames' through my Xyron and then glittered them with Martha Stewart glitter. The cheeks and cake plate were embossed with UTEE.

I used Tags, Bags, Boxes and More to make a gift card holder and the sentiment is computer generated. We both started diets on January 1st, so I thought the sentiment was appropriate!!

If you'd like the Gypsy file for this ... click here.

My Pink Stamper Blog Hop Challenge Card

2011-01-15T20:41:00.009-06:00

Thought I'd try the My Pink Stamper Blog Hop challenge ... if you'd like to try too, click here.

This is from the Lacy Labels Cricut cartridge. I used my Gypsy to weld two labels together to create the card base, then sized and cut the layers to fit. I ran the scalloped layer through my Xyron and glittered it with Martha Stewart glitter. The heart is stamped with a sentiment from My Pink Stamper's "Family and Friends" set, then embossed with UTEE. I love how this turned out ... hope you like it, too!

If you'd like the Gypsy file, click here.

Beer Gift Card Holder

2011-01-08T20:17:00.004-06:00

My nephew asked me to make a gift card holder for a card he was giving to his dad. I got my inspiration for this card holder here ... thanks, Enfys! To create the shape, I used my Gypsy to weld an oval shape from George and Basic Shapes to the top of the mug from Gypsy Wanderings. I also used my Gypsy to hide the details on the mug. I then cut the mug four times: once from cream card stock, once from gold card stock, once from vellum and once (flipped) from patterned paper. I clipped the handle from the gold card stock and then layered them all together. The foam was created with Tulip Puff Paint. I added a computer generated sentiment and a pocket, from Tags, Bags, Boxes and More, for the gift card. It's not quite as I had pictured it in my head ... but I think it works!

Christmas Cards 2010

2011-01-01T18:58:00.007-06:00

Here are few of the cards I made for Christmas 2010:

Just Because Cards

Peachy Keen Stamps

Tulip Puff Paint

DCVW Paper

PaperTrey Ink Card Stock

Martha Stewart Border Punch

Pearls and Ribbon

Winter Frolic

DCVW Paper

Stampin' Up Card Stock
PaperTrey Ink Card Stock
Stampin' Up Ribbon

Martha Stewart Glitter

Winter Frolic

DCVW Paper

Stampin' Up Card Stock

Cuttlebug Scrollwork Folder
Distress Ink
Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint

Martha Stewart Glitter
Ribbon inked with Distress Ink and Shimmer Paint

Gifts for the Girls

2010-12-30T10:31:00.001-06:00

I needed a little something for the women I work with, so I decided to make them some sugared hand scrub. I got the recipe for this from Carrie at Greenbean's Crafterole. Check out her blog ... she has some great projects. For my containers, I used 4oz jelly jars. The scalloped circles and holly leaves are from the Winter Woodland Cricut cartridge. The 'berries' are frosted gems from Martha Stewart. The labels are computer generated, cut with Nestibilities and tied on with a little Stampin' Up ribbon. Quick, easy, fun-to-make, impressive ... what more could you ask for! Thanks for stopping by.

Baby Shower Invitations - With Gypsy File

2010-12-29T00:24:00.004-06:00

I can't take credit for this design ... it was originally done by Nancy Damiano, one of the designers from the Circut Circle blog ... but I did 'change it up' a little.

These were made using the cute Onesie on the Wrap it Up Cricut cartridge. Using my Gypsy, I eliminated the single hole; then I welded two circles from the George and Basic Shapes Cricut cartridge to the top of the shape to accommodate my ribbon.

Three layers make up each invitation: the top layer cut from designer paper using the Tag Feature, the bottom layer cut from card stock using the Tag Blackout Feature, and the center layer cut from a light-weight card stock (from the office supply section at WalMart) also using the Tag Blackout Feature. I cut the center layer just a bit smaller than the other two layers.

The layers are held together with the ribbon (no adhesive), and I added a little charm. These were actually very easy to make. I made 60 and they went together quickly. Also, they fit perfectly in an A2 size envelope .

Gypsy File Download

If you're interested , you can download the Gypsy file and a Word file for the middle layer. The Gypsy file is designed so you can five images from a 12"x12" sheet of paper or card stock (for the top and bottom layers).

Word File Download

For the middle layer, the Gypsy file will cut two images from an 8.5" x 11" sheet of light-weight card stock. Lay your printed sheet on your mat as shown here.

Another Gift Box with Glitter Ornaments

2010-12-27T20:28:00.002-06:00

This is a gift box I made for my friend Peggy. All the papers are from the DCWV Homemade Christmas stack and the card stock is Michael's Recollections brand.

The 'doily' cut is from the Picturesque Cricut cartridge. I spritzed it with water and crumpled it, then inked it with distressed ink and Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint from Stampin' Up. I added a pleated strip ... also inked with the Champagne Mist.

The horn is from the French Manor Cricut cartridge. I cut each layer three times from a cream card stock and adhered them together. The horn was inked it with a bronze ink ... the valve piece was inked with brown. To finish, I embossed it with several coats of UTEE.

More Champagne Mist inked on the sides of the box, then I added a ribbon and some teal jewelry wire.

Here's a look at the glitter ornaments ... made using the 'floor wax' technique and Martha Stewart glitter. Check out this video for glitter ornaments instructions.

For the Dogs

2010-12-12T01:45:00.004-06:00

This was entered in the following challenges:

Circut Circle Blog - December Challenge

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog - #39 Gifts Galore

Frosted Designs - Ribbon

Fussy & Fancy Friday Challenge - #25 Anything But a Card

Pile it On - #48 It's All in the Wrapping

Really Reasonable Ribbons - #13 Anything But a Card - Winter

Each year, my neighbor Diane hosts a neighborhood Christmas dinner party and I always make a gift to take to her. For this year's gift I decided to make glitter ornaments and a gift box.

Diane has three, much-loved dogs so I thought it would be fun to make the ornaments for the dogs. I used the "floor wax" technique and red Martha Stewart glitter to make the glitter ornaments. If you're not familiar with this technique ... check out this video. Using my Gypsy and Lyrical Letters, I sized and welded the letter of their names and cut them out of white vinyl. For the back of the ornaments, I cut this cute little dog using Paper Pups and the star from the Christmas Solutions cartridge. The dog's eye was too small to cut from the vinyl, so I used a paint pen to add a small dot. Each ornament is topped with a little red and white gingham ribbon from Stampin' Up.

The gift box is a 6" x 6" paper mache box. I painted it with three coats of Light Buttermilk Americana acrylic paint. I used paper from the DCWV Homemade Christmas stack to cover the sides and top of the box. The red striped ribbon is also from Stampin' Up. I adhered two pieces to both the box bottom and top, making sure they 'lined up' when the top was placed on the box. I added another piece of patterned paper to the inside of the lid to hide the ends of the ribbon. For the bottom of the box, the ribbon ends are hidden by tissue paper. I then tied a big bow on the top of the lid.

The tag and phrase were cut from the Winter Frolic cartridge using more of the DCVW paper and card stock from Stampin' Up. The tag was cut at 2.5" and the phrase was cut at 2". I used pop dots to attach the phrase to the tag and added some bronze pearls.

Here's a look at the complete project. Hope you like it ... thanks for stopping by!

Take a Little Time to Pamper Yourself!

2010-11-20T12:19:00.001-06:00

I made this card for my friend Karen. Her 60th birthday is tomorrow and several friends and I put together a gift basket of fun stuff she can use to pamper herself. We also included gift certificates for a massage, pedicure, hair cut and style, and dinner at a nice restaurant. I know she'll love it!!

The image is from Stamping Bella, colored with Copics and all the papers and card stock are from Stampin' Up.

The beads were actually a pair of earrings I got at a craft fair. I don't wear dangly earrings, but I love beads and knew I could put these to good use somewhere.

The sentiment is computer generated. I printed it first on plain paper. Then I taped my patterned paper over the original printing and then printed again.

Finally, here's a peek at the inside. Hope you like this one ... thanks for stopping by.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T20:48:00.030-05:00

I'm a little late in posting, but here are some of the things I made for Halloween.

These are treat bags I made for the kids in my neighborhood. The images are from Mini Monsters. I sized them with my Gypsy and used the Hide/Contour feature to eliminate the placement marks for the faces. Then I used stamps from Peachy Keen to stamp their eyes and mouths. The sentiment stamps are from My Pink Stamper and the paper is from DCVW. I also used the Martha Stewart 'Drippy Goo' punch.

I love these Peachy Keen stamps ... the little three-eyed monster face is my favorite.

For the glass block, I used vinyl and the Pumpkin Carvings cartridge. I cut a small piece of yellow vellum and layered it between the vinyl and the glass block. Here's the back side:

Finally, I totally stole this idea from Greenbean from the Cricut Circle message board. She comes up with some of the cutest stuff ... check out her blog here.

They're glass ornaments ... the inside was coated with Martha Stewart glow-in-the-dark glitter using the 'floor wax' technique ... Joy has a great video for glitter ornaments here.
The spiders are from Doodlecharms. I added googly eyes and a little ribbon. Hope you like my projects. Now it's on to Thanksgiving!

Country Life Thank You

2010-10-20T23:31:00.000-05:00

I love the flower pitcher from the Country Life Cricut cartridge. This is my take on it ...

The cardstock is from Stampin' Up and the patterned paper for the background is from the DCWV Autumn Stack. I used a border punch from EK Success to edge the green checked paper.

The patterned paper for the flowers is from Cosmo Cricket. I cut each flower three times, inked and curled the edges, then layered. Each was finished with a brown self-adhesive pearl.

The pitcher was embossed with several layers of UTEE. I added a bow and a little tag (and shadow) from Tag, Bag, Boxes and More. The sentiment is a stamp from PaperTrey Ink's Mega Mixed Messages set. I'm really happy with this one ... thanks for stopping by!

Think Pink

2010-10-13T20:34:00.000-05:00

This is my entry for the "Think Pink"contest on the Circut Circle blog. It's a birthday card for my friend Lori. The challenge was to make a project using at least two Cricut cuts and

three or more of the following elements:

Pink

Ruffles

Scallops

Flourishes

Glitter

Jewels

Supplies:

Card stock - PaperTrey Ink

Patterned paper - Stampin' Up

Cricut - Serenade Cartridge

Sentiment - My Pink Stamper 'Tweetie Hoo Puns'

Extras - Ribbon, crepe paper (for ruffle),

border punch (Stampin' Up),

Distress Ink, Stickles and self-adhesive pearls.

Etched Wine Glass Set

2010-09-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

One thing I've learned ... I'm not very good at photographing shiny things! I apologize for the poor quality of these pictures. Anyway, this is a wedding gift my daughter and I made. On my Gypsy, we created a monogram using the Songbird (for the D) and Jasmine (for the Ms) Cricut cartridges. We cut it out of vinyl and then used it to etch a wine bottle, four wine glasses and a platter.

Here's everything arranged in a basket ... we added lots of ribbon and silk fall leaves and berries.

A couple of close-ups:

For the tag on the bottle, I printed the sentiment on vellum and then cut it using the Tags, Bags, Boxes and More cartridge. I cut a second tag from a cream colored cardstock, layered it under the vellum tag and tied on the bottle with twine.

To finish, we attached a gift card made using paper from the DCWV 'Amber Autumn' stack. I added a little ribbon and a charm. The sentiment, stamped using brown ink, is from My Pink Stampers 'Friends and Family' set.

Vegas Birthday

2010-09-21T08:00:00.002-05:00

My daughter turned 21 years old on Friday the 13th, January 2006 ... the perfect setup for a Las Vegas birthday vacation. We stayed at the Paris Hotel and got this great nighttime picture of the Eiffel Tower replica that's in front of the hotel. So, when the Cricut Circle announced their French Manor cartridge contest, I decided to make a this for Stacey and use it as my entry.

It's a 10" x 10" shadowbox. The frames, cut using the French Manor cartridge, were colored with a bronze ink and embossed with Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel. I attached them to the mats for the pictures and then "pop dotted" them to the base with foam dimensionals. I etched the glass using the Eiffel Tower (also from French Manor) and the 'Vegas' from the Tie The Knot cartridge.

The journaling is computer generated.

My project wasn't selected as a contest winner, but I had a great time making this and Stacey loves it ... that's really what it's all about anyway!!

Cheers to You

2010-09-20T08:00:00.007-05:00

My daughter needed a Wedding Shower card ... this is what I came up with:

It's a A2 size card. The cardstock is from Stampin' Up. The patterned paper is from K & Company, embossed using the Grace's Frame Cuttlebug folder. The flutes are from the Tie the Knot cartridge, cut at 3.75". I added stickles for the champagne and self-adhesive pearls for the bubbles.

Our Shower Gift For Sarah

2010-09-19T08:00:00.001-05:00

I made this for a wedding shower gift. I started with three cake plates (small, medium and large) that I got from Pier One. I stacked them and used a little hot glue on their bases to keep them from sliding around. I found some brightly colored kitchen towels that I rolled into 'cinnamon roll' shapes and placed them on the stand. I added some curly ribbon, then wrapped it all in cellophane and tied it up with lots more curly ribbon.

The gift card is 3" x 3". I used the butterfly from the Create a Critter cartridge. I cut the base twice and attached just the bodies together to give it a 3D look. The sentiment is a Whiff of Joy stamp.

Fresh Fruit Basket

2010-09-18T08:00:00.001-05:00

This is a peck size fruit box … the kind you get at a Farmer’s Market or a U-Pick-It orchard … that held some very tasty peaches. I knew I could put it to good use instead of just throwing it away. I entered this in the Cricut Circle Infomercial Contest. It wasn't selected, but I still love it!

Here are the details:

1. 1. I used the Rectangle3 image from George and Basic Shapes (sized using my Gypsy) to cut strips of cardstock to cover the box, both inside and outside.

2. 2. Then, I used the Argyle Icon (shifted) image from Wild Card to create the “lattice”. Using my Gypsy, I sized and welding three images together to create lattice strips and wrapped them around the box.

3. 3. For the chalkboard, I used the Rectangle4 image from George and Basic Shapes to make the frame (sized and welding using my Gypsy). I used a textured cardstock and rubbed it with distressing ink to make it look more like wood, and then attached it to a piece of black cardstock.

4. 4. I used the Loop Dee Loo font from Lyrical Letters to create the “Fresh Fruit” … sized and welded with my Gypsy.

5. 5. All of the fruit images are from Preserves (cut from the cartridge, no Gypsy):

a. Watermelon1 – 6.75”

b. Blueberry1 – 2.75”

c. Lemon – 3”

d. Orange – 3.25”

e. Strawberry1 – 2.75”

f. Pineapple2 – 5.75”

g. Grapes – 5.75”

6. 6. I attached the images to the box with pop dots (various sizes) to add dimension.

7. 7. For finishing embellishments, I added a crepe paper ruffle around the top edge of the basket and wrapped ribbon around the handle.

Puppy Pyramid

2010-09-17T08:00:00.001-05:00

I made this card for one of my daughter's co-workers. The image is a digital, colored with Prismas and OMS. The border was punched with an EK Success punch. I added a paw print button to the ribbon and the sentiment is computer generated.

It's hard to tell from the picture, but the colors are beautiful ... very rich. This is one of my favorites!!

This Year's Fair Entry

2010-09-16T08:00:00.001-05:00

This is a shaped card I made to enter into our county fair. The cake is from the Wedding Solutions cartridge. Using my Gypsy, I welded it to a rectangle from the George and Basic Shapes cartridge. The patterned paper and cardstock are from Stampin Up. I used UTEE to emboss the cake stand ... it really made it look 'glass like'. I added some flowers, pearls and lots of stickles.

Here's a look at the inside ... the sentiment is from Verve Stamps.

By the way, I did get a First Place ribbon for this one!

Cindy Loo ... My New Favorite Cartridge

2010-09-15T08:00:00.001-05:00

This paper is from K & Company and it inspired this card. The flower is from the Cindy Loo cartridge ... I inked and pop dotted all the layers to give it dimension ... then added some self-adhesive pearls. The patterned paper was punched using a Martha Steward punch and the sentiment stamp is from Verve Stamps.

Three Birds Birthday

2010-09-14T08:00:00.001-05:00

This is one of my favorite cards and was actually quick and easy. The card base and scalloped squares (cut using the Storybook cartridge) are kraft paper. The images and sentiment were stamped using Chocolate Chip ink from Stampin Up. The scalloped squares are layered over a little gingham ribbon and placed on top of a rectangle of crimped red cardstock. I finished it with a little doodling and some bronze self-adhesive pearls.

The cardstock, image stamps and sentiment stamp are all from PaperTrey Ink.

Golfer's Birthday Card

2010-09-13T08:00:00.002-05:00

I used my Gypsy and the George and Basic Shapes cartidge to create the golf club and ball. I used Cuttlebug folders to dry emboss the golf ball and the golf club head & handle. I also embossed the golf club head with UTEE.

The grass was made using a Martha Stewart punch and the sentiments are from Verve Stamps.

A Card for Calvin

2010-09-12T10:48:00.000-05:00

Oh, this summer has been brutal ... I really think they were trying to kill me at work ... anyway, I've had a chance to catch my breath and have lots of projects to share. To start, this is a card I made for my neighbor Calvin who lost his best friend Butch ... a very sweet chocolate lab.

The image is from Whipper Snappers, colored with Prismas and OMS. The border punch is from EK Success and the sentiment is computer generated.

Blog Candy Winner

2010-07-26T08:00:00.005-05:00

Thank you to everyone who visited my blog during the "It's Not Easy Being Pink" blog hop and welcome to all my new followers. It was a lot of fun to participate in this blog hop for Robyn and I truly appreciate all your kind comments.

I used random.org to select the winner of my blog candy. The comment chosen was number 153:

faithnme said...

amazing work.. Robyn is going to love it.. the DT did an anazing job with this HOP

Sharette

July 24, 2010 6:45 PM

Congratulations Sharette!!

It's Not Easy Being Pink Blog Hop!

2010-07-24T08:00:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the My Pink Stamper's retiring design team's blog hop. We're taking this time to thank Robyn for the wonderful opportunity of being part of her first design team. If you've arrived here from Emma's blog, you're doing fine. If you just wandered into the blog hop, here's a list of everyone participating ... I don't want you to miss out on anything.

Julie

Agnes

Emma

Jo (that's me)

Karla

Pam

Rowena

I'm very happy to be part of this blog hop. Because of my association with Robyn, I've had lots of 'firsts' over the last four months: my first time as a Design Team member, filmed my first video, made my first scrapbook layout, and now, participating in my first blog hop. Thanks, Robyn, it's been a fun ride.

For my 'Thank You' gift to Robyn, I decided to make an altered box. I chose this project for a couple of reasons. One, I found a special little gift and I thought it would be fun to put it in a decorated box that she can keep and use as a memory box. Two, the project I submitted for her Design Team call was my Altered Baby Gift Box and I thought this would a fitting way to end.

So here are the details on my project: It's a 10" x 10" square paper mache box ... about 5" deep. I painted the inside white, the base pale pink, and the lid bright pink using acrylic paints. The printed papers and cardstock are from Stampin' Up. The flower was cut at 6.5" using the Cindy Loo cartridge.

I used the Lyrical Letters cartridge and my Gypsy to cut the 'My Pink' ...

and 'Memories' is from the Graphically Speaking cartridge.

To complete the box, I added a 'skirt' to the lid using a Martha Stewart border punch and finished it with a little satin ribbon.

Now, on to the fun stuff. This is what I'm offering for my blog candy:

There's a K & Company 'Black & Ivory Fusion' paper pack, 10 sheets of cardstock, 4 rolls of ribbon, some pearl trim and an Inkadinkado clear stamp set called ' Circles and Dots'.

All you need to do to be entered for a chance to win is leave a comment and a way to contact you (I'll ship to anywhere in the world!). How easy is that? I'll keep entries open until midnight CST on Sunday, July 25th and post the winner on Monday morning. So, don't be shy ... let me know what you think of my project.

Thanks for visiting! Now, hop on over to see the awesome project Karla has to show you.

Saturday is Blog Hop Day!

2010-07-23T20:51:00.002-05:00

Happy Friday evening everyone! Just want to let you know that the retiring My Pink Stamper design team members are have a blog hop starting at 8:00am PST, tomorrow, July 24th. There will be lots of great projects and plenty of blog candy. Hope to see you then ...

My Pink Stamper Color Challenge

2010-06-30T13:03:00.000-05:00

There's a challenge today at My Pink Stamper. Robyn has asked us to create a project using the colors Brown, Orange, Pink and Green.

This is what I came up with:

Recipe:

Size - 5.25" x 5.25"

Card stock & Paper - brown, Papertrey Ink; all other, Stampin' Up

Cricut - Owl from Cindy Loo, cut at 2.75"

Sentiments - My Pink Stamper "Tweetie Hoo Puns" stamp set

Extras - Satin ribbon, self adhesive pearls, Stampin' Up border punch, Whisper White craft ink and dimensionals

Don't forget to visit Robyn's blog to see what the other Design Team members have created ... I'm sure you'll love them all!!

My Pink Stamper Design Team: Summer Fun

2010-06-25T08:05:00.102-05:00

Okay, so this is a little out of my comfort zone. I'm a cardmaker, not a scrapbooker. In fact, this is the first layout I've ever done ... but the idea popped into my head and I had to go with it. This is my buddy Jake playing in his pool filled with water and brightly colored balls. Yes, Jake has his own pool ... which is just one of the reason we're known in our neighborhood as the crazy people with all those dogs!

I cut the dog, collar, buckle and tag from Paper Pups. The dog was cut with my Gypsy using the Hide/Contour feature ... which is my new favorite thing. I was able to cut the ducky floatie in three different colors without any waste. I couldn't find paper I liked for the floatie, so I used a hole punch to make polka dots from scraps of card stock and then adhered them to the white base. This was a real test of my patience ... but I like the end result.

I love how the collar, buckle and tag turned out! I used my Cuttlebug and the Herringbone folder to dry emboss the collar. The buckle and tag were cut from the cardboard from a paper stack. I inked them with silver ink and embossed them with Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE). I attached the tag to the buckle using a couple of jewelry finds so it actually dangles ... yeah ... very proud of myself!!

The circles were cut using "George and Basic Shapes" and I used the center point key when I cut the pictures. The journaling is computer generated because it would make me crazy to try and do that by hand! Here you can also see the cute border ... it's a EK Success border punch.

The splash is from "Create
a Critter". I embossed the water drops with UTEE. I
cut a few more, snipped off the water drops and embossed them to use as embellishments.

I added sentiments using the My Pink Stamper's "Family & Friends" set and a little doodling. And, since I don't have an album for this, I framed my layout in a 12" x 12" shadow box.

Now, hop on over to My Pink Stamper to see the other Design Team "Summer Fun" projects!!

My Pink Stamper's Father's Day Challenge

2010-05-28T10:32:00.003-05:00

The challenge today at My Pink Stamper is to create a Father's Day project. If you submit a project, you'll be entered into drawing for a Cricut Expression ... how fun is that!
This is what I came up with:

Here are the details -

Size: A2

Card stock: Papertrey Ink

Papers: Digitals from Pink Petticoat

Cricut: Fishing Pole and Fish from "Just Because" Cards @ 5.75"

Sentiment: Computer generated

Extras: Crochet Thread, Ric-Rac Trim, Stickles and Stampin' Up Ticket Corner punch

My Pink Stamper Design Team Project - Family

2010-05-27T08:32:00.002-05:00

The design team theme for May at My Pink Stamper is "Family". My husband and I both have large families ... he's the second of eight children and I'm the youngest of six. So I thought I would make a calendar/card holder to help keep track of everyone's special days. This is actually a very quick and easy project ... I'm sure I'll be making more of these for gifts!

I used the Card Organizer tutorial from Splitcoast Stampers ... look for it here, and the calendar is a PDF file ... you can find it here.

The details -

Size: Front and back covers 6.25" x 8", inside pages 6" x 7.75"

Paper: 12" x 12" double sided paper and coordinating card stock from Stampin' Up

Cricut: Owl and branch from 'Create a Critter'

Sentiment: Stamps from My Pink Stamper's Everyday Occasions and Simply Sweet Occasions sets; stamped with Versa Mark

Extras: Ribbon, Cuttlebug and embossing folders, computer generated calendar, Bind-it-All

Now, head on over to My Pink Stamper to see what my design team sisters have come up with ... their "Family" projects are AWESOME!!

Congratulations, Jessica!

2010-05-24T21:50:00.008-05:00

One more graduation card. This image is one of my absolute favorites ... it's a Stamping Bella ... colored with Prismas and OMS, then cut with Nestibilities. The blue and white ovals were sized and cut using my Gypsy and George, and the blue label is from Gypsy Wanderings. The patterned paper is from a K & Company paper pad (Black and Ivory Fusion) and the sentiment is from PaperTrey Ink's Mega Mixed Messages set. I added eyelets to the label, and finished it with some bright pink ribbon and rhinestones. Oh, and I'm sure there are some pop dots somewhere ...

Two Quick Graduation Cards

2010-05-23T11:09:00.006-05:00

Just a couple of quick graduation cards using Wild Cards and a stamp from Stampendous. On the inside, I made a gift card holder using some card stock and the Stampin' Up slit punch.

Strawberry Shaped Card - Preserves

2010-05-22T09:12:00.005-05:00

Here's another shaped card - this time using the Preserves cartridge. I used my Gypsy for the layout and welding. The images on this cartridge layer together so nicely ... that really makes it easy to create a cute card. The card stock I used is from Stampin' Up and the sentiment stamp is from PaperTrey Ink.

Shaped Card a la Donna Mundinger

2010-05-19T00:04:00.008-05:00

I am a big fan of Donna Mundinger's shaped cards ... they're awesome ... check out her work here!
Anyway, I was very excited to see that she was the guest designer last week at Everyday Cricut. For one of her projects, she did a tutorial for a shaped card using Hello Kitty Greetings ... I thought I'd try one too. I really like how this turned out ... thanks Donna.

Paper and card stock: Stampin' Up

Cricut: Hello Kitty Greetings w/Gypsy

Extras: Button, gem, pearls and pop dots

Congratulations to Dr. Rachel Ray!

2010-05-17T22:31:00.006-05:00

Rachel and my daughter were roommates in college ... Rachel went on to Vet School and she received her degree last Friday. Very exciting! My daughter asked me to make this for her. All the animals were cut at 1.5" using 'Create a Critter'. I was a little worried about cutting them that small, but it all worked out ... I wouldn't, however, go much smaller. I used my Gypsy to lay this all out and was able to get everything except the sentiment on one mat so, once I got all the paper in place, the cutting was a breeze.

Here are the details:

Size - 5.25" x 5.25"

Papers - Martha Stewart 'Playful Blue' stack for the mats, the animals were all cut using scraps (yeah!)

Cricut - Create a Critter, Storybook (mats) and Plantin Schoolbook (font)

Extras - Stickles, a little ribbon and lots of pop dots

Happy Birthday Chris

2010-05-08T18:00:00.000-05:00

I made this for my friend Chris ... today is her birthday. Chris is an awesome scrapbooker. I'm hoping that someday she'll "go public" with her work. I'd love for you all to see what she can do!

This card was super easy and I really like the look of it. To create the background paper, I used three little flower stamps with VersaMark Dazzle ink and then added some pink self-adhesive pearls. I topped it off with a punched border & ribbon and was done!