Cricut 360° Blog Challenge #9 ... Relax

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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 ...