Birthday Banner w/ Elmo

Wow!  It's been a long time since I have posted to my blog.

A lot has taken place, but I have re-entered the workplace and

that is taking up most of my crafting time.

I did find the time to make this banner for my grandson's 2nd birthday,

and I love how it turned out.

 

 

The font is from Mickey and Friends,

the scalloped circles and rectangles are from WW,

and the inside shapes are from PS.

Since I did not have a Sesame Street cart,

Elmo is an SVG file that was converted w/ Inkscape.

The bright colors, polka dots, and

Elmo's smiling face, made this birthday banner a hit!

TFL!



You're Egg-straordinary!

Here is my grandson, Maddix, Easter card for this year.

I started with the tall centerstep card base in white 

and added the mats in shades of blue.
These are some of my favorite colors and I thought thet would go great for Easter.

All of the Cricut cuts are from the Doodlecharm cartridge.

The bunny is cut @ 4" in both regular and shadow,

inked in pink, and finished off with a Peachy Keen face stamp.

I added a "popped" oval from PS for the nose,

put this cute little guy on an Action Wobble 

and this  bunny is complete!

The eggs are cut in varying sizes from 1/4" to 1"

The front and inside sentiments are hand-cut 

and the stamp set is from My Creative Time.

This card has a lot of elements from embossing, stamping,

popping for dimension, to movement.....

all to catch the eye of my little guy.

Happy Easter, Maddix!

I will be entering this in the following challenges:
Cardz TV - It's So You (Your Favorite Colors)
BBTB2 - Bring on the Bunnies
Pause Dream Enjoy - Anything Goes
My Craft Spot - Embossing or Glossy Accents
Craftin Desert Divas - Easter Eggstravaganza
My Sheri Crafts - Easter
Simon Says Stamps = Easter
TFL!

I am featured on FCCB - Spotlight Sunday!

Hi, everyone!

I am lucky to have been chosen for the

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog's Spotlight Sunday feature!

This is such an honor for me!

Please check it out and leave me a comment if you enjoy my designs!

You're Sweet!

I saw this cool tall center step card at Eva's Scraps N Cards, 

and she was gracious enough to send me the file.

This card fits neatly in a 4.5 x 6 envelope, so if

you don't add a lot of embellishing, will mail with regular postage.

I started with a white card stock base, inked the edges, 

and added the Swiss Dots embossed mats to the front.

The cupcake is from the Home Decor cartridge and

is cut from glitter papers @ 2.75".

The "frosting" is embossed with the Swirls CB folder

and the small hearts are negative cuts from the same cupcake.

The banner is hand-cut, inked, and matted in a darker chocolate brown.

The stamp is from the Mark's Finest Paper "Celebrate Big" stamp set.

I continued the same matting on the inside followed

by more from the same stamp set that has been hand colored 

in pencil and blended.  The small green gems and pink swirls add some bling,

while the top sentiment is backed by a Fiskars scalloped square punch in

the same chocolate brown as the front "Happy Birthday" banner.

I added a "Birthday Recipe" card to the back

for my personal sentiment.

I love to make cards that can be displayed and

this one is just delicious!

I will be entering this in the following challenges:

FCCB - Kiss the Cook

Paper Playtime - Use a Sentiment Stamp

BBTB2 - Amethyst Cake or Cupcake

Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes

FOSTV - Recipe Card

Speedy Fox - Pink, Brown, White

Little Scrap Pieces - Embossing

TFL!

Being married to you....

I finally finished my dear hubby's valentine...and not a day too soon!

I usually give him a "surprise" to take to work, so I will

have this in his car tonight and it will be his special something for tomorrow.

I started with a bright red card stock for the base and folded 

it into the shape of an easel card (my favorite!)

Starting with a pink mat, I rounded the corners, and then added

an embossed white mat with some inking to bring out the images.

Followed by a red paper heart doily, I added a real box of chocolates!

This is a small Russel Stover brand with 5 pieces of candy inside....so much fun!

After cutting the hearts from Sweethearts, 

followed by an embossed scalloped circle from Winter Woodlands,

I added a computer generated sentiment on a hand-cut banner

to complete the card front.

This will actually stand up nicely without causing a problem!

I always my personal sentiment to the inside flap -

but the whole sentiment states:

Being married to you is like opening a box of chocolates /

Each day new and exciting and full of surprises

The inside mat is adorned with a Close to my Heart stamp,

while the bottom one is decorated with a stamp from Stampendous.

The sentiment framing is from Art Nouveau and the glitter papers make it sparkle.

 A touch of ribbon and this gorgeous card is complete!

Everything will go in this little lunch bag.

I have to admit, I didn't take much time decorating this,

but it's all about the treats inside this time......

not the wrapper!

Nestled inside Hubby's treat bag along with his card, 

are these "big smackers!"

Hand-made candy by me with love......

one is peanut butter and the other is white chocolate.

Happy Valentine's Day, my love!

TFL!

I will be entering this in the following challenges:

FCCB - Be My Valentine

My Craft Spot - For your Sweetheart

Exploring Cricut - Valentine

BBTB2 - Heart or Cupid

Pause Dream Enjoy - Mainly Red

Word Art Wednesday - Love / Anything Goes

Speedy Fox - Love

V's Sweet Ideas - Love Theme

Little Scrap Pieces - Be My Valentine

Love Note

This cute and simple card will be going out

 to one of my dear friends.

Although she has a lot of people who care about her,

she stays to herself and spends most of her time making

sure that her sister is comfortable in the nursing home.

Hoping to brighten her day a bit, 

I made her this "love note" Valentine.

The envelope and hearts on the front are from Doodlecharms,

while the hearts that adorn the inside are from the Sweethearts cartridge.
I also used the Sweethearts card feature to cut the card base.

The banner is hand-cut, but I am not sure who makes the stamp,

since it seems that I had cut off the top of the package!

Glitter papers, inking, ribbon, and some embossing add to the flair of this project.

A handwritten "Thinking of you on Valentine's Day"

will finish off the inside.

It will be nice to let her know that a friend is thinking of 

her on this Valentine's Day and she is not alone.

I will be entering this in the following challenges:

Cardz TV - Use Red, Black, and White

Simon Says Stamps - Anything Goes

Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes

DL Art Thankful Thursday - Use Red or Pink
Cricut Cardz - Round or Square Valentine using the card feature
Pause Dream Enjoy - Mainly Red
Paper Playtime - Border Punches
Exploring Cricut - Be my Valentine
V's Sweet Ideas - Love Theme
TFL!

Tons of love

This is my grandson's Valentine card.

I have had this idea rolling aound in my head and since the weather

outside was frightful.....off to my craft room for the day!

I started with the dump truck from EDPD, filled it with embossed hearts (PS)

and put it on the road from the same cartridge.

I love display cards, but was getting weary of easel and center steps...

so I chose the Concertina Card fold for this one.

I started with a white base and covered the panels with a pretty striped pink paper.

The hearts range in size from 3" to 1/2" and are all cut

from glitter papers shadowed in black.

Embossing all of them gives this project more dimension.

A small banner on the top gives the card front sentiment
and is a Cardz TV stamp, while a matted personal verse on the back finishes it off.

I love the way this looks.....especially since we are sending

"tons" of love off to Maddix!

I will be entering this in the following challenges:



Fantabulous Cricut - Queen of Hearts

My Craft Spot - Valentine for kids

Go Fish - I Love You

Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes

DL Art Thankful Thursday - Use Red or Pink

FOS TV - Valentine's Day

Simple Salutations - Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamps - Anything Goes

Little Scrap Pieces - Love is in the Air

V's Sweet Ideas - Love Theme

It's Time to Celebrate!

Here is a new twist on card making that I found on 

Splitcoast Stampers tutorials - Window Blind Card.

Although my first attempt was time consuming,

I would definitely make this one again.  I do not really

use dies, so adapting this to my Cricut was a bit more challenging.

I started with a white card stock base that is 5x7" when folded,

rounded the corners, and inked the edges in a mint green.

After matting the front with 3 different patterned papers,

I cut out the rectangle window with my 

Cricut using the center-point feature.

I used a Studio G stamp, colored it with pencil,

and centered it on a coordinating paper mat on the inside.

After embellishing it with balloons from the ACY cartridge,

I then started to assemble my "window blind."

I used a scrap piece of paper, punched a border, and used

this for the window valance.

Since I did not have a needle large enough to thread the ribbon

through, I improvised and used a paper clip - it worked fine!

Additional ribbon and punched dragonfly embellishments to the front,

and front is pretty much done.

Since this card does not open up, I needed a design for the back.

I used my MS Circle Punch for the background, 

cut 2 circles from PS, and added the Happy Birthday from ACY.

This card is cool!  It is definitely something different for someone special,

and it should mail without extra postage.

I will be entering this in the following challenges:

Exploring - Cricut 1 2 3 Challenge
FCCB - Time Flies
Simon Says Stamps - Anything goes
Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes
DL Art Linky Party - Anything Goes
Simple Salutations - Anything Goes
TFL!

All that Stickles Challenge Blog

 

Check out this new challenge blog and giveaway!

 

http://allthatstickles.blogspot.com/2013/01/were-having-giveaway.html?showComment=1359429111672#c8338160045714440696



Just my type...

I love this typewriter from the Suburbia cartridge!

My son has a birthday coming up next month, and since it is close

to Valentine's Day, I chose the colors red, black, and white for this project.

I started with a bright red cardstock for the base, added a

white mat, glittery red ribbon, punched borders, and

finished it off with two black gemstones.

The frames are cut in 1/4" intervals from Storybook

and then are decorated by hand - "doodle-style."

To add the front sentiment, I cut a slit in the top of the typewriter

with my craft knife, stamped the paper with a stamp from 

Cardz TV's - It's All About You stamp set.

 I do love the color choices - Red, Black, and White always go well together -

and they are my HS Alma Mater colors!

 I will be entering this in the following challenges:

Cardz TV - Color Challenge

Little Scrap Pieces - Birthday Card

Speedy Fox - Doodle a Frame

My Craft Spot - Wish Big / Anything Birthday

Wednesday Word Art - Anything Goes

DLArt Linky Party - Anything Goes

Simon Says - Anything goes

DL Art Thankful Thursday - Use red or pink

Pause Dream Enjoy - Mainly Red

Paper Playtime - Border Punches

TFL!!

Valentine Blooms...

Since I have not made a cascading card for my Mom,

I thought it would be nice to do so for Valentine's Day.

This is her card........

I started with a white base, added pink accent panels,

and then inked a white embossed mat.

I used three cartridges for this card -

Damask Decor, Art Nouveau, and Plantin Schoolbook.

All of the smaller hearts are PS, while the larger one on the front

is from DD.  The pretty tulip corner piece is AN and is one of 

my favorite cuts.  The side pieces are also DD and match beautifully.

I did do a little recycling - the dragonfly punches are project leftovers!

The banner stamp is from the Cardz TV Stamps set - It's All About You.

Embossing and popping the images give this card another

added dimension along with the cascade fold.

Using glitter papers on all of the images add sparkle

while glossy accents on the tulip corner, and small gemstones, give

this card the glimmer that a Valentine's Day card deserves!

This card has an elegant flair, and since my Mother is an elegant

and graceful woman, I think this suits her perfectly.

A personal message added to the back of the card

finish it off...along with a few more hearts!

I will be entering this in the following challenges:
Simple Salutations - Use a flower

Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamps - Anything goes
DL Art Thankful Thursday - Use red or pink

TFL!

My Valentine

I saw Mary from Cardz TV's video on a spinner card today

and I had to try it.  I have made them before, but not from the WC cartridge.

Since Valentine's Day is right around the corner, 

that is the theme I chose for this project.

I cut the card at 5.5", as did Mary, but I re-cut the scalloped circle

in 1/4"increments to stack them around the circular window, 

and then embossed them all together.  I embossed the card front

to give it all a more elegant look.

I also found the flower image on the WC cart on page 42 

and cut both the icon shapes at 5.5".

The branches are found on page 48 and are cut from glitter paper

at 5.5 and 4.5".  I then trimmed them down to fit the card front.

The larger icon flowers are cut twice, popped for dimension,

and then finished off with a square gemstone.

I tried to give a little more style to the back of the spinner

wheel itself.  I really wanted to cover it, but was afraid it 

wouldn't spin freely if I did.

I used stamps from my collection which include 

Cardz TV and Mark's Finest Papers and Stamps

for the window images and inside sentiment.

This is a quick card that is elegant with a touch of bling,

and could be used for a man or a woman.

I will be entering this in the following challenges:
Simple Salutations - Use a flower
D L Art Thankful Thursday - Use Pink or Red

Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes
DL Art Linky Party
Simon Says Stamps - Anything goes

TFL!

Welcome Home!

This is a card I made for my DSIL and her hubby.

They have recently moved into a new townhouse and I

wanted to send them a "Welcome" card.

This is from the original WC cartridge.

I tried to match the colors to their new home

while adding a few embellishments.....

along with there new address plate.

I embossed the hedges, house front, and roof with different CB folders -

popped the urns for dimension, and outlined the window in holographic paper for shine.

I fit the liner to the card base, stamped the bottom,

added the FOR YOUR NEW HOME (WC)

and punched border to the inside.

The sentiment is a personal one and was also fitted to the roof peak.

I also made the custom envelope, but am not too sure if I like it.

Maybe it was the paper I used, but I have to admit that I am not

completely thrilled with it!

I do like this cut and I know I will make it again, but next time

I will fit it to a regular business size envelope and not make my own.

I will be entering this in the following challenges:

Word Art Wednesday - Anything goes!

Paper Playtime - Use some brown

BBTB2 - Fontastic

DL Art Linky Party

Simon Says Stamps - Anything goes

TFL!



Celebrate Big!

It's another snowy day in PA, so I have taken to my craft room.

There are so many projects that I want to do, and I know that if I don't get them

 all done before spring arrives, they will be put on the back-burner once again.

This is a new fold for me, but I love how it turned out!

Not only can it be displayed in a larger format, but it also fits in an A2 envelope.

This is the card all closed up ready for mailing.

Again....I am recycling my leftovers from previous projects.

The embossed pink glitter mat is from my 2012 Christmas cards

and the small leaves are Cricut cuts that have been on my craft desk for months!

The hologram stripe and lime green band are cutoffs from paper trimmings.

This beautiful dahlia is a die-cut that I purchased from Simon Says Stamps.

The main image is a stamp that I won from Mark's Finest Papers.

Although I am just starting to incorporate stamps into my paper crafting,

I am pleased with my effort.  I used glitter, colored pencils and a 

blender pen to achieve this result.

Some matting, punched borders, and embossing finish off the inside.

Once this card is opened up, it makes a nice display.

A personal sentiment will be added to the back and this will

sent off to me sister who has a birthday coming up in February.

I have also embossed the envelope with Happy Birthday to make it special. 

I will be entering this in the following challenges:

Pause Dream Enjoy - Desserts

Paper Playtime - Use some brown

My Craft Spot - Bling it up!

CCC - Use a banner

Word Art Wednesday - Anything goes!

DL Art Linky Party

Simon Says Stamps - Anything goes

TFL!

Picture Packet

Here is a cute little album that you can take with

you anywhere that is made from 1 long business sized envelope.

I found this on YouTube from Laura at
Follow the Paper Trail - she has some wonderful ideas!

As you have seen from my last few posts,

I am trying to use up some of the paper scraps that I have

accumulated over the past few months, and this

project is no exception!  Except for the envelope, all

of the items used are leftovers from some other design I 

have made along the way.

There are four tags in this project - two on the top and two on the side.

I will journal the tags on the front with info

for the picture that I added to the back of each one.

The ribbon pulls make it easy to get them out to show.

Coordinating papers, Baker's Twine, punched border, lace,

and a Bella Bloom die-cut  from Simon Says Stamps

(I won a $25 gift certificate from Fantabulous Cricut!)

finish it off.

This is a really neat quick idea for a simple gift that will be truly appreciated.

I will be entering this in the following challenges:

Little Scrap Pieces - Use a flower

Speedy Fox & Friends - Use Twine

FOSTV - Recycled

DL Art Linky Party

Simon Says Stamps - Anything goes

TFL!

Play me some mountain music!

Country music was the inspiration for this birthday card.

My step-father's love for music is why I chose

a guitar for the centerpiece.

He is such bluegrass fan,

hence the color of the grass below the guitar.

 

The guitar, cards, and rope frame are from the Old West cartridge.
The bluegrass is from Pooh and Friends,
and the pinecone is a leftover cut from a past project.
Musical notes, along with baker's twine for the strings

 and metallic paper for shine, finish off the card front.

 

Words from the Oak Ridge Boys song,

"Mountain Music" are used for the inside sentiment.

This card ended up being larger than I expected,

but since I didn't have to mail it.....

all is well!

TFL!
I will be entering this in the following challenges:
Speedy Fox and Friends - Use Twine
FCCB - The Sound of Music
Paper Playtime - Use some brown
DL Art Linky Party
 

Happy New Year, Baby!

Happy New Year 2013!

As you all know, I am trying to get caught up on all of my scrapbooking.

I have found the cutest paper from the DCWV Christmas Stack with lights on it 

and used this for my background.

I "recycled" my tabletop decoration, added a title from the WC cart, and some

swirls and flourishes, and matted the pics in black to finish off this LO design.

I think the green festive paper highlights the black, white, and holographic papers.

Take a look at this cutie!  He melts your heart!

I will be entering this in the following challenges:

Cardz TV - Baby New Year

FOSTV - Recycled

BBTB2 - Fontastic / use a Cricut Font

DL Art Linky Party

TFL!

U R Fabulous!

This card is so much fun!  It can be used for many occasions from a

girl's night out to birthday, to inspiration.
I started this design by recycling old images I had previously cut
and stashed away in my collection box.  Not only does it give me the
opportunity to use up my extras, but it helps me create in a different way.

After starting with a black card stock base,

I added red and white mats and punched the bottoms for a more delicate look.

The corners are rounded and edges are inked to give dimension.

The image cuts are from SYI, and after adding some glitter for bling,

a pretty ribbon, and a small stamp in the corner - 

this "keep it simple" card is complete.

I will be entering this in the following challenges:

Simple Salutations - Shoe or Purse Card

FOSTV - Recycled

BBTB2 - Fontastic / use a Cricut Font

DL Art Linky Party

TFL!

Our little "tweetheart"

I am in my scrapbooking mode and am on a mission to catch up

with Lil Maddix' book by March - I am almost a whole year behind!

I was really pleased with this page since I had no rhyme or reason when I started.

There are so many things going on here -

something old, something new, sometng borrowed, something blue

I started with a coordinating paper from the DCWV Christmas Stack

and a project was born!
The centerpiece is a recycled embossed circle from this year's Christmas cards
that is matted with my a MS circle punch creation -
 just the perfect setting for Maddix' picture.corner
The chevrons are hand cut, embossed and provide the backdrop
for my next upcycled item....a Bath & Body gift tag.
The small stripes in the lefthand corner are the cutoffs for trimming
the pages to fit in the scrapbook sleeves.
The scalloped squares and stars are leftovers from another project, the border is
from a border punch and is then run through a paper crimper to add dimension.
The small snowflakes also come from a Fiskars punch and the
"our little tweetheart" is computer generated.
The small branch and birdhouse images are from the Serenade cart that I
had just gotten from my SIL.
So many different ways to create a page....I love it!

I will be entering this in the following challenges:
FOSTV - Recycling
BBTB2 - Bird on a branch
Little Scrap Pieces - Winter Blues
Paper Playtime - Pets
DL Art Linky Party
TFL!



Sophisticated Man

I saw a project similar to this on one of Liz's Paper Loft blog posts

and knew I had to give it a try. 

I had gotten the Suburbia cart, but had yet to use it,

so off to the craft room I went!

 

 

I love to send cards that are able to be displayed,

so I chose the center-step fold for this design.

Starting with a camel cardstock for the base,

I added mats of khaki green and birthday number papers

to provide my image backdrop.

 

 

I added a punched border to the left-hand side,

and then used the negative cuts from that for embellishments on

both the inside and outside of the card.

The typewriter, man, briefcase, and champagne bottle are all

cuts from Suburbia.

The mats and images were all embossed to add texture,

while the images are popped for dimension.

 

 

The inside "happy birthday" is from ACY,

and the little doodles that you see are the negative cuts from the border punch.

Additional matting, more embossing, and a personal sentiment round out this project.

 

 

I am pleased with my own take on this scraplifted design

and hope our friend will enjoy it too.

TFL!

I will enter this in the following challenges:

FCCB - It's a man's world

My Craft Spot - Anything goes

DL Art Linky Party