FlamingoCrafts

Knifty Knitter Hat

2012-01-28T08:00:00.001-06:00

Last year I got a couple of Knifty Knitter loom kits (round looms and long looms) and quickly learned how to knit scarves and even tried my hand at a hat. Not bad for a brand new knitter! But then the weather started to warm and the looms went into a drawer.

Well, it's a year later and I haven't touched the looms . . . until today! I made the mistake of watching a YouTube video with Jinger from Provocraft showing how to make cute little flowers with the flower loom . . . anyway, my immediate reaction was "I must have that". So off to walmart I went and wouldn't you know, they were out. :( BUT they did have the Jumbo Spool knitter which has one side that is just a little smaller than the flower loom, so why wouldn't that work, right?

So while relaxing watching TV last night I decided to see what I could make with it. First I made a cute little flower and then decided to try the other end that makes a tube which you can make into a flower. I put the two bits together and this is what I ended up with. Pretty nice for my first attempt, don't ya' think?

The flower in the center is the flower from the big end. The big flower on the bottom is from the little end (kinda backwards isn't it!) Pretty cute huh!

     So here I was looking at this super cute flower and I'm thinking of all the awesome stuff I can make with it/them . . . hair clips, headbands, pins, etc...

     That's when it hit me. I need to knit a hat and put this flower on it. I have just the person for the hat. yet again, my creative projects are for someone I work with. A co-workers wife is battling breast cancer and has been getting chemo, so she has no hair (or minimal hair) right now. With it being winter I figure her head must be getting cold, so she needs a super cute hat, right?!

     So I decided to dig out my round Knifty Knitter looms and whip up a hat. I used the Green loom which is for a large (adult size) hat. I knitted away until I was happy with the length (about 7-8 inches). Looking back I think I should have gone another few rows -but this will work just fine.  I decided not to add a brim, because I kinda like the rolled up bottom that naturally happens without a brim.

Here's a look at the hat. It probably took me about 1-1 1/2 hours to make. Even though the loom may seem bigger than your head (or bigger than you think it should be) the yarn shrinks a bit as you can see in the picture below.

Then I decided to take that super cute flower I made and attach it to the hat.

Of course I needed to make sure the hat would fit, so this is what it looks like on me (except I cut out my ugly mug, so that you could actually see the hat)! :)

What do you think? Not too bad is it? I think I might have to make one for myself now. :) But first I want to make a cute headband to cover my ears when I go out walking . . . or maybe I just need a cute hat like this to go walking in. :)

Candy Bar Bouquet

2012-01-21T08:00:00.100-06:00

I have seen and been wanting to make a Candy Bar Bouquet. And a co-worker is having a birthday this week so I thought I might make her one, but then I realized that some stores (like Winn-Dixie) already make them and have them ready to buy . . . so I stopped by my local W/D and checked them out. WHAT!? The price is $29.99!! Well sure it's nice, and sure it's already made, but come on! I can make that for less!

Plus the ladies at work (and I) have an agreement that our budget for birthday's is $10 so there is no way I could get a $30 candy bar bouquet. So this is what I did... I went next door to the Dollar Tree (luckily it's right next door) and bought a coffee mug (because the birthday girl likes her coffee!) that was pretty heavy duty (heavy enough to hold the weight of the candy bouquet). I also purchased a brick of floral foam and some purple (birthday girl's favorite color) basket filler.

Then I went to Wal-mart (because I was already going there anyway) and picked up a Giant Hershey bar (the birthday girl's favorite candy), a pack of 6 regular size Hershey bars and a pack of 8 mini Hershey bars.

So for $10 in supplies (because I already had the skewers) this is what I had to work with:

Note- you'll also need a hot glue gun, hot glue sticks and regular glue (not pictured).

Step #1: Using a hot glue gun, hot glue the skewers to the back of the candy bars.

When I put the skewer into the hot glue I rolled it around a bit to ensure it was complete covered.

Here's a close up of the back of the candy bars, to give you and idea how much glue I used.

Note- on the giant bar, the wrapper was loose so I made sure to put glue below the wrapper to 'glue' it in place so the candy wouldn't slide out. :) While the glue dries move onto the next step.

Step #2: Cut/trim the floral foam to fit inside your base

Step #3: Get out your glue and basket filler. Using a small amount of glue, glue the basket filler over the floral foam so that you can't see the foam. You'll add more later so no need to be perfect here.

Step #4: Start sticking your candy into the floral foam. If you don't like the placement they can be rearranged. I start with my largest pieces first, then move to the smallest to fill in any holes/gaps.

While sticking candy bars in, fill in more basket filler to hide some of the empty space between the mug and the candy.
You can snip off the ends of the skewers to make shorter pieces (like 4 small bars in center of bouquet).

I'd say that the finish product is pretty dang cute (and yummy)! Not bad for $10 and about 30 minutes!

Just in case you wanted to see what the back of the bouquet looks like. :)

What do you think? I'd love to hear what you think, or see what you've done! Send me pictures and I'll post them!

Thanks for looking!!

Butterfinger Cupcakes

2012-01-14T15:47:00.001-06:00

Did you see the Butterfinger Cake Pops I did for Christmas? They were a HIT!
Recently after helping me by moving some seriously heavy stuff at work, one of my co-workers asked me to make more Butterfinger cake pops. I like to take treats in to work to thank my co-workers for helping me all the time, so this wasn't a huge request . . . But I was thinking "what a pain in the bum cake pops are to make, not something I can just whip up in an hour or so . . . how can I convert them into cupcakes?" That's right cupcakes - my go to treat!

Well, I decided to Experiment!
I made a batch of regular Butter Yellow (from the box) Cupcakes but before I put them in the oven I crushed up a pack of the 8 mini Butterfinger candy bars and sprinkled a spoon full on top of the batter, then baked as directed (with my fingers crossed!)
This is what they look like when they came out of the oven

I then frosted them with Milk Chocolate frosting (from the tub) and once they were all frosted I decided they needed more Butterfinger, so I crushed up another pack of the mini Butterfingers and rolled the cupcakes in the Butterfinger crumbs like this . . .

This is what the final product looked like...

The Butterfinger bits kind of 'melt' into the frosting and look wet, it's weird, but DELICIOUS!

Give them a try!

P.S. The guys at work tell me that they will happily be my guinea pigs if I want to experiment more while baking. They are willing to taste test anything I bring in . . . isn't that sweet!? :)

-NOTE- Once before I expreimented with putting snickers bites into the cupcake batter before it baked. It turned out pretty good, but this was much better.

Sophie Name Frame

2012-01-12T08:00:00.029-06:00

At work, our office manager (actually his wife) just had a little baby girl. I wanted to make them a name frame for her room, so I needed to know what the nursery looked like. They sent me this picture of the bedding ensemble they got for the baby's room.

So how to match this theme?

This is what I came up with . . .

The name, birds and leaves are popped up on foam to give it some depth and dimension.

Isn't it cute?

I got a wonderful thank you card from the family telling me what a great job I did matching the bedding/theme of the room, and how much they love it. That makes me happy! :)

What do you think??

Custom Monograms

2012-01-07T08:00:00.002-06:00

I had a wonderful Christmas! I got to spend lots of time with my family, and I even got a few new toys! Lucky me, I got an Ipad and a Kindle this year. While I like the pink covers I got for both of them, they were missing something.
While talking about Ipad covers with my boss's wife today, she mentioned her grandson had made her a custom monogram cover for her Kindle . . . which made me realzie 'hey you can customize your own!"

So I came home and this is what I did!

Ipad cover

Kindle Cover

I used SCAL (Curlz font), black vinyl and my Cricut to cut my initials for my Ipad and Kindle covers.

I don't know how long the vinyl will stick, but since it is only vinyl, I'm willing to give it a good test! :)

If it doesn't last long, I can always screen print the monogram with my Yudu - but I don't think I want to commit to anything long term like that.

I'm pretty happy with the results!

What do you think??

Cake Pops

2012-01-05T20:42:00.000-06:00

I've seen "Cake Pops" everywhere lately and wanted to give them a try! My mom and I got together for a day of baking and this is the result ... Chocolate cake pops dipped in white chocolate, butterfinger cake pops (secret recipe) dipped in butterfinger bits, and peppermint cake pops dipped in peppermint bits. They are 100% awesome!

We made them a few weeks early and froze them until we were ready to give them out. I had them sitting out

defrosting before I bagged them up to give out (hence the condensation you see on the chocolate). Let me tell you they were just as good a few weeks later as they were the day they were made!

Where has the time gone?

2011-12-28T19:09:00.001-06:00

Can you believe it's been nearly 2 months since my last post! My friend Leslie told me that this is simply unacceptable!

What can I say? I've been completely selfish! I've been spending time with family, relaxing and watching lots of NFL football! Let's go Steelers!!

I will try to post more often, but I can't promise! I do appreciate each and every one of you that the the time to visit my blog. I'd love to hear from you, so please feel free to leave me a comment!

P.S. this is my first post using my new IPad - so here's hoping the formatting is ok!!

Bookmarks

2011-10-22T17:37:00.001-05:00

I got a call about a week ago from my Mother-In-Law telling me that my 9 year old niece just dropped the bomb that she needs a craft item to donate to the school for a fundraiser of some kind, that same week. Knowing that I'm a crafter she called me to see if I could help out. :) My niece had her heart set on bookmarks (maybe it was her mind that was made up, and not her heart set on) . . I wonder if the teacher made suggestions of what the children should make, and bookmarks stuck . . . I'm secretly hoping all the children aren't bringing in bookmarks. Oh well that's neither here nor there. :)

So bookmarks it is . . . hmmm, bookmarks . . . I perfer the kind that have magnets and really hold your page (you know, so you don't loose it or the bookmark) BUT I had to think like a kid here, so what kind of bookmarks do kids like? I remember loving bright fun colors and anything shiny or glittery (wait I have grown up haven't I? Guess some things never change!) Anywho, I also remember thinking that things that were laminated were really special. Plus with kids, a laminated bookmark may last a little longer, right?

So this is what I came up with . . .

I took scraps of patterned paper (approximately 2"x6") and backed them with white cardstock to 'thicken' them up. Then I ran them through my xyron to laminate them, punched holes and set eyelets to make them tough, then threaded some fun funky ribbons thru each one.

Here's a better shot of them . . .

If you were keeping track of them, there's 31! She needed 30 and I made one extra for her! :)
I sure hope she likes them, and more importantly I hope whoever is shopping at this event likes them too!

Watermelon - Picnic Invites

2011-10-16T17:37:00.000-05:00

Geeze it feels like forever since I've posted! All I can say for myself is that about 2 months ago I went to the doctor for high anxiety and stress and found out I have high blood pressure. He gave me meds and has since changed those meds, but the weird thing is that I believe the meds were interacting with another prescription I was on; because I started to have the weirdest leg, hip, groin and back pains! I've since stopped taking that 'other med' and am feeling better each day. I'm hoping that as each day goes on I'll get better and better. I've already noticed less anxiety, the hip/leg/groin pain is minimal now and even my blood pressure is getting better! Who knew! So, besides hurting ALOT and being super tired I just haven't had the motivation to post. I'm sorry!

UNTIL NOW! > > >

My dear friend needed a few invitations to a church fundraiser picnic/bbq event. She wanted them to be extra special so she asked me to make them for her. Of course I would! :)

This is the same friend that needed the "blingy" thank you's a month or so ago, and of course the requirements on this project were "blingy" too. How the heck do you make picnic or BBQ invites "blingy"?

For some reason I really wanted to do a shaped card. I found a clip art of a watermelon on line and used it with SCAL and my Cricut to make a watermelon shaped card. Gotta love SCAL for that freedom!

Here's what I came up with.

To make the seeds "blingy" or shiny I used Glossy Accents on them. And to add some more "sheen" to the watermelon I spritzed the green and pink pieces with Smooch Spritz (pink on the pink paper and white on the green paper-because that what I had available.)

Take a look at the pictures below to appreciate the sheen and the bling! :)

While making the cards I decided make a few extra's for me to keep on hand. On the original invites the inside had the party information, but on mine I wanted a cute saying.

With the help of my computer and printer I got the following . . .

These babies fit into a standard note card (a2) envelope. Aren't they cute enough to eat? :)

Where have I been?

2011-08-20T09:30:00.000-05:00

You are probably wondering where I have been . . . or then again, maybe not. :)
I've been here, I've been busy and I've been too tired to post. Pathetic I know!
So to prove to you that I have been here and I have been crafting . . . here is a little something I made for a custom order recently.

Customer tells me they need thank you notes for a recent fashion show they did and my requirements are "pastels, lots of bling" and if possible a model or hat on them. Well I thought and thought and thought about this and just couldn't come up with something that had a hat or model on it in pastels with bling and it not be totally TACKY. So I did what I do best, I went with my gut and said screw the requirements *ok not really!* and decided that 2 of the requirements I could work with.

I grabbed my DCWV Luxury stack (because of all the shimmery fancy paper in PASTELS) and picked out 5 patterns that I liked. Next I found a nice label to cut for the front of the cards (shame on me for not notating which cricut cartridge this was from - sorry!). After cutting what seemed like a million silver and copper labels I ran them through my printer to print the 'thank you' sentiment on them (because I didn't have a stamp that was big enough and classy enough to use - dang it!) . . . so after taping 6 labels at a time to a sheet of paper and running them through my printer repeating the process about a million times. Assembling the card front, the label and of course some serious BLING . . . THIS is what I ended up with.

I think they are a very "Elegant" way to say Thank you!

What do you think? I welcome your thoughts, suggestions and feedback! If you can't leave me a comment because you are viewing this via e-mail feed, click on the link to open the actual webpage and you can leave a comment there.

Thanks for looking!!

A few wedding gifts my super talented sister made

2011-08-06T13:38:00.000-05:00

My super talented sister recently made a few wedding gifts for her best friend. Lucky for me, she sent me some pictures of her handy work so that I could share it with you! :) Take a look at these awesome custom monogrammed home decor items she made with the help of her Cricut!

These are the initials of the bride and groom (groom on the left, bride on the right and last name in the middle). If you look really really close, the little metal thing under the central image says "soul mates". Awwww . . . . Doesn't that just melt your heart?

Here is a close up of the letters and gorgeous paper. . .

This is a neat way to honor the marriage; it can be displayed in a china cabinet, hung on the wall or displayed on top of the kitchen cabinets, fridge or decorative ledges in many homes. Actually it can go anywhere, those are just a few places I could imagine it in my house! :) Hmmm, might have to make myself one!

And this is a really cool serving tray she monogrammed for them. (Why is it I never see anything funky like this when I'm shopping!?) I'm not sure where she got the tray from, but isn't it awesome!?

If you have any questions, feel free to leave me a comment! I'll pass along any questions or comments to her, and if we're lucky maybe she'll even leave a comment to reply!

CCC#1 - part 4

2011-07-27T07:00:00.005-05:00

3 Birds on Parade -project #4 (last but not least)

Wow! Can you believe it, 4 projects form the first cartridge in my collection. I sure hope I don't start with great momentum, only to burn out before I'm even a month in! :) I'll try not too!!

Remember project #1 - that cute little birdie on the perch? I really loved that bird and wanted to make him into a shaped card. So once again I pulled out my Gypsy and got to work!
To create the base of the shaped card, I welded two of the bird shadows together at the top of the head (be sure to flip the top one both up/down and side/side). The bird and all the layers are also cut at 5".

After I made this guy and got him all together, I realized that it needed a liner on the inside of the card, since the base was dark brown. :( I went back to the Gypsy and cut the main bird layer but I hid all the interior cut lines . . . leaving me with the liner you see below . . .At this point I didn't really like the birds eye's - they were kinda empty, just dark holes. :(

So I switched to white for my base (which mean no more liners!) and made my own eyes 9and eyelashes for the girls) with a black marker.

Much better don't ya' think??Here's the whole flock together. :)Aren't they just the cutest things you've seen? I figure I can always stamp or write something like "Just Chicken in", "A little birdie told me...", "Happy Bird-day". . . they are good for several occasions!

Be sure to "CHICK" back in to see what my next cartridge will be . . .

Thanks for looking! Please leave me a comment!

Supplies; Patterned Paper-SU! retired Welcome Neighbor & Print Pack paper stacks; Cardstock-SU!

CCC #1 - part 3

2011-07-23T08:00:00.006-05:00

3 Birds on Parade -project #3

I must have been hungry for something off the grill when I picked this one! :) This little guy is on page 55. I cut him and all his layers at 3.5" and the phrase at 1.79" . . . then I decided I wanted a mini hat for the phrase so I cut that one at 1.97"

I really wanted to use a craft card I had available, but it looked too plain. So I cut up the card and matted a piece of it on a piece of Real red pattern paper from the SU! prints pack (retired) and I inked the edges to give it that 'char-grilled' look! :) Once I got it all together, something was missing, so I added the 'sizzle' marks by hand . . . also, when I cut the grill, I used white for the back layer (and I 'hid' the cuts on my gypsy) which worked well, but the color was off . . . so I got out my gray marker and colored in the bits that needed work. I'ts not pretty, but I think it makes the point.

Supplies; Patterned Paper-SU! retired Prints Pack: Cardstock-SU!

What do you think?

Cricut Cartridge Challenge (CCC) #1-part 2

2011-07-20T07:30:00.007-05:00

3 birds on Parade - project #2

For my next project I really wanted to do a round scallop card, so I found one on page 52 of Wild Card.

I cut the card at 5.5" and the liner at 5.38" but I used my Gypsy to take out or "hide" the cuts inside the scallops and inside the liner. Next I cut my bird (and all his layers) from page 49 of 3 Birds on Parade at 3.5" and I put him on an action wobble!

The sentiment is from MyPinkStamper Punnylicious stamp set.

Don't you want to know what the centers of my flowers are? . . . check them out . . . look close . . . can you guess what they are?

HOT GLUE!! A while back I got some "faux wax stiks" for my hot glue gun, you know to do a wax seal? Well that didn't really work out, but I did find that if you drop little drops of this colored (pearly/metallic) hot glue onto the Ranger no stick mat and let them set, you have your very own set of flat back pearls! And the best part is that you can make them in multiple sizes!!

Supplies; Patterned Paper-SU! retired Sweet Pea paper stack; Cardstock-SU! and PaperTreyInk

Aren't they cute! What do you think??

Cricut Cartridge Challenge (CCC) #1

2011-07-16T19:30:00.000-05:00

3 Birds on Parade -project #1

The first image that jumped out at me was on page #1 :) I just love this simple little birdie! But as I flipped through the book I found the really cute perch on page #77 . . . I decided I had to use it with the cute little birdie on page 1. I got out my gypsy and went to work.

I had a set of long (#10) cards I picked up in the discount bin at one of my local scrapbook stores. Since I wanted to use the bird perch, I figured these long cards would be perfect, but they had a weird fold/opening- so I improvised! This is what I came up with . . .see the weird opening? I really like the way it turned out! Just in case anyone wanted to know what kind of cards they were . . . here's a picture of my card next to the packaging . . . and yes I scored them for $1.50!! :)
Perch was cut at 5", bird at 1.71" and sentiment was cut at 1.5"
Supplies; Patterned Paper-SU! retired Sweet Pea paper stack; Cardstock-SU! and PaperTreyInk; misc. ribbon

Thanks for stopping by! Please leave me a comment, I'd love to know what you think!

Challenging myself - you benefit

2011-07-13T07:00:00.015-05:00

I've been wanting to organize or alphabetize my cricut cartridges and handbooks for a while now. I finally did it with the help of my computer (since it can alphabetize in seconds) I created a list of all my cartridges and HOLY MOLY was I surprised to see how many cartridges I have. 77! Really? 77!?? That's everything from original cartridges, gypsy cartridges and imagine cartridges. Holy Moly! If my husband asks, they were all free! ;)

I can honestly and pathetically tell you that I have not used nearly half of these, not even once. SAD! Apparently I'm a COLLECTOR not a USER. :) So I am challenging myself to use each and every cartridge. By putting this challenge out here for the world to see I'm more likely to actually do this! :)
I am going to go thru each cartridge and make 2-4 projects (mostly cards). My plan (which is subject to change) is to post a project everyday Sat./Sun. and Weds./Thurs. - so theoretically I could do a cartridge a week or ever 2 weeks depending on how inspired I am by that cartridge.
So let's see, 77 cartridges at a cartridge a week means I would have enough content to post for the next year (or longer if I do more projects =2 weeks for a cartridge).

Do you think I can do it? I'm not 100% sold, but I'm going to give it a shot! At least once a week you should see something . . . stay tuned!!

Since I organized my cartridges, I thought you might like to see how I store them.
I take them all out of their boxes (with the exception of the imagine cartridges) and I keep them tucked away in a drawer like this . . .

I keep the handbooks and overlays (alphabetized) in photo boxes, and the cartridges in a Stampin' Up! punch box tin. A friend of mine had given me these plastic divider things with sticky on the bottom, and that's what I used to keep the cartridges in nice rows. This tin will hold 50 cartridges with a little room left for things like blade refills or markers (or carts turned the other direction).

As you can see, I take a sharpie marker and write the initials for the cartridge name on the top of the cartridge - this way I can easily identify which cartridge I want.

If you are interested in storing your carts this way, and don't have access to one of the SU! punch tins, please send me an e-mail- I've got 2 left. :)

Old Buzzard Birthday Basket

2011-07-09T13:15:00.001-05:00

My creative sister made this awesome gift for a friend of hers, who is turning 60!!

Check this out! She made a birthday basket with a matching 'casket card'. She used the Life's A Party Cartridge for all the images.

What and awesome job! I'm so proud of her!

Black Current Cards

2011-07-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

Recently while on a trip to Jo-Anns, I found the prettiest DieCutsWithAView (DCWV) stack called Black Current. I picked up a 12x12 stack (since it was on sale).
pardon the colors in the photos, they look a little muted and I don't know why. The paper in person is gorgeous with lots of pretty pink foiling!

I cut one of the patterned pages into pieces of 4"x 5 1/4" and matted them onto dark gray cardstock to make some cute card bases . . . I used a couple miscellaneous stamps, versamark, black embossing powder and some miscellaneous gray ribbon

. Viola! Easy Fast and Fabulous!

More Recent Cards - fun with felt and foam

2011-06-25T08:00:00.003-05:00

OK, let me start by saying that I went a little overboard with this one. You are only seeing a small sampling of the cards I did like these. I tend to get OCD and need to make one in every color, blah, blah, blah :)

Once I started I couldn't stop!

I started out using the Flower Folds Die from SU!. I cut colored sheets of felt (which you can buy in 8X10 sheets in the craft area at Walmart for cheap) and then I tried foam (like you get a stack of at the dollar store or at Walmart too) . . . both are FUN!

I made the background paper using my Cricut Imagine Machine and the Hopscotch cartridge, then I just ripped some green paper for the ground, used some green grosgrain for the 'stem' and glue dotted a knot of the green ribbon on for 'leaves'. Most of the sentiments are from PaperTreyInk Mega Mixed messages & Fillable Frames #3, the "Thanks" is from SU! Afterthoughts Hostess set.

Then I finished them off with a button for the center.

Here's a couple of felt flowers . . .

and here are a few foam ones . . . look closely, I used my cuttlebug and an embossing folder to emboss some of the layers to add more texture and interest.and guess what . . . you can stamp on foam too! I had to give it a try and this is what I got!

Don't you just love these!!

What are your thoughts or ideas? I'd love to see your comments!

Recent cards

2011-06-18T08:00:00.005-05:00

I've made several cards recently but didn't have time to photograph, video or take stock of the materials used on them . . . none-the-less you want to see them right??

:) These are really fun to use with Action Wobbles! :)

I do recall using the Indie Art Cartridge for the guitar, Stamping cartridge for the words, the SU! topnote die with the retired SU! Rockabilly Designer Series Paper (DSP) and the "Stars" embossing folder. I used some of the DieCutsWithAView (DCWV) Glitter Stack for the guitar and words, and SU! cardstock that closely matched.

I hope you like them! If you have any questions, please let me know!
Feel free to comment!!

I'm a BIG girl now - Real Iced Cupcakes

2011-06-15T08:00:00.001-05:00

As a child I remember spending many days with my mom in the kitchen baking. She's an amazing baker! Luckily I learned a lot from her and I too can bake! Cooking, not so much . . . who needs to eat regular food when you can have dessert anyway!?!?

Anyway, I LOVE to make treats to take to work . . . and cupcakes are my favorite to make because they are individual servings of heaven! :)

SOOOO, I usually ice each cupcake by hand with a little knife like tool - which is fine and dandy . . . but I've been wanting to 'graduate' into "big girl" tools, like my momma uses. So, thanks to a gift card for JoAnns, I bought me a little kit for decorating cupcakes, it has 4 different tips and the icing bags . . . I've never done this on my own, but I've seen my mom do it millions of times.

Here we go, I put on my big girl apron and made me some 'real cupcakes' with fancy icing! Not too bad for my first time with the icing bags and tips. Can you say YUMMY!

The folks at work said "Yummy" all day on Monday! ;)

Quick Birthday Card using Action Wobbles

2011-06-12T17:35:00.002-05:00

I needed to make a quick birthday card, and I wanted to make it fun! So this is what I came up with!
check out the video below . . . this was the 1st time I made a video for direct upload to YouTube (with NO editing-yikes!!) AND this is the first time I figured out how to post my video to YouTube and 'embed' it on the blog!! He He, I'm just giddy I finally did it! That means more videos for you- mistakes and all - since I DON'T HAVE to edit them.

I am my own worst critic, because I think I'm such a dork . . . I'd really LOVE to hear feedback from you-but don't be too mean, please!
Thanks for looking!!

Thank you

2011-06-06T20:00:00.004-05:00

Carol Clason, come on down! . . . In my head this sounds like Bob Barker from the Price is Right! . . . but then again, maybe I have officially lost it! :)

I recently put up a post wondering if there was anyone out there visiting my blog . . . well I'm proud to say that there are at least 3 people visiting my blog, and that makes me happy! Now I know I'm not talking (or typing) to a big black hole where nobody will ever read or see my projects. 3 is better than 0 for sure!

With that said, I have a little "thank you goodie" for each of you as a token of my appreciation for supporting me with my blog!! I already have the addresses for 2 of my special 3 friends, so now I'm stuck wondering where in the world is Carol? :) Carol Clason, I'd like to send you a "thank you goodie" for visiting my blog and leaving me a comment; please e-mail me (jackiekelley1@gmail.com) with an address I can send this to.

Well . . . Jennifer & Tracy, I guess I just let the cat out of the bag! You both have a package on it's way to you . . . unfortunately it's nothing extravagant, but it IS a sincere thank you for checking my blog and taking the time to comment.

I greatly appreciate the support from all of you!
Thank you!!

I promise to "try" to post more regularly . . . :)

Florals Embellished - birthday card

2011-05-29T08:00:00.003-05:00

I got a few new Circut cartridges for my birthday, and decided to give one a try for my Mother-In-Law's birthday card . . . this is what I came up with using the Florals Embellished cartridge.

I'll be honest, I looked at this cartridge a few times in the store and passed it up . . . it was only because Michaels and Provo Craft are doing a promotion that I got this cartridge (really because once I got to the register at Michael's I found out they were out of the one I really wanted, and I needed to go so a quick decision was made on this cartridge). What a GREAT cartridge this is too! So I quickly needed to make my MIL a birthday card and this is what I came up with . .

Card base is SU! Pink Pirouette, embossed with "Textile" cuttlebug folder. Leaf colors are SU! Certainly Celery & Old Olive; Flower colors SU! Barely Banana, So Saffron, Regal Rose & Pink Pirouette. I sprayed the flower with Smooch Spritz Vanilla Shimmer (LOVE this stuff!)

Is there anyone out there?

2011-05-25T08:00:00.002-05:00

There are many days I wonder if there is anyone out there actually looking at my blog. Sure, I don't post daily . . . and sure, I do go through 'dry spells' in posting. BUT I still post in hopes that there is someone out there looking at this blog. I get lots of inspiration and ideas from blogs, so I hope I can do the same for someone else. AND there is a lot of stuff I make that never gets photographed or mentioned on this blog because I either don't have time to snap the photo or because I feel like nobody is looking.

SO, I'm asking you for your input . . . please leave me a comment telling me what I can do to improve my blog. For example maybe you want more detailed information about projects, or more pictures of projects, maybe you want to see project video's or tutorials, maybe it's a cricut cartridge series, or heck, maybe it's more frequent posts. :) Either way, I want to know that there is someone out there that can benefit from this blog. If I know someone is out there, I'll do more, more often. :) And you never know, if you leave me some input (with your e-mail addy), you might even get some blog candy!

Thanks for your help!

Mother's Day Card 2011

2011-05-22T15:43:00.004-05:00

This is the card I made for Mother's Day this year.

I used Stampin' Up! retired designer paper Bella Rose for the background and for the main label, the 3 labels were cut using a standard image on the Cricut Imagine machine at various sizes. The butterfly's are from an SU! embosslit called "Beautiful Wings". I added some bling to the center of the butterfly with a I-Rock by Imaginisce. Love that tool! :)

All cardstock is Stampin up: Pink Pirouette, Kiwi Kiss & Riding Hood Red. Misc accessories are the ribbon, white SU! shimmer paint (on the butterfly) and SU! Choc. Chip ink (for distressed look).

Monogram Cards

2011-05-09T20:28:00.005-05:00

I recently made some mongram cards as bridesmaids gifts for a friend. I love them so much I'm going to make myself a set. Here they are . . .

. . . so easy, patterned paper, a cricut, some glitter paper or stickles, and even the Just Rite Monogram stamper for some. What do you think??

Dad's 65th Birthday

2011-05-02T20:06:00.005-05:00

My dad turns 65 today!

I actually can't believe it because he doesn't look or act 65 to me. Not that there is a look or an act to 65 . . . he just seems younger than his age (which must explain where I get it from!) :)

So since this was a big birthday, and one he was excited about, I wanted to do a little something special for him . . . something that he could wear as a badge of pride . . . a custom 65 T-shirt is what he got!

I used my YUDU screen printing machine, my Cricut and SCAL2 to make this shirt.

The front says 65 and loving it!Then the back lists some of the reasons he's "loving it" . . . Medicare, retirement, grand kids and . . . Old enough to know better, Too YOUNG to care!

:) He loved it!

Red Tulip Birthday Card

2011-03-29T21:42:00.002-05:00

This is a super quick post . . .

I needed to make a birthday card for a friend who LOVES red tulips, so this is what I came up with.

I used a retired Stampin' Up! set called "Teriffic Tulips", a current stamp set called "Fabulous Phrases", and a cuttlebug embossing folder called "Seeing Spots". I wanted a little bling on the card, so I added a rectangle rhineston on the knot.

What do you think? I'd love to get some feedback!

Star Wars Birthday Party

2011-03-12T16:08:00.007-06:00

Star Wars

I remember Star Wars from my childhood . . . (Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Jaba the Hut, R2D2, C3P0 and so on) . . . but what do I really remember? It has taken our friends being avid Star Wars nuts, and their 6 year old son's B-day party to 're-introduce' me to Star Wars. See, even though I know what Star Wars is, I'm 33 years old and had not watched a full Star Wars movie (probably in my life) all the way through - either something came up and I had to stop watching, or I just plain fell asleep - not from boredom but sheer exhaustion! matter of fact, it became a running joke between my husband and I that every time the Star Wars music played, I immediately passed out like I was Star Wars Narcoleptic or something. :) I also didn't realize that there were 6 movies in all (yes I actually thought the 3 from my childhood were all in 1 movie - duh!).

So the re-introduction began . . . I've now watched (in their proper order) Episode I, Episode II and Episode III all the way through (with the exception of Episode II where I drifted off a bit - it was a long day at work!)

Now my big plans for this weekend is to watch the remaining 3 (the ones from my childhood).

Why do you care about all of this, and what does it have to do with crafting? WELL, back to the 6 year old's B-day party . . . I wanted to help with some of the decorating, so I made a banner.

I scoured then net (for like 5 minutes!) before I stumbled on this blog http://katydidcreativity.blogspot.com/

She has a super clean cut file for both a Clone Trooper and Darth Vadar. Thank you so much Kristen for sharing your creativity with the world! :)

Here are direct links to the posts she did for the clone trooper invites . . . http://katydidcreativity.blogspot.com/2009/09/star-wars-invites-and-christmas-cards.html

and the Darth Vadar thank you's http://katydidcreativity.blogspot.com/2009/10/darth-vader-cards-awesome-clone-trooper.html

Using the files that Kristen made, I made this banner (the faces are about 10 inches big - HUGE but awesome!) . . .

And just to share some pictures from the Star Wars Party . . .

this is Mom, Dad and the Birthday Boy . . .

They were even able to get a few Star Wars Enthusiasts in the area to show up in costume for the party . . .

May the force be with you! :)

wedding toothpick cupcake thingies

2011-03-05T15:49:00.004-06:00

I've been making wedding toothpick cupcake thingies! :)

That is the technical term for them, or at least it is at this moment. :)

So why am I making these? A sweet girl I work with is getting married next month and she asked me to do some crafty things for her wedding . . . well let me think about this . . . brides can be a bear to work with . . . hmmm . . . as long as you don't go BRIDEZILLA on me, OK!! :) Assignment #1, cupcake toothpick thingies.

I pulled out my JustRite Stamper "LUXE stamper" (which is no longer available - DUMB!), the fanciest font I had "Trompe Script" (to fit the luxe stamper) and the damask borders (also for the luxe stamper). I used a chocolate ink with vanilla cardstock to match the "vintage" wedding theme.

After stamping out 300+ of these little beauties I got out my 1 1/4 circle punch and went to town punching, punching and more punching!

I would line several up on my work area and put a dimensional adhesive on the back (in this case cheapo double sided foam rectangle bits from dollar store were perfect!) . . . then I filled them over and took them one by one and put the toothpick into the foam so that the "B" was straight up and down. Then I took the backing off the other side of the foam rectangle and grabbed another "B" circle, lining it up to the toothpick and stuck the two together. it was super easy, but took a good amount of time, mostly for lining up the "B's". Now she has 150 double sided Initial cupcake picks all ready for the wedding!

Kiley Name Frame

2011-02-27T15:21:00.001-06:00

A fella I work with has the cutest little girl that just turned 3 years old. Being that it was her birthday, and that I'm always looking for things to post up here for ya'll ;) I decided to make her a name frame!

Knowing that this little cutie is only turning 3, I did NOT want to do her name in cursive, since she probably wouldn't recognize it. AND I wanted to do fun bright colors that a 3 year old would love, and hopefully not grow out of too quickly. See, I do put thought into these things!

So I looked at my patterned paper supply and found this cute stripped paper from the DieCutsWithAView glitter (patterned paper) stack. This time I was able to hide the seam because of the awesome stripes in the paper, so no borders on this one. I used the DieCutsWithAView solid color papers glitter stack (yes again!) for the name (and outline). This time I used a scrap of the yellow glitter paper and ran it thru my cuttlebug with the Stampin'Up! flower folds die to cut out the little flower for the birth date.

I really like the way this one came out. :) And from what I hear, Kiley "wuved" it! :)

This name frame, more than any other, made me realize that there are LOTS of children out there with very unique names that will probably never see their name on key chains, tiny bike license plates, etc . . . all the things I remember seeing as a kid (and my name wasn't as common but it was still there) so anyway, my point is . . . hopefully I am making them something that will be cherished and appreciated for year (and years) to come. Or at least I like to think it will! ;)

Lily Name Fram

2011-02-20T08:00:00.004-06:00

I had another request to do a name frame.

It's kinda funny because I always "used to" try to make the signs match the kids room or personality, but then I started to make for people as gifts, so I had no background info, other than the spelling of the name and the birth date (because I like to put the birth date on it, makes it more special).

So how do I go about deciding what to do when it's for a child I've never met . . . I just go with it. :) I pick a patterned paper the speaks to me, pick coordinating colors and go.

So this is the latest name frame I've made.

I used patterned paper from a DieCutsWithAView Glitter stack as the background, Glitter paper from another DieCutsWithAView stack for the name and scallop border around the frame(which I use when the background paper isn't big enough to fill the frame and I can't hide a seam) :) Little tricks of the trade. :)

I cut the name using SCAL, a cute little flower from the Create-a-critter cartridge and my Cricut Expression. Then I printed the birth-date on cardstock and punched it out with a circle punch.

All in all it came out pretty cute, don't you think??

Cute Baby Gift Packaging

2011-02-13T13:59:00.003-06:00

I recently gave a baby gift that I needed to take pictures of for you. :)

The inspiration was this card, made using the Cricut Imagine and the Nursery Tales cartridge.
the stamp was from Stampin' Up!'s Holidays & Wishes stamp set.

I cut the same image as a single layer to put on the gift wrapping . . . here's the close up.

and this is what it's on . . . a cute little (or not so little) onesy (I think I used the one that is a stock image on the Imagine machine) and I cut it using the fit to page feature on a 12x12 cardstock sheet, so I think it's like 10inches from sleeve to sleeve. . . and I added a few little brads at the bottom to look like snaps.

here is the gift bag in all it's glory. it's huge! :)

Isn't this cute?!

Violet Name Frame

2011-01-30T13:58:00.002-06:00

My coworker just welcomed his 4th little girl into his family. I've made a name frame for each of his girls, so I couldn't let the newest one miss out.

This is what I came up with.

I used a DieCutsWithAView Glitter Stack for both the patterned paper in the background, and for the letters. I used SCAL and Cricut to cut the name and the flower.

Let me know if you have any questions. :)

Pepermint Bark - YUMMY

2011-01-23T13:39:00.002-06:00

Every year for Christmas I like to make a little treat for all my co-workers. This year while I was out 'craft supplies' shopping I saw these cute little Peppermint Bark kits. The kits came with 6 snowflake cookie cutters and the chocolate to make the peppermint bark. I happened to have several (about 20 total) Christmas cookie cutters at home (I had plans to use these for gifts at one point- and now that time had come!) so I bought some extra chocolate.

This project was surprisingly simple! First I washed all the cookie cutters - that took the longest because of the silly little price tags on most of them! Then I set out the parchment paper (on cookie sheets) and I melted the chocolate in a Pampered Chef microwave bowl thingy. Pour a little melted dark chocolate into each cookie cutter, then set in the fridge. simple! Next you melt the Peppermint flavored chocolate and pour on top of the dark chocolate. Put them back into the fridge to set up. Viola!

I bagged each cookie cutter tied it off with some metallic cording. Then stamped a little Christmas sentiment from SU! Christmas Punch stamp set, used the scallop oval punch to punch it out and then I layered it onto a larger oval punch. Easy peasy!

The only negative thing about this project . . . some people didn't realize it was chocolate - they thought it was a candle. So if you decide to give these a try, be sure to let people know it's not a candle. :)

Holly cow was the Peppermint bark good! I am going to make more of these in the future! Except next time I'm not going to use cookie cutters, I'm going to pour it out on the cookie sheet and break into chunks.

Christmas Card Challenge

2011-01-16T19:59:00.004-06:00

So what do you do when a friend asks you to make their Christmas cards . . . with the following requests . . . #1 Shaped Card, #2 Non Traditional Colors & #3 An Owl

WOW, What the heck am I going come up with for this challenge?

Well, let's see . . . #1 A Shaped card = my mind went directly to a ball ornament shape.

#2 Non Traditional Colors = my mind went directly to BLUES

#3 An OWL? Really? How the heck am I going to incorporate an OWL?

This is what I came up with. :) Pretty cute now that it's done and all together. :)

I used a DieCuts with a View Christmas paper stack, Create-A-Critter and Joys of The Season Cricut Cartridges, Stampin' Up! Cardstocks, Gypsy & Cricut Machines and Misc. ribbon.

You can see from the picture above that I used the ornament shaped card feature on page 79 of the Joys of the Season Cartridge. I cut that in white, then used the other features to cut the ornament and topper separately.

I decided that just a bow on the topper wouldn't suffice, it needed a loop too, in case people wanted to hang them up once they received them.

this is what the card looks like opened up.

I surprise myself sometimes with the stuff I come up with when given a challenge!

Where has the time gone?

2011-01-09T19:40:00.006-06:00

Wow, Where has the time gone? I swear I've been here. :) I've been crafting, relaxing, working and enjoying life . . . but not posting. shame on me, Bad Blogger!

New Years Resolution = post something, anything at least once per week. Fingers crossed I hold to it! :)

So I will start off catching up . . . Halloween! This was my "Boo Baskets" for this year!

I included some inexpensive decorations and lots of candy. This year I left the candy in the bags so that if the 'boo recipient' wanted to use the candy as part of their hand outs for Halloween they could.

This year I started the 'Boo-ing' a little late, but by the time Halloween arrived about a quarter to a third of the neighborhood had BOO signs up. So about 25-30 homes had boo signs up, all because of me - that's pretty cool! :)

Cricut Imagine Information

2010-10-10T18:33:00.003-05:00

For those of you that have (or are thinking about buying) the Cricut Imagine . . . I found out today that JoAnn's will let you use coupons on the Ink Refill cartridges! Wooo Whooo!!

You can't use them on the image or pattern cartridges (or regular Cricut cartrdiges) but you can on the mats, ink refills, blades, etc . . . Unlike at Micheal's which won't let you use a coupon on anything Cricut. Boo!

That was a bit of exciting news I had to share!

Cricut Imagine Nursery Tails

2010-09-24T08:00:00.001-05:00

I haven't been able to fully dive into everything that the Cricut Imagine can do . . . but here are a few samples. :)

I used the Nursery Tails cartridge to make these -

(for these specifically - you have the option to print everything as a flat image and/or break it apart and print nearly every item individually. What I did on these was . . . I printed the full image as a flat image, then I selected specific elements to print and cut out (the cute little animal-either in it's circle as it was, or in the case of the frog you have the option to also print and cut him individually).

Aren't these invitations adorable? How dang easy!!

Another great feature of the Imagine cartridges is the patterns included. I decided to play around with the Nursery Tails cartridge and my favorite Create A Critter cartridge to see what I could quickly come up with.

Of course you can basically do the same thing with cardstock and patterned papers and any Cricut Machine, but what's cool about this is that everything was printed from the Nursery Tails coordinating patterns/colors on white card stock, so I know it coordinates! PLUS I didn't have to put all these different papers on my mat and hope it all cut in the right areas.

Here are just 2 examples of using a regular Cricut Cartridge in the Imagine machine with an Imagine cartridge (for the patterns/color pallet). I was just having fun, testing out the machine.

Yes! The patterns and solid colors were printed from the Imagine machine. No more changing out cardstock between cuts! (well you still can, but you don't NEED too - that's what's cool!!)

There are some things that the machine can't do (yet) that I wish it could, but I'm hoping that as updates come and go, more things will be available and 'do-able'. Until then, this is still a really awesome machine and I'm super glad I got it!!

Cricut Imagine - Imagine More Thank you Cards

2010-09-23T08:00:00.001-05:00

My first real 'need to make for someone' project with the Circut Imagine was some masculine Thank You cards. I made these on the first day I played with the Imagine!

I used a couple elements from an image on the Imagine More Cartridge (switching out the patterns - just for fun and for my learning) as well as adding a pattern to an image from a regular Cricut Cartridge. The word Thanks came from the Wild Card cartridge. I filled it with a patterns from the Imagine More cartridge. Easy. The oval and the scallopy oval are from the Imagine More cartridge. Once all were cut I assembled and put them on some Stampin' Up! Crumb Cake (formerly Craft) cardstock. Super Duper Easy.

This machine makes it so easy to create cute projects. The thing that took the longest was deciding what shapes to use and then the colors and patterns to use. So super easy!

Cricut Imagine - Birdie Thanks

2010-09-22T08:00:00.001-05:00

I had so much fun making the masculine Thank you cards . . . I decided to make some more Thank you cards using the same "thanks" and a different image on the Imagine More cartridge.

I printed and cut each layer individually on this one . . . and learned something very cool.

See the 'default' border around the bird and branch? I like it, it looks good, but I don't understand why the colors are what they are . . . red around the branch and green around the bird. To me, Weird!

Luckily for me, while my alignment was off, this same image cute out terribly. I decided to re calibrate and while in the settings menu I found where you can change the border settings. I altered he default setting to a "custom" setting. At this point I figured it only effected the pull page patterned paper print out, but I tinkered with it anyway. :)

I changed the border color to white and the border from a .04 to a .02. And this is what I got.

Way better!

here they are side by side so you can see the difference. Don't mind that the card bases are different colors and that the birds a a little different sizes - check out the border around the bird and branch specifically - and the 'outline width' around each too.

Both are cute, but I prefer the white border with the tighter cut.

Another thing I learned. You can choose to only print, or only cut, or print and cut. SO, I took a scrap piece of cardstock (to line the inside of the card with) and printed a little birdie on it using the 'print only' feature!

What a great way to add a little extra something to the inside of cards and on the envelopes too!

I've only had it a couple days and look at the stuff I've learned! There is no telling what I'll be able to do with it in a few months (and after some updates are available too)!!

I'm LOVING this machine!

Cricut Imagine - alignment off

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

How do you know when you need to re-calibrate or realign your print/blade alignment?

Here's a sign . . . see how in the picture below the cut is 'off' on the right sides of the red and blue scalloped circles, where you can see white? Yep, it's off! This looks way worse on a detailed image like a tree branch (I'm just saying! I didn't even take a picture because it was so bad it's in the garbage.)

Unfortunately I don't have a picture of this same image after it was re-calibrated. I didn't really like the colors combo I choose and got bored with it, so I moved on to other things. Sorry!

In an upcoming post you'll see how important that alignment is! :)

Another important lesson I learned . . . I had bought some white 12x12 cardstock from Jo-Anns and Hobby Lobby . . .both worked perfectly! Being that I love Stampin' Up! and it's super smooth Whisper White Cardstock, I gave it a try too (specifically on the flowers above) and not only did my cuts not go all the way thru, the paper stuck to the mat and tore. This hadn't happened with any other cardstock I used. SO the lesson I learned, Stampin' Up! Whisper White card stock doesn't really work well for this. Use the 'other stuff" :) Add these problems to my cuts being 'off' and I was frusterated, hence the reason you don't see a nicer version of the flower above. Sorry. :)

- on a side note, there is nothing wrong with the blade or the mat, both worked perfectly right afterwards with the 'other' paper. The new mats are great! The sticky is much better, it doesn't come off and it actually holds! Love it!

Cricut Imagine - Imagine More cuties

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

I really loved these images from the Imagine More cartridge, so I had to print and cut them right away!

Aren't they too cute!?

I did have a couple of misconceptions about the machine though . . .

1- In some of the videos and demonstrations I saw I had head that you could change colors of 'things' - I assumed that meant all areas or 'things' kind of like if you could do a color fill to change certain areas to new colors. For example on the owl above, I thought you could change his head to a different color than the rest of his body. You can not. You can change the entire 'body' to a new color/pattern, but then you loose the eyes and feathers, it literally becomes a filled in shape. Which is still cool. So, for each 'layer' within the image you can change the color/pattern but it will fill it in as a solid fill - which works awesome for the things in the background of the image, but not the main focal point of the image.

2- In some of the samples I saw for the Cricut Imagine, the cow (pictured above) had more dimension to him, his horns and some of his spots were also popped up. I assumed those were 'things' that could be cut out as well. They are not, but I can see how by printing and cutting a second cow, you can hand cut specific 'things' to make it even more adorable.

Cricut IMAGINE is in the house!

2010-09-19T16:45:00.003-05:00

That's right! With all the excitement surrounding the Cricut Imagine . . .

I gave in and bought it from HSN during the release! I'm so glad I did!!
It was delivered Friday afternoon but I didn't get a chance to play with it until Saturday.

Stay tuned for some pictures of 'learning the machine' projects I made . . .
and maybe a video of 'things I've learned' too!

Stay tuned . . .

Sophia Name Frame

2010-08-29T08:00:00.003-05:00

Recently I was asked to make another name frame . . . this time in Pink and Brown!! One of my favorite color combos!!

For some weird reason I really felt the need to dot the "I" in Sophia with a flower - more specifically one of the flowers from the SU! flower folds die. I think it came out pretty dang cute!

This time when I made the name in SCAL, I used the Shadow Blackout feature on the font for the shadow, which left the insides of the O, P, and A the solid color . . . I do like it, but looking at the picture kinda makes me wish I had just used the shadow feature so the pink patterned background paper had shown thru. At the time I felt like I needed to include more of the brown. The saving grace, other than that it's still cute, is that the brown is a patterned paper and not just flat cardstock.

I also tried something new this time. After I cut the brown patterned paper for the background, the white core was showing thru, which I didn't like. So, I decided that before I even removed the mat from the Cricut machine, I would pop in one of the brown Cricut markers to outline the image. It worked perfectly! This may be something I do again and again! Well, that is unless I end up buying a Cricut Imagine machine that will print and cut for me . . . ok, I will get one, it's just a matter of time. :)

This frame is a 10x13 frame - HINT- to use only one sheet of patterned paper for the background and not have to worry about matching up a seam for full coverage, I create a frame around the edges with either paper or ribbon. It adds a great border around the image, saves paper and time!

All papers used are Stampin' Up! cardstock or Retired Designer Series Paper (I think it was called Bella Rose)

Hope you like it!!

Thank you cookies

2010-08-24T19:07:00.003-05:00

This is a super quick post, especially since it's been forever since I've posted (at least that's what it feels like to me). :)

Recently there were a couple of people who went above and beyond their job duties to help my husband, so I decided we needed to thank them with cookies! But not with just any old bag of cookies!!

Who wouldn't love to get cookies wrapped up like this?

I used all SU! supplies with the exception of the spellbinders I used for the oval and the scallop oval - and the cookies of course!

Mmmm, makes me hungry just looking at the picture!

Masculine Card

2010-07-31T07:00:00.003-05:00

I don't think I've already posted this, but this was this years "Father's Day" card.
I used the SU! Totally Tool to stamp all the images, then I used a blender pen to color in all the tools. I cut out all the tools and used dimensionals to mount them on the card. I used the Sizzix Diamond Plate embossing folder and SU! Brushed Silver cardstock to make the background.
here's a photo of the inside. :) I think it came out really nice!
Normally for me, I wouldn't take the time to cut out all these tools, but since this was for fathers day, I decided my dad and father-in-law were worth it! :)

AND More Cricut Cards - Summer Theme

2010-07-24T07:00:00.003-05:00

And even more Cricut cards! These are more of a summer theme . .

I wanted a popsicle card, so I pulled out my Doodlecharms cartridge and came up with this gem. I wanted the popsicle to look more realistic, so I added a super thick layer of Crystal Effects to give it that melting look. I love it! Makes me want to take a bite!

The stamp set I used for the sentiment is from Scrappy Moms Animal Sayings. This stamp set has quickly become one of my favorites!

Then I felt the urge to make an ice cream cone card . . . but what cartridge to use? I looked thru all my cartridges and although some had ice cream cones, they weren't what I was looking for . . . then I found it . . . on Indie Art! Indie Art has become one of my favorite cartridges for images not normally associated with the normal theme of Indie Art. Weird!

Anyway, with the help of Cricut Design Studio I was able to edit out cuts I didn't want the end result is YUMMY!

The sentiment I used on this card was from a SU! stamp set called "So Very"

And last but not least . . . while I was playing with my "Life is a Beach" Cartridge the other day I saw a cute Sun that I wanted to make. I cut several versions and decided I didn't like the look it was taking. So I used Design Studio to edit out the cuts I didn't want (all but the outline), then I inked the edges of the sun and stamped the face with the Peachy Keen "PK-490 Everyday Character Face Assortment" . . .

then I used my white gel pen to accentuate the eyes, a little chalk on the apples of the cheeks . . . and viola! A super cute sun! The background was made with a sponge and a couple of scallop circles taped together . . . and the sentiment is from the Scrappy Moms Animal Sayings stamp set.

Even More Cricut Cards

2010-07-19T19:30:00.004-05:00

Sorry I've been quite for a while . . .

I have made some cards recently that I thought I would share . . .

This card I made using the Sweet Treats Cartridge. It has some awesome card features on it!

This is the same card without the embossed bits. This time I wanted it to sparkle so I spritzed it (more like drenched it) with the glimmer mist I made using the SU! shimmer paints and alcohol. I love it!

I decided to try making some of the cute "cut out" cards from the Life is a Beach" cartridge . . . let me tell you, it is difficult! Unlike many of the other cricut cartridges, this one doesn't automatically make things 'fit' if you cut the card in one size, you truly have to figure out what size to cut all the other bits in. Pain! So after fooling with it for hours (yes really hours) I then decided that heck you can't even really tell it's a 'cut out' type card, since I felt it needed to be 'backed' with a piece of white paper (so you can't see the writing on the inside-right?)

and it just felt like it was missing something - like it needed a pattern stamped around the teal border . . . so then I thought, what about pattern paper? I've got a ton of it I need to use up . . . but then if I do that, why cut the card from the cartridge, why not just make a square card, cut the hibiscus and mat it on the front of the card - especially since you can't even tell the one above is a 'cut out' card anyway - I mean, really, what a waste of cardstock and time!

So this is my solution . . .

I like it way better! Don't you? And believe me, if you try to make the cards off the cartridge, you'll like this much easier version better too! :)

More Cricut Cards

2010-06-19T13:50:00.000-05:00

When I first for my Create A Critter cartridge I decided to play and just make some cute critters, not with a card in mind, I just made critters. Cute as they are, they sat here for about a month before I decided they needed to be on cards.

So I took these critters and made the following cards . . .

I don't personally LOVE them all (only a few I don't love) and that's OK! because not everyone has the same taste, so although I don't love them, someone else may. :) BUT on the other hand there are a few that I totally LOVE! I'm not sure if I want to keep these for my personal card stash, or if I want to sell them. What are your thoughts?

(this flower came from the Once Upon A Princess cartridge & misc. ribbon)

(this card uses the Sizzix embossing folder "Swiss Dots")

Materials used: Cricut, Create a Critter cartridge (unless otherwise noted), SU! Cardstock, patterned paper, ink, ribbon (unless otherwise noted), glitter, large oval punch, scallop oval punch and dimensionals. Additional materials used on some cards was computer & printer for custom sayings, rhinestones and flowers.

Teenager Grungy cards

2010-06-12T08:00:00.002-05:00

I recently saw a great video on you tube for great teenager cards. So I rushed out to buy the same embossing folders so that I could "lift" the idea and do the same.

I lifted the idea and made the same skull card (thank you, scrappyhour09!) but that's where it ended. I decided that I needed to use more of my "Indie Art" cartridge for this project. So here's a the cards I came up with.

The skull and the butterfly wings are shimmery from the SU! shimmer paint 'glimmer mist' I made for the "Mother-In-Law" card on a previous post.

The red part of the guitar is shiny from crystal effects - HINT, much easier to paint it on your paper, then once dry cut with Cricut!

Materials used: Cricut, Indie Art cartridge, SU Cardstock & inks, misc. patterened papers, Sizzix Stars embossing folder, SU! crystal effects, SU! dimensionals and the 'glimmer mist' I made with the SU! shimmer paint and alcohol.

If you have any questions, or comments, please let me know!

Mother-in-law Birthday card

2010-06-05T14:27:00.006-05:00

I needed to make a very special card for my Mother-In-Law's birthday.

This is what I came up with . . .

I stamped the flower and leaves 4 times each. Then I used some of the Frost White Stampin' Up shimmer paint mixed with Alcohol as a 'glimmer spray' to make them have a pearly sheen. I cut each of them out. With the flower I used my bone folder to curl up the edges. I then stuck one flower to the another (rotating 90 degrees) with dimensionals.

It's not at all practical for mailing, or even for an envelope, but the card came out beautiful. She loved it!

Materials Used: all supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted- Pretty In Pink & Whisper White CS, Bella Rose DSP, Wild Rose Stamp Set, Well Scripted Stamp Set, Frost White shimmer paint, dimensionals, Scallop Spellbinders classic small & large scallop ovals, misc. ribbon

Do you YUDU?

2010-05-30T14:05:00.004-05:00

I got the Provo Craft Yudu (home screen printing) Machine for Christmas from my awesome husband. I've had some time to play with it and figure a few things out. I LOVE IT!

I haven't shown you any pictures of what I've made, until today! Not because I didn't like what I made, I just didn't really have the time.

So, yesterday I was at Michael's, and they had their T-shirts on sale for $1.99 so I picked up several. I wanted to make myself some cute T-shirts to wear on the weekends to promote our boat/deep sea fishing business, and I decided to make a couple to wear to work (since I work in a warehouse and it gets pretty hot).

So here is what I made . . .

These are the ones I made for me for our boat . . .

When I make them for my husband, he likes them 2 toned, so this is what his look like . . .

front (pocket)

back

These are the ones for work . . .

Isn't the YUDU machine pretty awesome!?

Rag Quilt Purse Update

2010-05-29T15:50:00.000-05:00

Here are pictures of the purse I made and sent to my friend Stephine. side pocketinside pocket

And Here is another one I made (not sure what I'm going to do with just yet.)

side pocketinside pocket

I recently taught my mom and sister how to make these purses, and this is what they made.

My mom's purse before snipping and washing to make the "rag quilt" effect.

Here is the same purse "ragged".

CUTE!

Here's one she made on her own a few days later!

And this is the one my sister made before snipping and washing to make the 'rag quilt' effect.

and here it is 'ragged"

Great job girls! I'm so proud!

Isabella Name Frame

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

4th and Final in the Themed Name Frame Challenge . . .

Isabella - Favorite Color = Blue, Theme = Princess

materials used: All cardstock, patterned paper and ink Stampin'Up! - SCAL, Cricut, Paper Doll Dress Up Cartridge

SHAPED Create a Critter Cards

2010-05-19T08:00:00.003-05:00

Aren't these just the cutest cards you've ever seen? :)

Thank goodness for my Cricut machine, Cricut Design Studio and Stampin' Up! Cardstock

Leah Name Frame

2010-05-15T09:00:00.005-05:00

3rd in the series of 4 Themed Name Frames . . .

Leah, Favorite Color = Pink, Theme = Horses

materials used: All Cardstock and patterned paper and inks Stampin'Up! - SCAL, Cricut, Animal Kingdom Cartridge

Savannah Name Frame

2010-05-08T09:00:00.003-05:00

Here is the 2nd name frame from the bunch of 4 . . .

Savannah, Favorite color = Purple, Theme = Cats

materials used: All cardstock, patterned paper and inks Stampin' Up! - SCAL, Cricut, Animal Kingdom Cartridge

Some fun Create a Critter Cards

2010-05-05T10:00:00.001-05:00

My sister and I got to spend some time together recently and we got to make a couple of cards using my new Create a Critter Cricut Cartridge. I LOVE this cartridge!

I'm sure you'll be seeing more cards from this cartridge soon.

Until then, here are 2 of the cards we made.

Materials Used: Stampin' Up! cardstocks & patterned paper. Cricut, Create a Critter cartridge

Harley Name Frame

2010-05-01T09:00:00.005-05:00

Over the next several weeks I'm going to show you 4 name frames I made for a co-workers granddaughters. For each name frame I was given the girls favorite color and a theme. Sounds easy enough right? Sure! It became a little difficult to make the color combos work with the theme, but I think I pulled them off.

Here is the first of the 4.

Harley - favorite color = Green, Theme = Dinosaurs

materials used: All cardstock, patterened paper and ink Stampin'Up! - SCAL, Cricut, Paper Doll Dress Up Cartridge

My Niece's 4th Birthday

2010-04-27T10:00:00.001-05:00

My family celebrated my niece's 4th birthday la couple of weekends ago . . . She is a little princess, so we had to have a princess themed party for her. I wanted to share a picture of her cake.

Connor and her cake . . .

She was smiling so big for this picture that I commented on her "cheese ball" smile . . . so for the rest of the day whenever we took a picture of her, instead of saying "cheese" she said "cheese balls"! I guess I better start watching what I say. :)

My mom made this adorable castle cake for her . . . isn't it precious!

A gift from a friend - Rag Quilt Purse for me

2010-04-24T21:32:00.003-05:00

My dear friend Stephine has been bitten by the Rag Quilt Purse bug! Lucky for me, because she decided to make me a Rag Quilt purse!

Here it is! I could barely wait to get these pictures taken so that I switch purses! :)

Obviously Pink and Green is my favorite color combo! :)

Stephine improved on the original "Rag Quilt Purse" inspired by Angie Juda by making a single/wider handle, adding another row of scallop squares, taller side pockets, an inside pocket as well as a plastic grid in the bottom for support, and interfacing in each scallop "sandwich" for more stability. - in the picture blow you can see the interior pocket and the plastic grid for bottom support.

isn't it awesome!

I can barely wait to USE it - and to try my hand at making one (or several) like this! Oh, I'll be making one to send to her too - stay tuned.

Thank you Stephine!

Rag Quilt Purse

2010-04-04T13:50:00.007-05:00

If you haven't already seen these adorable rag quilt purses, where have you been hiding? Ok, maybe it's just a Stampin' Up! thing, since Stampin' Up! supplies are used to cut the fabric for these purses.

ANYWAY, I got the idea from Angie at Chic' n Scratch (thanks for sharing Angie!). So after seeing Angie (and several others on the web-thanks to Angie) make several beautiful bags, I was sold! I had to make one (or several!).

I ran out of enough fabric to make the handles all one pattern/color, so I winged it! I stitched all 4 patterns of fabric together to make 2 - 24inch long pieces, and went from there. Came out ok, right? :)

This is my first attempt, and it came out pretty dang cute! I decided that it needed a couple pockets on the sides, to hold phones, keys, gum, etc... they came out pretty cute too - but next time I'll make the pockets a little taller.

Then came the dilemma of the button, what to use? Everything I saw in my local big box (W-Mart) wasn't pretty or even cute. BUT I did find these neat button cover kits, and the buttons where the size I wanted. So if you look at the picture below, you'll see that I made the button out of some of the left over fabric! CUTE!!

I can't wait to make more!

What do you think? I'd love some feedback!

St. Patrick's Day Pins

2010-03-17T20:54:00.002-05:00

I decided last night that I wanted to take a little something to work today, for the ladies in the office (and maybe a boss or two too!).

Thanks to my cricut and crystal effects, I whipped up some cute little shamrock pins! Of course it didn't dawn on me until this morning (St. Patty's Day) all of the neat things I could have done to make them even better. Oh well! There is always next year - right!? :)

Either way, they came out pretty cute didn't they?

materials used - Cricut, Stamping Solutions cartridge, SU! Green Galore cardstock and crystal effects (plus adhesive and self stick pin backs)

Lucky Day

2010-03-14T08:00:00.002-05:00

Have you ever received one of those 'non-chain-letter' chain letters from a friend, where you have to send scratch off lottery tickets, socks, panties, etc... to several other people?

I recently got one (for scratch off lottery tickets) and I thought it would be fun to participate. So I found my way to the local gas station to buy some scratch off lottery tickets. Not knowing much about scratch off lottery tickets, I picked the ones that were St. Patty's Day inspired. Because they looked cute! :)

Now, how to send these out? I couldn't just photocopy the letter and send them on their way . . . that isn't my style, and my friends may be disappointed! SO, I decided to make them a cute St. Patty's Day card to 'break the ice' when they open their "non-chain-letter" chain letter. :)

So, this is the card I came up with. I had seen a similar basic green and white card out there on the world wide web, but I needed o perk mine up to go with the glittery paper I used for the shamrock. :)

PLUS, I could make a couple more to send out to my friends out of state (possibly without lotteries?) that I didn't include in the "non-chain-letter" fun.

materials used: SU! green galore, white and black cardstock, glitter paper from DCWV glitter stack, Cricut, Stamping Solutions cartridge, cuttlebug, swiss dots embossing folder, green galore stampin' spot.

Gavin Name Frame

2010-03-05T22:27:00.007-06:00

Remember a couple/few weeks back when I posted the Heaven & Annabelle name frames? Well, I FINALLY finished their older brothers name frame. He was tricky! Why was he tricky? Well, the boy is into video games like Zelda, so he really likes swords and shields and stuff like that. how do you make a name frame for a kid like that?

Well, this is what I came up with!

I sure hope he likes it! :)

Thank goodness for SCAL and my Cricut! Otherwise, I'd be lost! I used some retired SU! patterned paper from the Island Blossoms Simply scrappin kit, and SU! tempting turquoise, basic black, basic gray and brushed silver card stocks.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!
I'd love your feedback/comments!

Valentine's

2010-02-14T18:24:00.009-06:00

This is a quick post -

I got the chance to play with my Cricut the other day . . . because I needed to make some cute Valentine's for a co-worker of mine. She needed about 10 cards, with one of them being super special for her "Valentine".

Here's what I came up with for her . . .

check out the glossy lips!

AND here's one that I dropped on an ink pad and got ink on the side, so I covered it with ribbon! Cute right?

and here's the special ones I made (she only got the red one), I'm keeping the pink one for me!
these babies are about 6-7 inches big, HUGE! But I love them!

and while I was playing with my cricut I thought it would be cool to cut a bunch of little hearts (1/2") to use in a shaker card - to look like the conversation hearts. I'm not really happy with the overall look of the card, but I think the idea was pretty cute.

and I wanted to see what a couple other cuts looked like, so I played some more and got these. :) These are about 5 inches big, so they are pretty big! :)

The cartridges used were Doodlecharms, Lovestruck, Wild Card and Indie Art

If you have any questions, please let me know!

Heaven and Annabelle Name Frames

2010-02-06T07:30:00.006-06:00

I've been working a LOT! I mean, 6 to 7 days a week since March! Last weekend was my first actual weekend with 2 days in a row (Sat. & Sun.) off! I didn't know what to do with myself! I had a blast!

I finally got to do some much needed crafting!

I wanted to do something nice for someone who has these 2 adorable little girls named Heaven and Annabelle. Heaven and Annabelle are very close in age (about 2 years apart I think) and are very much alike in that they both love princesses. I wanted to make these little angels a name frame, but they had to be nearly identical (so not to cause any arguments on who's is better) and I wanted to make them kind of princessy without being silly over the top. I like to think these kinds of gifts will be enjoyed as the kids get much older too (or so I hope).

So let me show you what I made -

This is a close up of the crown. I used a really cool glitter paper from a DCWV glitter cardstock stack for the crown and the letters in the name.

What would I do without my Cricut and SCAL!?

If you have any questions, please let me know!

Thanks for looking!

He works in mysterious ways...

2010-01-31T17:03:00.003-06:00

He works in mysterious ways! Non-stamping related, update on my life that rambles on.

Today was day 2 of my first full weekend (2 full days) off in about 9 months. I had plans to hang around the house and craft, clean etc... Now when I say clean, I really only mean spot clean; wipe down counters, sweep and vacuum. I need to, but hate to, mop my floors!

This is where GOD works in mysterious ways. After enjoying a lazy morning, making breakfast for my husband and getting a few random things in the wash, I prepared to make cookies to take to work tomorrow.

I had just walked from my bedroom into the kitchen and decided to rinse out the mixing bowl so I could get started on my cookies. By the time I grabbed the mixing bowl and rinsed it out, I stepped backwards into about a 1/2 of water. WTH!? I look up and there is water all over the floor (where I had just walked!) in a matter of less than a minute, I swear there was 15+ gallons of water spreading from my laundry room (next to the kitchen) out into the breakfast room, and into the kitchen - heading straight for the living room and bedroom (carpeted rooms!).

Thank goodness I have cheap vinyl floors in these areas because anything else would have been ruined! So this water intrusion originated from my washing machine, which had just started a spin cycle when the drain hose came out of the drain in the wall and apparently let water out all over the floor! Threatening to creep into the rooms/areas with carpet. OMG! I'm freaking out, yelling for my husband, cursing and imagining mold all over my walls, wet ruined carpet. I'm FREAKING out!

Thank goodness my in-laws live just down the street, because I called my Father in law and said "We need your help, bring your wet vac over here as quick as you can!" and hung up. In less than 2 minutes he was here and the real clean up began.

So, it's taken about 3 hours to clean up all the water, washing floor mats/rugs that got wet and every towel in the house (which make excellent barriers to keep water out of carpeted rooms), I think I'm almost done. Oh, and did I mention that since my floors got a good soaking, I might as well mop them! Yes, I actually mopped my floors. This is why I say that GOD works in mysterious ways. It takes a flood for me to mop my floors! Apparently I can't take a hint and need divine intervention to really clean my house. :) I know that GOD has more important things to do, and probably didn't really make this happen. BUT it does make me feel good to think that he is watching over me, giving me that gentle nudge when needed.

Even though it was a rather traumatic and exhausting experience. I have the best husband in the world! He helped me clean it all up, move heavy junk around, and to help me laugh through it all. I have a feeling that next time one of us needs the other to help us with something, the following words will be used "what do I have to do, flood the house to get your help"?

What a day! Now, I'm off to make those cookies~ pray I don't burn the house down!

Evan name frame

2010-01-30T19:26:00.002-06:00

Here is another name frame I made recently . . .

This one is for a brand new little guy named Evan . . . his mommy is the BFF to my friend Leslie (the girl I work with who I make a lot of stuff for!). So since I've met Evan's mommy before, I wanted to make them a special gift that would be one of a kind. From what I had heard, his nursery is shades of blue with a fishing theme. Since I didn't know what kind of fishing theme it was (cartoon fish, realistic fish, etc...) I didn't want to put anything on it that would not fit, so I decided to stick with just blues. I think it looks cute!

You can barely tell from the picture, but I inked the edges of the lighter blue letters, to give it some dimension and interest.

Hope the little guy likes it! :)

Thanks for looking!!

Cherry of a Notebook

2009-12-28T07:00:00.016-06:00

My 13 year old niece is an avid writer. This is no phase either, she's been writing for years!

So what does every writer need?

A notebook to write all of their thoughts in. Not just any old notebook would do (well actually it probably would, but that's no fun!) . . . so being the super awesome aunt that I am, I decided to make her a unique notebook!

Now keep in mind she's 13 . . . and going through the "I'm unique, rebellious & mysterious but not Gothic" phase. So, pinks and pastels are out! I bought this black and red spiral bound notebook at Wal-mart, and thought, how can I dress this up without it being too cute or girly (since she's in that dark but not Gothic phase)? I decided to use some retired Stampin' Up! designer series paper called Rockabilly -with these cute cherries on it!

Once I covered it with the paper and ribbon, it still needed a little something extra, so I broke out my cricut machine and used SCAL to cut some cherries (a file I had found and saved a year or so ago), I then used a white gel pen to add a highlilght to them.

Then I decided she needed a matching pen, and a ribbon page marker.

The black and red stretch thing holds it closed, so ignore that. :)

Here's a closeup of the cherries. . . and the pen . . .

All in all, I think it came out pretty cute (but not 'little girl cute')!

What do you think?

UPDATE- Just in case she didn't like the book, there was $25 taped inside the front cover. I didn't even need to worry. SHE LOVED IT! Matter of fact, before she went home for the night she had already filled up 2 pages with stories/ideas!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T07:00:00.008-06:00

I recently went to a Christmas stamp-a-stack at my Stampin' Up! mentors house, and we had several different designs to choose from, but here are the 6 designs I choose.

This one I decided to use as my Christmas Card this year! It's been a couple years since I made and sent out Christmas cards, so it felt really good for me to get back to it. :)

and here are the others I made . . . closer up . . .

A Cricut and Vinyl Coaster

2009-12-19T08:00:00.005-06:00

I work with a fella that is a HUGE Pittsburgh Steelers Fan. So much so, that he has even recruited/convinced me to become a fan! :) Go Steelers!

What does this have to do with crafts, you may ask? Well I created what I think looks a LOT like the Steelers logo and imported it into SCAL so I could cut a vinyl logo for my truck (and one for my co-worker). Keep in mind I'm not making any money on this, so it's kinda OK. It's just for personal use. WELL, I made the car decal for him and he said "You know, this would be really cool on a coaster, if you could somehow put it on one" . . . that's all it took for the wheels to start turning!

I went home that night and cut a 2 1/2x 2 1/2 inch logo out of vinyl. I then removed the positive part of the logo and kept the negative. I applied the negative to a tumbled marble tile (I had left over from some previous stamped coaster projects). I then too Staz-On ink and a sponge dauber and applied the black Staz-On ink to the coaster, using the negative image as my stencil. Once I was happy with the way the ink looked, I let it sit for about 10 minutes - just so ink wouldn't transfer from the vinyl onto me and mess up the coaster. I removed the vinyl and it looked awesome! The vinyl did leave a little sticky residue, so out came the "goo gone" and it was done! I slapped a piece of cork shelf liner on the back and VIOLA a custom made Steelers Coaster!

I took it to work the next day, and he loved it! :)

yet another amazing thing you can do with the cricut!

A Cricut Baby Shower Invite

2009-12-12T08:00:00.001-06:00

I recently needed to make 25 Baby Shower invites for a co-worker of mine. I decided to break out the Cricut Machine with the "New Arrivals" cartridge and this is what I came up with.

Since these are square they could cost additional postage if sent in a square envelope. So, to save my friend money, I made them 4 1/4 square, so they fit into a standard A1 envelope = regular postage!

I used Stampin' Up! "Introducing" stamp set, SU! Bashful Blue and Whisper White card stock.

Thanks to my Cricut these were so simple to make, and super cute!

To un-mount or not?

2009-12-05T18:22:00.002-06:00

The saga begins . . .
To leave my stamps wood mounted, or to un-mount my stamps has been a question plaguing my mind for months. Mostly because I am running out of room to store my stamps - which means purge to buy more, and/or alter my mounting system.

I did some research and discovered that if I un-mounted, I basically had 3 options.

1- EZ Mount Cling Foam - great for storage, can be stored in CD cases, or in binders. These sheets cost about $3- $4 each, (I would probably need about 100 sheets). In addition to the large cost, I would have to mount my unmounted stamp onto the sheet and re-cut out the image. HELLO- pain in the you know what and Expensive!! NOT FOR ME!

2- Aleene's Tack-It Over & Over Glue - great option for cost @ $4 per bottle. BUT I would have had to either paint this on the back of every stamp (I'm not patient enough to let it all dry) and or I could paint these on my blocks (which was a great option). BUT at some point this will loose it's tack and you must "re-paint". NOPE, NOT FOR ME!

3- Tack 'N Peel - A CLEAR sticky sheet you apply to your acrylic blocks that allows anything to become a stamp. That means, I only have to put this on my acrylic blocks (maybe about 4 sheets is all I need - roughly $40 if you don't use any coupons). You simply remove the protective sheet to make the block "sticky" to hold your rubber image, and put the protective sheet back on for storage. And for the regular acrylic stamps, you use the other side of the block! And get this, when it looses it's "sticky" you simply run it under the faucet and let it air dry! It really is that simple. No re-doing anything! THIS IS THE CHOICE FOR ME!

So, I unmounted all my wood block mounted stamp sets. I now have bare rubber stamps stored in CD cases (using double sided tape to hold them in). Take a look at the difference in space these take up. The stack on the left is the actual stamp sets in CD cases, and the really wide stack on the right is what these same stamp sets used to be stored in. What used to take up 4 full dresser drawers now only takes up 1, with room to spare!

So this is what the Tack 'N Peel looks like.
It measures 4 x 6 1/2 It sells for $9.99 at Jo-Ann's (you can use coupons on it). Like I said, I only needed about 4 sheets, 1 specifically for my background stamps, 1 for my soon to be unmounted wheels and another 2 sheets for any miscellaneous blocks I have. I do/will have extra bits left over. But it's so nice to only have to apply this to the few acrylic blocks I have, and not to every stamp. PLUS it actually makes my images stamp better! It's made of a gel, as best I can tell, so there is a little give, which eliminates the need for the foam cushion usually on stamps. Bare rubber and this stuff stamp perfectly! AND I can see more accurately where I'm stamping.

This is what a stamp looks like on the acrylic block with the Tack 'N Peel . . . you can't even see the Tack 'N Peel can you. Look close, you'll see a thin layer (less than 1/8").

And this is how I'm storing my stamp sets. I have the label on the side telling me what set it is, and the stamps are held in place with simple double stick tape.
P.S. sometimes you'll get a roll of double stick tape that isn't very good, so if you try this and it doesn't hold - simply try a different roll of tape. I had 1 bad roll that wouldn't hold. All is better now. :)

For any stamp sets I have that are larger than a CD case (where they won't fit on both the inside and the inside of the cover) like my background stamps . . . I plan to put those in DVD type plastic cases that Stampin' Up! is featuring in the upcoming Occasions Mini, available after Jan. 5th.

This all seemed to happen in perfect timing, because Stampin' Up! just announced that they will be offering cling mounted stamp sets as well as wood mounted. That means all my new stamp sets will be ready to use with my acrylic blocks. No need to un-mount them from the foam (although I still can if I want bare rubber). AND to make it even more beneficial - the cling mounted SU! stamp sets cost less than the wood mounted ones. Imagine that! Saving time, space and money! This rocks!

One more thing - you may be wondering where I got all the CD cases? I did some more research and got quotes for shipping . . . the BEST, Cheapest and super fast (cheap) shipping was from Ground Zero Products. 200 empty CD cases (no insert) cost me $44 total with shipping. Give them a try!

One Sheet Wonder Challenge part 2

2009-11-29T08:53:00.001-06:00

My goal when searching for my One-Sheet-Wonder Template was to find one that would give me the most cards from a 12x12 sheet of patterned paper.

So this is what I got . . . thanks to Jessica Taylor

16 cards!! You really need a 'focal point' to go on each card, but that's no problem, right? :)

This was a fun challenge . . . which I may suggest to do again! :)
After I make a set of cards for myself. :)

P.S. This is a great way to use up some of that patterned paper your just not sure if you like or what to do with.

Try using a One-Sheet-Wonder template today!

One Sheet Wonder Challenge

2009-11-28T08:00:00.002-06:00

Something funny has happened . . . since my good friend Stephine moved about 2 hours away to Mississippi . . . we talk a lot more, send each other cards and even issue challenges to each other, like this one . . .

We decided that we would each find a One-Sheet-Wonder template that we liked, make the cards and send the group of cards to each other. Oh and on a side note we decided to make it more challenging by not using Stampin' Up! designer series paper, because we both have a ton of 'other company' patterned paper packs and unlike the SU! patterned paper, we didn't know what colors coordinated, so we had to figure it out ourselves. That can be tough!

Looky what I just got in the mail!

Aren't they cute? She left some of them blank so that I could add my own sentiment or image. Love them!

The funny thing is that I know when she picked this patterned paper she must have been thinking of me - because the colors are so cute and it's sparkly! :)

Stephine credits the template to the following . . . Julie Mutch

Stay tuned to see what I came up with for the "One-Sheet-Wonder" challenge.

Presley Name Frame

2009-11-21T08:22:00.001-06:00

Here is another name frame I made . . . but this one took a LONG time to make. I say a LONG time because it was almost a year in the making.

So here's the story, I started to make this name frame as an 8x10 - it looked perfect but when I put it in the frame, oops it was too thick - more specifically the center of the flower was too thick.

What to do?

I decided it would have to go into a bigger frame (10x13) that was deeper (a $3 frame instead of a $1 frame- apparently there is a difference!). So the problem I ran into was how I was going to border the existing 8x10 to fit into the 10X13 . . . so it sat and sat and sat . . . should I do a border- but how to get the border to seamlessly match up since I don't have any paper that is 13inches wide . . . so it sat some more . . . until one random day I decided to rip off the background paper I had used (luckily I had 3 sheets) and re-do it. BUT there would be a seam. how to hide the seam? Now keep in mind that I already had the birthday date embellishment and the name already done, so I had to figure out a way to cover or hide the seam without throwing off the balance of the project.

I had an epiphany and thought - RIBBON (which is the best seam cover ever!), but again, how to use the ribbon without throwing off the balance. So as you can see, I decided to use the ribbon on the side (to cover the seam) and on the bottom to balance it out, with the birthday date embellishment placed where they meet. Almost like it happened on purpose.

You would never know by looking at this that it was a necessity and not just for looks.

All in all it came out pretty nice didn't it!? Now my friend has a very unique gift for Presley's first birthday!

Kind and Caring Thoughts - Hostess

2009-11-14T08:40:00.001-06:00

This the last card we made at my upline's stampin' event. I'd like to take this moment to thank Lisa for a fun event! I can barely wait for the next one!!

Let me start by telling you that my favorite colors are pink and green, then any "happy" color after that. So respectively when I make cards, they are typically happy bright colors or pastels. I rarely ever use the Earth Elements or even the Rich Regals side of the SU color spectrum.

I admit that I need to break out of my creative shell and work with other colors more often. So it was a pleasure and surprise for me when this card was one of the cards we made at my upline's stampin' event. This card was the most challenging for me to make, because of the colors.

With all of this said, it is one of my favorites because I had to break out of my protective shell. Actually I think every card I made at this event was a favorite. Maybe it was because it was my first real day off work (both jobs) in about 6 months and/or my first chance to sit down and selfishly play with stamps. Whatever the reason, I had fun and made great cards.

I hope you have enjoyed them all!

Here is a picture of the group of cards we made.

Thanks for looking!!

Asian Artistry - Hostess set

2009-11-07T08:32:00.001-06:00

Here is another card we made at my upline's stamp event.

I love the simplicity of this card.

The stamp set used is Asian Artistry a current hostess stamp set. We used the SU! Stampin' Write markers to get the two tones for the main image. Simple!

Thanks for looking!

Halloween Pictures 2009

2009-10-31T20:55:00.004-05:00

How do you celebrate Halloween if you don't have children?
You dress up your "baby"!

Chopper has been many things . . . a pirate . . . a hot dog . . . and now a DRAGON!

It kinda looks like the dragon is eating him and his little face is sticking out the mouth . . .

Here's a top view

We joked that instead of breathing fire, it comes out the other end - believe me! :)

Franky

2009-10-24T08:19:00.003-05:00

You may remember a couple of week's ago I posted pictures of some Franky cards my friend Stephine made. I too recently made some Franky cards at my upline's stampin event.

Here are what my Franky's look like. Cute right?

The funny thing is that even though I had seen the pictures of my friend Stephine's Franky's, I didn't actually have one. Then a few days later, as these guys sit, waiting to be mailed out, I received my very own Franky card from Stephine. Now I had 2 Franky's side by side. What a difference! You think, 'oh it's a Franky, how different can they be?" Well, let me be the first to say that although the Franky's I made are cute, Stephine's are way cuter! Here is a side by side comparison.

What makes me like her Franky better than mine? I like the color green she choose for Franky' the black ink she used to distress him (compared to the green ink on my Franky), I like the way she made the eye's "sleepy", the black outline around the face and even the drippy hair is cute.

Does it really matter? No not really, because like a rose is a rose, a Franky is a Franky and they are fun to make, give and receive. So no matter what kind of Franky you make, get in touch with the inner mad scientist and 'create' a Franky of your own.

Thanks for Looking!

Sweet Centers Halloween Card

2009-10-21T08:02:00.001-05:00

I recently went to a stampin' event at my upline's house and we made a variety of cards that I'll be sharing with you over the next couple of weeks.

Here is the first one I'm sharing . . .

This card features the new Sweet Centers stamp set and Batty for you. It's a simple postcard type, where instead of opening, you write your note on the back.

Often times I get stuck in a rut, not being able to see a stamp set in a way other than the catalog samples. This is a great way to show how you can use the Sweet Centers stamp set without using the treat cups and not loose any of the fun!

Thanks for looking!

Boo!

2009-10-18T07:26:00.004-05:00

It's October, time for ghosts, goblins and Boo Baskets! What's a Boo Basket you might ask? A Boo Basket is basically a treat or gift that you leave for your neighbor anonymously in hopes that they will in turn "Boo" two other neighbors. Once the Booing has begun, it usually spreads like wildfire and before you know it, nearly every house in the neighborhood has been Boo'd.

Now, let me say that before I was a homeowner, I had never heard of this phenomenon. :)

But after my first year, I was hooked. Since that first year, I now try to be the first to get the Boo'ing started (Oct. 1st!). It's exciting to watch the daily progress and to see who has been Boo'd and to hope you will get Boo'd as well. Typically by Halloween, most houses in the neighborhood have been Boo'd.

If you have been Boo'd you are to hang the Ghost Boo sign in your door, 'to keep other spooking phantoms" away - in other words, so you don't get Boo'd twice. Then you are supposed to turn around and Boo 2 of your neighbors, who in turn repeat the process and before long, everyone has given and received a treat.

So here are the directions and the sign (the sign - everyone that has been Boo'd puts on their door.)

This year, this is what my Boo Baskets look like to the person who opens their door to the surprise.

and once you remove the ghost Boo sign and the directions, this is the inside of the basket . . .
the basket itself is a witch's cauldron trick or treat bucket, filled with a styrofoam door plaque (it doesn't look like styrofoam), a skeleton decoration, Halloween cookie cutters, a packet of sugar cookie mix (to use with the cookie cutters) and lots of candy under neath all the other goodies. :) I purchased everything except the sugar cookie mix from Dollar Tree, so you don't have to spend a fortune on these things. I probably spent about $7 on each basket.

Here's hoping you start the Boo'ing tradition in your neighborhood. There are lots of printable directions and signs on the internet that you can use to start your Boo'ing tradition.

Good Luck, now go get Boo'ing!

Baby Boy First 12 Months Box + Bear

2009-09-26T08:00:00.001-05:00

A few years ago when my neighbor had her daughter I gave her a cute girly decorated box to document the baby's first 12 months. The idea is that the baby grows so much in that first year, and you don't even see it as it happens . . . BUT the bear stays the same, even years from now . . . so you take a picture of your baby with the bear each month. You put the pictures on the cards inside the tin for each month . . . so that you can look back and see how much your baby changed each month in that first year.

Well with all this said, she just delivered her 2nd child, a boy! So, of course I had to give her a baby boy first 12 months box too! Luckily I had this one almost done and waiting for me to finish (for a while now, almost a year! - guess I was waiting for this occasion!). So all I did was finish the focal point on the front of the tin and photo book and add some ribbons on the handle and VIOLA!

Here is the gift ensemble-

There is a poem around the bears neck that basically explains what the gift's purpose is.

This is the inside of the tin . . . there is a photo book, 12 tabbed dividers (1 for each month) and a pocket in the top with "lick & stick" photo corners (for those non-scrappers) and a little sheet with directions.

On the back of the tabbed month dividers, it has a journaling area and it says "He did the cutest thing today..." so that each month you can document when they started to smile, roll over, sit up, crawl . . . etc.

What do you think? I'd love your feedback!

Mini

2009-09-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

A couple months ago, I got a Dell mini 10" computer (which I love!) . . . and even though it was beautiful as it was (PINK!) I decided I wanted something unique on it (and to cover up the dell logo). So . . . I decided to try my hand at InkScape, SCAL and my cricut. There is a new stamp in the Stampin' Up! catalog that this is based on, it's called Medallion. I imported the image into inkscape and converted it into and SVG file, then imported it into SCAL and cut it with my Cricut. Boy was it intricate - a lot of little bits to remove! BUT, don't you think the final project looks fantastic! I love it!

I never thought I'd see this at the marina...

2009-09-13T21:03:00.003-05:00

I never thought that I'd see this at the marina!

I don't know why, but I never thought I'd ever see a flock of SWANS swimming around at the marina! Geese, sure! Seagulls, you betcha! Even the occasional porous swim by. But SWANS? There were 8 of them in total (one of them was a duck!- so there were 9 in the bunch). I had so much fun watching them swim around the Sabine (the enclosed area where the marina is). They were very friendly and came right up to where I was.

Here are several photos of the flock

P.S. is "flock" even the right word to use for a group of swans? Either way, it was a fantastic part of my day!

Advent Calendar

2009-09-12T07:07:00.000-05:00

Here is another amazing project my friend Stephine made . . . she's been wanting to make an Advent Calendar for years! She finally tackled the beast! Look how awesome she did!

I'm pretty sure she used the Cricut for the title, and I believe she printed the dates then punched them out with a circle punch. She used a big artist canvas for the background and watchmaker or wedding favor tins for the daily goodies. This is why she inspires me - isn't it amazing?

Look at the Cute stuff my Friend has been making!

2009-09-07T06:41:00.004-05:00

My friend Stephine just moved to Mississippi, which sucks for me, but is good for her (so I have to be happy for her right? BOO!). The good thing is that now she has more time to makes fun stuff for her son and his class. Check out the cute Frankenstein cards she made for the class.

I'm not sure what all she used here, but I can see that she used the Top Note Die, a couple of circle punches, the Round Tab Punch and the Martha Stewart punch that looks lime slime. Didn't she do a great job! I love them!

The funny thing about us as friends, when it comes to crafts, is that we are opposites. I see this and think - "oh that's too much work, I want to make something that won't take as long" and she looks at this and things "I got this!" Isn't she amazing!? We are a good team because we inspire each other and encourage each other. Great job Steph!

JustRite How To: 1 5/8" Monogram Stamper Kit

2009-08-24T23:00:00.001-05:00

Several weeks ago I was asked to make a video for JustRite Stampers on how to use the Monogram Stamper Kit and the coordinating wood block. Of course I jumped at the chance, because after all I do LOVE the JustRite products! I especially love the monogram stamper kit for the ease of use and the ability it gives you to completely customize your projects.

Here's my video . . . I hope you enjoy it!

you can watch it in better quality on YouTube : JustRite Monogram Stamper How To

What's the benefit of having 2 jobs?

2009-08-03T20:34:00.004-05:00

Well, let's see, other than the extra $ and the fun of working 7 days a week (OK, that's not a benefit!) ...

#1 benefit, I was able to jump on board and join a couple of my friends on the Dolphin Cruise boat (Chase-N-Fins) that we book at our marina. What a fun time I had! If your in the area I suggest taking a ride! FUN!

#2 benefit - I've been able to work on my tan little (I wear SPF 60 when I'm at the marina, so trust me, this minor tan has built up gradually in the past 4 months!)

Here I am (in the middle) with my friend and co-worker (at my full time job) Kirsten and her sister Tracy (my new friend!).

This was the first day I finally got to meet Tracy, we were meant to be good friends because we have stamping in common. Kirsten would tell me about her, and her about me, and say that we would be great friends. And she's right!

Tracy is in the middle of a move right now, but once she gets settled (far away, just like where she came from-boo!) I will have myself a new "stamp-pal" (kinda like a pen-pal, but more about the stamping!). So what does that mean? I will have someone to send cards to (which means I will have to make cards!) and someone to get cards from! :)

So, given that I'm working 2 jobs, I'm not able to craft that much. :( BOO! BUT once the tourist traffic slows down and the hours shorten at the marina . . . I should find myself with some much needed time on my hands to stamp and create!

Stay Tuned . . . summer's going to start winding down in the next few weeks. :)

a quick update

2009-07-19T21:49:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone! I wanted to give you a super quick update. I haven't posted anything lately because I am working 2 jobs right now, which means 7 days a week- with both jobs on some days. So to say the least, my free time is few and far between.

The summer will be winding down here pretty soon, so in the next few weeks I should be afforded some time to stamp and create.

I just wanted to give you a heads up, so please keep checking back . . . I will post again! :)
Until then, Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!

Sandi's JustRite Monogramed Card Set

2009-06-20T09:00:00.001-05:00

My dear friend Sandi just had a birthday and I wanted to make her something special because she's had a rough year. Knowing that her favorite color was RED, I decided to make her some custom monogram cards that she can and will use.

I used the JustRite Monogram Stamper kit, Die Cuts With A View Citrus stack, SU! Real Red, Whisper White and Basic Black Cardstock.

Easy Peasy!

And She's on a roll!

2009-06-17T20:53:00.003-05:00

My sister is on a roll with these Sucker Bouquet's . . . Here's her latest creation . . . who would ever have thought to use a beach sand castle pail like this? She's thinking out of the box, and I LOVE it!

Sucker Bouquet's

2009-06-15T21:38:00.003-05:00

So I was on a sucker bouquet kick for a while and stuck in a rut of birthday "# SUCKS", like "40 SUCKS" and there had to be 40 suckers in there because I'm slightly OCD. My super smart sister decided the sucker bouquet's are great gifts in themselves and don't have to be "something sucks" related. Below are pictures of a couple of sucker bouquet's she recently made . . . a child's pirate themed sucker bouquet and a teacher appreciation gift.

What great ideas! Sometimes I get stuck in a box and can't see my way out of it, until someone shows me the way out. It's so nice to have someone that can take the blinders off and show me a different way to do things, a different way to look at things - putting a fresh spin on things. God bless my sister, she's the best! She inspires me! Thank you Jen!! :)

Eli Name Frame

2009-05-31T07:20:00.029-05:00

This video shows you the process I go through while making a name frame. The entire process takes a couple hours . . . I have sped up and edited out non-important parts so that you can see the process. It's a long video close to 25 minutes . . . (yikes!) . . . so go get some popcorn and enjoy the show! :)

You Hit The Nail on the Head - Masculine card

2009-05-23T07:38:00.000-05:00

You hit the nail on the head - Masculine Card

OK, so I've been on a masculine card kick . . . Let's face it, I don't have enough masculine cards . . . I just like pink much better. :) So, when I was asked to host a stamp-a-stack with a masculine theme . . . several cards later . . . you get the benefit!

Watch the video below to see how I made this one . . .

JustRite 4X4 Masculine Happy Birthday

2009-05-16T10:00:00.001-05:00

JustRite 4X4 Masculine Happy Birthday

Watch the video below to see how I made this cute little card - so stinkin' easy! :)

JustRite Sonnet Stamper - Rasberry Tart Happy Birthday

2009-05-09T10:00:00.003-05:00

Isn't this card just delicious?!

I gotta tell you, this is my favorite card right now! I just love it. maybe it's the pink and green combo, maybe it's the JustRite Sonnet stamper, or maybe because it's almost MY birthday! Who knows, but I do love it!

Watch me make it below . . .