Saving My...

I didn't get to participate in any NSD events yesterday, so I was insistent that I was going to participate in The Greeting Farm's NSD challenge.  (No worries, I WILL be scrapping next Saturday instead!)  So, the only rule for this challenge was to only use stamps from The Greeting Farm; any papers & embellishments were OK.  After a little thought & searching, I found just the pictures I wanted to scrap and this is the result:

That cute image from The Greeting Farm is called Cheeky Rockabilly - isn't she great?  I thought her fashionable attire was the perfect antithesis to Sarah's lack of fashion savvy at the age of 2 1/2!  My patterned papers are from My Mind's Eye , and my cardstock, ink, and adhesive gems are from Close To My Heart.  The little metal stars are iron-on studs I adhered using my i-Rock tool.  I used my Cricut to cut my title (Opposites Attract) and stars (George and Basic Shapes).  Taking my lead from the patterned paper, I used Making Memories white paint on the edges of my papers and photos.  Finally, the whole page is based on a sketch from sketchsupport.blogspot.com  - I just changed the orientation of some of the photos and used striped paper instead of cutting strips of several different papers.  I stuck with the star shapes used in the sketch for my embellishments because they seemed to fit the theme so well.  I actually thought about using hearts first to be different, but "fashion" just screams stars at me so I left it!

My Cheeky Rockabilly was stamped on some Parchment CS so I wouldn't have to color skin, lol, and I paper pieced her clothes using the MME paper.  I added color to her eyes & lips with gel pens, and colored her hair & shoes using CTMH markers.  The eyelashes were done with a Micron pen.  I also added itty bitty adhesive gems for earrings.  (You MAY be able to see them if you click on the photo to enlarge it.)

That's it for today!  Be sure to come back on Tuesday for an awesome (if I do say so myself) card featuring another TGF stamp, and a tutorial on embossed faux leather.

Good morning all!  I've had a productive few days around the house clearing out some outgrown kids' clothes and scheduling the hubby to take our giant paper weight at the electronics recycling drop-off.  And my scrap room looks fabulous again!  (Next on my agenda: going through my own clothes and cleaning out the pantry!)

So, for those of us stuck at home and unable to attend CHA, I thought I'd have some giveaways to make us happy.  Be sure to check back daily through Monday for a new prize every day!  I assembled a fun little assortment of goodies for the first prize.

I'm including a D-sized stamp set from Close To My Heart (Amore), 3 bird silhouette stickers from Heidi Swapp, about 2 yards of "Be Mine" ribbon from American Crafts, a set of 3 ribbon slides from CTMH, and a mini album from CTMH.  Rules for entry are easy and as follows:

• You must be a follower
• Just leave a comment to enter (limit one entry per person, and make sure I have a way to contact you) 
• Entries must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. on Monday, January 31

OK, on to the layout I wanted to share.  Now that I have a clean scraproom again, I was able to finish a cute layout yesterday afternoon. I have to admit, I started this layout a couple of weeks ago.  Something about it just didn't feel right the way it was, so yesterday afternoon, I wound up peeling a bunch of circles off of my layout and replacing them with different colored circles.  I like the way it looks now MUCH better.

If you think there's something missing you're right.  I have no journaling, other than a date, on this layout.  It is my opinion that some pictures just don't require words - I think these are pretty self-explanatory, lol.  Also, a quick tip on the big butterfly - to get the multiple colors in one step, just ink up your stamp with the lighter color then "roll" the edges of the stamp through the darker stamp pad.  Easy peasy! 

I have to say, I'm really loving this Wings kit!  And for some reason, it just felt right to use butterflies with pictures of bubbles... it's probably just me...  OK, supplies used for this layout are as follows (all supplies are from Close To My Heart unless otherwise specified):

• "Magic" pattern book (Juggling Act, pg 110)
• Wings Paper Pack (See below to read how to save on several new products when you buy the Wings Workshop Kit.)
• Bohemian Alphabet stamp set (title)
• Exclusive Inks stamp pads in Sweet Leaf, Juniper, Vineyard Berry, Black, and Twilight
• Save the Date stamp set (date in circle)
• Just Be You stamp set ("spirograph" looking thing in Sweet Leaf circles)
• Find Your Style, January stamp of the month set (butterfly)
• Opaques Pearl Adhesive Gems
• Sparkles Blue & Green Assortment
• Foam Adhesive Tape
• Cricut cartridges - Opposites Attract for title and George and Basic Shapes for the circles
• I-Top brad maker from Imaginisce

A quick reminder - you have only a few more days to take advantage of the January preview specials (ends 1/31).  Here's the gist: purchase the Wings Workshop Kit at a discounted price of $29.95, and get great discounts on several stamp sets.  Plus, get your stamp of the month set free with a smaller than usual purchase this month.  You can view the complete brochure here for all the details.  If you any questions, just drop me a line through my website & I'll get back to you ASAP!

Don't forget to enter for today's prize, and check back for additional giveaways in daily posts through Monday!

I just love this month's Circle Magazine challenge!  It's all about upcycling a thrift store find, and I love a good thrift store.  Here are the rules:

"We are taking the challenge from Lisa’s Design Star Feature for our contest this month!
Find something from the thrift store to repurpose with your imagination and your Cricut Machine. Please use at least four Cricut cuts in your design."  Contest is open only to Circle members.

It may surprise some people to know that my favorite thrift store finds are usually clothes.  I find many brand-name goodies for the kids, and even items for myself.  After all, why spend full price on black pants for work?  Or jeans to wear around the house?  And I can't believe that so far, none of the entries for this contest are using clothing!  So, I found this Old Navy jean jacket that looks like it's never been worn...
You probably can't read that Goodwill price tag, but I paid a whopping $4.99 for this jacket.  So, with my handy Cricut Imagine, I got to work on a design for the back.

In order to decorate the jacket, I pulled out a sheet of Cut Color Wear from PrintOnIt.  I chose my font from the Nifty Fifties cartridge for a retro look, and colored the letters pink using the Imagine.  Following the directions in the package, I ironed the pieces on to the back of my jacket.  Then I blinged up the letters using my I-rock and clear crystals.

For the front pocket, I used OkieLadybug's Cricut Head file to cut my pieces.  (The file uses shapes from George to make this cute bug head - thanks Okie!) I sized it all down in order to fit on my pocket.  First, I had to print and cut a green square on the Imagine.  Then I used the file on my Gypsy to cute the green pieces in the square, and the white pieces in a blank area of the Cut Color Wear.  I added I-rock clear crytals to his eyes, and green crystals to the ends of his antennae.

I'm thinking I still want to add something in the center of the back, but I'm waiting for the next new Circle cartridge, since there are lots of good scrappy images on it!  For now, I like it the way it is.

Our requirements this week were a layout, card, or altered item with a birthday theme and buttons, and at least two Cricut Cuts.  My numbers and sentiment are from Celebrations, and the circle from George.  I chose to make a card because, basically, I waited until the absolute last minute to do this challenge.

This month's Circle Challenge is Celebrating Creativity, and any Circle Member who plays along is eligible to win - get this - a Workbox from The Original Scrapbox!  I hope the prize for every monthly challenge is this awesome, LOL.  So, here are the rules we had to follow this month:

"The theme for this month’s challenge is all about celebrating the reasons why you love to create! Please create a scrapbook page or home decor project CELEBRATING CREATIVITY. Project must be newly created for this challenge and should include at least 2 cuts to qualify. You must also:

• Use the Shadow Feature
• Use Patterned Paper (purchased, printed, or created with stamps, etc.)
• Use Embellishments to Enhance One of the Cuts (pearls, buttons, gems, glitter, etc.)

This challenge is open to Cricut Circle Members only. Your entry must meet the requirements above in order for your name to be entered into a random drawing for the Original Scrapbox WorkBox. You must submit a project to be entered into the drawing."

I chose to make a home decor piece for my studio, if I can find a blank piece of wall to put it on.  My walls are still builder-neutral, but most items in my room are black, pink, and aqua, ao those are the colors I stick with.  I had a 16x20 canvas leftover from my Canvas Cricut Clock project a while back, so I started with that.  Here is my final result:



Using some blue craft paint (and a drop of green) and some Create-A-Shade Pearl  Paint from Close To My Heart, I painted the entire canvas with a foam brush.  Then I painted around the sides with black craft paint.  Now, I just love the contrast between distress and bling, so I chose papers with a distressed/messy feel, then I added to it by swiping the edges of my cuts with a Desert Sand ink pad.  It doesn't show in the picture, but I also sprayed my "whitish" cuts with some Pearl Glimmer Mist.  I adhered all of my cuts (except the blossoms) to my canvas using my Xyron and a little Tacky Glue in a couple of spots.  The blossoms were manipulated to mimic real tree blossoms and added  using Glue Dots.  After the paper was all adhered, I added my embellishements: rhinestone swirls, single self-adhesive rhinestones and pearls, and a couple of metal flowers. 

I LOVE how this turned out, and I can't wait to find the perfect place for it where it will sparkle and shine in the light, and hopefully help spark my creativity!

Supplies used for this project:

• 16"x20" canvas 
• Create-A-Shade Pearl Paint
• Blue and Green acrylic craft paint
• Paper from my stash (discontinued Close To My Heart)
• Cricut Expression
• Cricut Gypsy
• French Manor cartridge - bird, p.39 (flipped); half-shield, p. 54 (Layer feature, outer cut line only, slid halfway off the virtual mat on the gypsy)
• Gypsy Wanderings (on Gypsy) - branch & blossoms, p. 59
• George and Basic Shapes cartridge - M and Y
• Home Decor cartridge -  "create" (phrase and Shadow)
• Stand and Salute cartridge- "pursuit of happiness", p.71 (regular cut and Shadow feature)
• Rhinestone Flourishes (these are from Michael's Recollections brand, and are currently on clearance with the Halloween items!)
• Glimmer Mist from Tattered Angels in Pearl
• Xyron 1200 adhesive machine
• Clear Sparkles from Close to My Heart
• Opaques Pearl Adhesive Gems from Close To My Heart
• Foundry Flourishes Assortment from Close To My Heart
• Glue Dots
• Alene's Tacky Glue

What's better than a great scrapbook sketch?  A scrapbook sketch with magic.  Coming soon from Jeanette Lynton is a new book with 35 two-page layout patterns.  But Magic is no ordinary sketch/pattern book; in fact its subtitle is Interactive Scrapbooks That Dazzle and Delight.  For every layout, there is an optional interactive element.  And the best part is that you can switch up the interactive elements from one layout to another.

Here's a sneak peek of one of the layouts from the book.  This layout features one of the most simple interactive elements - pull out journaling.  It's not the element featured with this particular pattern, but it's what I needed for my photos.
Now how cute is this layout, first of all?  I love the playful tilt of the designs.  Then, pull on the tab and, voila, journaling revealed.


Magic will be available September 1st, only from Close To My Heart consultants, with a retail price of $29.95.

Supplies used:
Robots and George Cricut cartridges
Bazzill cardstock (light blue)
Stardust papers, stickers, & Flexi Labels from CTMH (discontinued)
Doodle Alphabet stamps from CTMH (discontinued)
Tab Punch from SU!

It's time once again for our CTMH consultant Stamp of the Month blog hop! If you've come here from Traci's blog, you're on the right track. When you're done here, you'll want to move along to Laurie's Scraps From the Beach blog. I do hope you'll look around a little while you're here, and if you like what you see you can click in the sidebar to "follow" me and read my ramblings on a regular basis!

I personally can't wait to see what everyone has come up with for this hop, as this set has "A Little Everything" in it. I wanted to feature only this stamp set, to show how great it would be even for a beginner. So even if you only scrapbook, you can add one stamp pad to your order, get this set for a discount (or even free), and be on your way to making some fun cards with your scrapbook leftovers. And I'm sure you stamp addicts will love the hip retro feel of these sentiments; what a great addition to your collection!

Now, on to the artwork!


This second, less well-lit image is just so you can better see the dimension on this card. I chose the colors Tulip, Sorbet, and Ocean (the lighter "backside" of my textured CS) for my card. The base is 6x6 Sorbet CS. I cut my pattern paper (from the Jingle paper pack) at 5.5" square and layered it on Ocean textured CS (backside) cut a tad larger than 5 5/8" square.

I used my Cricut and Make the Cut software to cut a 4.5" circle in the center of the two layers, then adhered them to my card base. I stamped my sentiment with Tulip ink, centered top to bottom but off to the left. I cut my Ocean circle "wreath" with my Cricut and MTC software. I stamped my border on it by laying my stamping block over the circle, then lining up the stamp to match the curve of the circle. (Where the stamped border overlaps is where I put my flowers.) The circle wreath is adhered to the card using 3-D Foam Tape.

You've probably seen these fun paper flowers by now; they're all over the internet! I created mine by cutting graduated circles on my Cricut using the George cartridge. I sprayed the circles with water and crumpled them up, then unfolded them. Once they were dry, I assembled them using Glue dots and added fun Clear Sparkles for the centers. They were then added to the card using more Glue Dots.

Now head on over to Laurie's blog and see what she has created for us this month!

It's been a while since I've posted; this has been a very busy month! But, I have finally finished my entries for this month's challenge at Christmas Cards All Year 'Round. It was a definite challenge for me this month, as the rules were to only use one layer. I'm a very "layered look" kind of girl, so this took some thought (which is probably why it took me so long to finish these!). I used a couple of tried & true as well as some new (to me) techniques, and here's what I came up with (click on the photos to see them larger).

Individual cards, and details, follow.

First up, I created a faux layered card on glossy CS. I cut an oval from scrap using my Cricut & George cartridge. I used the oval first, to mask my image area in the center of the card. Next, I used the emboss resist technique with a snowflake stamp, sponging on Moonstruck ink (CTMH) for my background.

I then removed the positive image, and put down the negative "frame", so I could stamp my trees in the oval, using New England Ivy (CTMH). I colored in details using a Cranberry marker and stamped the sentiment with Cranberry (CTMH). I added gold & silver brads to my treetops, and was done! Stamps are Holiday Trinkets from Close To My Heart.

My second card uses teh same stamp set, plus an old evergreen stamp from Club Scrap. I used the good old Post-it masking technique, as I couldn't find my Masking Magic, and stamped three ornament bases and decorated them. Colors used are Tulip, Hollyhock, Honey, and New England Ivy (CTMH), as well as silver metallic, which I embossed.

I really liked how this card turned out, & may even use it for our bulk cards this year! Nice & simple, and quick - even the hubby can help me with this one!






I think this was my favorite card, but a little time consuming for bulk production! It looks much nicer in person, since the details were a little hard to pick up with the light today.

I first created a "window" with my Cricut Design Studio and George cartridge. After cutting, I used this as a mask to stamp my tree, sponge my interior, and sponge my base. I also used it with a Bamboo marker (CTMH) to outline for more definition. My only embellishment was a little Fun Flock in the left/bottom of the window panes for a frosty snow look.

Stamps are Holiday Joy from Close To My Heart. I used stamp pads in New England Ivy and Cranberry for stamping, as well as Honey and Vanilla Cream for sponging. I used markers in Cranberry and Goldrush for ornaments. (all CTMH) Fun Flock was plain old White.

Here's a fun technique I hadn't used before, and one I'd like to do again! Of course, I think I'll need a LOT more practice with this one, or need to switch from markers to pens.

I used a Cuttlebug Floral Fantasy embossing folder on my card base, but I used it backwards so my image was debossed rather than embossed. I then used Topiary and Tulip markers (CTMH) to color in selected debossed areas in the design. Here is where I think some ultra fine tips are called for, as the coloring doesn't look very neat, IMO.

Using my stamp block as a template, I cut out a portion of the card front then stamped the sentiment on the inside of the card. (Sentiment is from Holiday Trinkets set.) To add a little "something", I used a few adhesive rhinestones and pearls to the centers of a few flowers.

For my final card, I used the old standby gold embossing. My "frame" stamp had journaling lines, so I masked those off using a Post-it while I inked up the stamp. I then added my sentiment to the center. A few adhesive pearls finished it off.

Frame stamp is a retired CTMH set, Key To My Heart. Sentiment is from the Peace on Earth sentiment set. I used an Archival Brilliance ink pad in Galaxy Gold, and CTMH gold embossing powder.


Notes: I am compensated for sales of CTMH products. I do not receive any other form of compensation for mentioning any of these products.