Well hello, it's Sheila from She's A Sassy Lady and today I am so excited to share this shaped spinner card with you on The Bug Bytes and Cricut Is Close To My Heart. This is such a fun card and is great for children and adults alike. I used the Close To My Heart Art Philosophy cartridge for the base of this card, George for inside the spinner, Birthday Bash for the butterfly and Celebrations and Sentimentals for the sentiment.

Now wasn't that easy... I just love these fun interactive cards, don't you? Be sure that you have all your supplies on had and it will be easier to put your card together.
 Don't you just love this paper? It is from the Close To My Heart Lucy paper packet. I used Martha Stewart glitter glue in place of stickles as I was out of pink. I inked all papers with Cotton Candy Ink Essentials.
 Doesn't the inside of the card look beautiful? I love the layers and there is still room to write a little message to the person receiving this card. Won't they feel special when they see all the work you did to put a smile on their face.

Happy 5th Monday, everyone! This is Sandi of Soft Side of Sandi  (personal blog) and also Stuck on U Sketches  challenge blog.  I was so flattered when Sheila asked me to do a Guest Designer spot for her. My approach may be a little less "technical"  than you normally see here at She's a Sassy Lady ... but I figure that's okay. I mainly do layouts and only a few other types of paper crafting projects as needed. So, I decided I would just walk you through how I usually approach a layout and share my cut file.  First, let me show you the finished product:




My first step in doing a page is to decide upon the photo (or photos) I will use and then to select papers to go with my them. That for me is the hardest part! I love paper and have far too many options! On this page I wanted to keep the photo as a color photo and chose to match my mom's blouse. TIP: When I first began to scrap, I would rely on my Color Wheel quite frequently for assistance. Over time, I use it less and less .. and bend the rules somewhat to meet my needs. But if you are new to paper crafting, I highly recommend using one.  Here's a pic of the papers I chose:


Love using purple and teal together! Today I've used Webster's Pages Shine a Light and Foo on Film, as well as misc cardstock.

Next, I usually select a sketch to go with the number of photos I will be using. I also have a few fall-back sketches memorized that I use when the mood strikes, like with this page. (TIP: There are lots of great sketch sites online.  I have even recently downloaded some sketches to my I-phone from the App store. You may at first feel limited when using a sketch ... until you see how it can improve your results.)  Then I start designing either on my Gypsy or in Design Studio to see if my page elements will fit and look balanced. This was how my page looked in DS:



Here's a few photos of some of the cut elements:



Next, I used my Zutter Distress-it-all to distress my 12x12 paper edges, then inked them with Tim Holtz Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink. I normally do more layers on my pages but since I was using a large photomat, a large title and the dressform cut, I decided I would like to stay with one continuous paper.  After distressing my edges and inking them, I adhered the purple paper to black cardstock. TIP:  If you do not have a distressing tool, you can always just use the edge of your scissor blade.




I scanned the photo of my mom and did some photo editing before printing it and adhering it to the photomat which was cut using the Cricut Sentimentals cartridge. TIP: Scan your photos before using them so that you will have digital storage and will not have to use your originals. Before I adhered it to my paper, I assembled my title and the shadow layer using my Zig 2 way pen. Those were cut using the Nursey Rhyme cartridge. Then, after inking my edges with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Broken China.  I adhered my photo and title to my page, as well as the black corner scrolls which were cut from the Cricut Heritage cartridge.



My dressform was cut multiple times using the Cricut Forever Young cartridge to make it thicker without stopping to cut some chipboard. Then I decorated "her" a bit with some ribbon for her skirt and flat-backed adhesive pearls at her neck. TIP: Foam squares were used on the backside of the dressform to provide some dimension and lift it off the page.



Before placing my flowers on my page, I used Terrifically Tacky Tape along the bottom of my photo and attached some black trim from my stash. Once the flowers were in place, the scissors (also from Sentimentals) were glued to my flower cluster. My flowers are a mix of Prima Guava Peony Etude and Petaloo Chantilly Mixed Blooms in Green. TIP: You could also easily use your favorite hand made paper or fabric flowers.

Lastly, I added some purple crystals to the chandelier, pearls to my photomat and a single Jolee's purple Fluer-di-lis on the right side of my black trim.  I did journal beneath my photo after taking a photo for this tutorial. The crystals and pearls are the Prima E-line variety from my stash. TIP: I use a flat blade like a wallpaper knife to lift my stones from the packaging and to transfer then to my paper. Works great for me!


If you are interested, here is the link to the DS cut file: http://www.box.net/shared/9yv1ntpnti
And here is the link for the Gypsy version of the file: http://www.box.net/shared/2gjydfef51

In closing, I just want to thank Sheila for having me here today.  I hope you enjoyed hearing about how I made my little project! Please let me know if you have any questions.

 Sandi

Hey everyone this is Melissa and I just have to tell you how excited I am to be here!  I have been watching Sheila make these beautiful window cards and I had to make one for myself!  However, try as I may, it wasn't happening.  As you saw from the video I kept using an object instead of a frame.  After a bit of frustration I emailed Sheila, the lady who knows how to make her Gypsy Lady strut her stuff!  She fixed the problem and helped me to create this lovely window card.  Now, on to the tutorial! 
The paper was chosen before the design for the card.  I had just received this new pack of Stampin' Up paper called Love Letter.
For the card base Sheila picked out something similar to what I wanted from Gypsy Wanderings.  I love this shape and as you now know, it has a perfect frame built in.  I also used Sentimentals for the bird.  Once I got the file back from Sheila I decided to add a few layers for dimension.  Here is a shot of my cutting mat with my chosen paper and a Gypsy shot of the extra layers I added.

I like a nice sturdy card base so I cut this in a nice thick black card stock.  I then duplicated the front of the card in the red patterned paper.  I adhered this red piece over the front using my ATG adhesive and a tiny bit of glue on the edges.  I don't recommend glue for thin papers but I do like when my edges are adhered properly.  So if you use a thinner paper use an adhesive runner or something you trust to not wrinkle your paper.
Next, I added the black polka dot paper for the bird shadow and layered the black scrolling paper for the bird.  I added some black lines to the envelope.  I adhered this just under the birds beak.  I loved the look of the window card already but I didn't like the black background behind for writing a sentiment.

 I decided to cut out a circle a bit larger then the window but keeping in the parameter of the card in the red patterned paper and added the cream circle just a smidgen bigger then the window on top of the red paper.  I like the circle that shows under the window to be just a hair larger to ensure no black or red peek through.  Next, I wanted to add my stamped sentiment and birds.  I used my Studio G $1 clear stamps and a Versafine black ink pad.   I was able to stamp one bird right through the front.  However, the others took a bit more time and lining up.  I also took into consideration how they would look inside the card.

Finally, I added some natural hemp twine to the edge with a cute little crown charm. 
You know my favorite part of this whole card - once I had the design and help from Sheila it was SO easy and it turned out gorgeous!  Thanks for your help Sheila - you rock that Gypsy Woman and I will definitely be making more window cards!


Well its Sheila again, look at the inside of this card, isn't it gorgeous. I am thrilled with the look. I know it is totally different from what Melissa usually makes but it is just as beautiful. I hope you get the opportunity to visit her on her blog and check out all the wonderful things things she has created.
Now please join me in welcoming Melissa as a Sassy Designer. She is such a talented lady that has recently started a new and successful blog and I was thrilled we she agreed to become a part of our Sassy Designer team! Melissa will make her first solo debut on Monday September 20. I sure hope you all come back and see was awesome project she cooks up for us.
Thanks for joining us today. Please be sure to leave Melissa plenty of sweet words of encouragement for this wonderful card she designed. I know she has inspired me to consider the inside of the card and what peeks through to complete a look or an effect. Awesome card Melissa!