With Our Sympathy

I made this card for the family of a sweet elderly lady in our church who recently passed away.  Here are the details:

Size:  A2

Patterned papers:  Recollections

Card stock:  Recollections and American Crafts

Bird:  Stampin' Up Punch

Circle:  George Cricut cartridge cut at 2 1/4" (I used the shadow feature as well)

Scalloped circle:  Spellbinders Nestabilities Die (my all time favorite)

Sentiment:  Computer generated using Gessele font

Chain:  EKSuccess punch

Thanks for looking!

Older and Wiser?

Happy Friday to my blogging friends.  I am sharing with you today the birthday card I recently made and sent to my wonderful father-in-law.  He and I have always had a great relationship.  He's one of those people that you can't help but love!  Here are the details of the card:


Size:  A2
Card Stock:  Bazzill; Core'dinations
Embossing:  Cuttlebug
I used a 2 1/4" circle punch for the circle and used the negative cut.  I then cut the octagon by using the George Cricut cartridge cut at 2 1/2" using the silhouette function.  I placed it on pop-up dots over the circle cut out.
Owl and branch:  Create-a-Critter Cricut cartridge (one of my favorites) cut at 2"
Stars:  Punch
Sentiment:  Computer generated
I also used a Fiskars upper crest border punch for the background behind the sentiment.
The inside sentiment said something to the effect of:  "Well, maybe just older.  Happy birthday!"

Hope you like it.  If you comment, please accept my gratitude!

Would I Eat Your Birthday Chocolate?

I am sorry I haven't been posting much lately, but with the busy Christmas season, I have neglected my blog!  And to be honest, I have not been in my craft room much in the past month or so.  But, I do have a few cards to share, and one of those is this cute M&M card I made for a co-worker's birthday.  I was inspired by a similar card I had seen on Pinterest and on the Cricut message boards.  Here are the details:

Size:  5 1/4" x 5 1/4"
Card Stock:  Bazzill
Patterned Papers:  Recollections
M&M:  For the body, I used my George Cricut cartridge to cut the circle at 3".  The feet are a 2" circle cut in half.  The eye brows are an apostrophe cut from that same cartridge at 3". The arms and legs are strips of paper that are approximately 1/4" wide (I failed to write down their width.)  The hands are cut from the Mickey and Friends Cricut cartridge at 1 1/4".  The eyes and mouth were cut using punches.    The "m" was cut using the Plantin Schoolbook Cricut cartridge at approximately 3/4".  (This is another cut I forgot to write down.)  I used a little chalk to add the cheeks and chocolate to his face.
Roses:  Recollections
Fancy corner:  Spellbinders die "Fleur De Lis" motifs
Sentiment:  Computer generated and then punched with circle punches and scalloped circle punches.
On the inside, I added a sentiment to the effect of, "Hmmm . . . I guess I would!  Happy Birthday Anyway!"

I hope you are inspired.  If you take the time to comment, thank you so much.

They Say It's Your Birthday

This was my brother-in-law's birthday card.  I loved the idea of this card when I saw something similar on Pinterest, but I ended up not being thrilled with the end result.    But, it was still fun to make.  Every time I see this card, I start singing the old Beatles song!   Here are the details:

Size:  A2

Patterned music paper:  Unknown

Card Stock:  Core'Dinations

I cut the stars out of the brown card stock using the George cartridge and the shadow feature at 2 1/2" and 2".  I then embossed the brown card stock with my Cuttlebug Happy Birthday folder and cut the front of it down to fit on my card.

I then cut the red stars using the George cartridge, again at 2 1/2" and 2" but without the shadow feature so that they fit into the negative spots left from the shadowed stars.

I failed to write down the cartridge that I used for the musical notes.  I am sorry!  I thought they were Cuttlebug dies, but I checked, and I only have one size of those.

The sentiment was computer generated and then punched.

Thanks for commenting!  

Just Playing Soccer

Hello fellow bloggers!  I am excited to share with you the layout I made for this week's die cut challenge over at Stuck On U Sketches.  Our theme was "Put Me In Coach."  I looked through lots of photographs for anything sports related and finally found these of our granddaughter playing soccer.  I have been trying so hard to scrapbook in chronological order.  I am generally scrapbooking events that happened in late 2008, but, alas, this layout is from 2012.  Hey, it happens!  LOL.  Here are the details:

Patterned Paper:  Recollections
Card Stock:  Bazzill; American Crafts; Core'dinations
"Soccer" and Soccer Ball:  Boys Will Be Boys Cricut Cartridge cut at 5"
Shoe:  All Sports Cricut Cartridge cut at 2 3/4" using the flip feature (p. 41 of handbook) (I hand cut the leg.)
"Just":  Don Juan Cricut Cartridge cut at 2" (I cut it from the phrase "Just Because")
"Playing":  3 Birds on Parade Cricut Cartridge cut at 2 1/2" (I cut it from the phrase "Playing Dress Up")
Arrow:  Boys Will Be Boys Cricut Cartridge cut at 3"
Stars:  George Cricut Cartridge cut at 1 1/2", 2 1/4" and 2 1/2"
Banner:  1 1/4" circles glued onto 1 1/2" scalloped circles, cut in half.

This was a fun layout to make.  I think it is because I just love the bright primary colors!  I hope you like it too!  Thanks for your comments.  It is always nice to get comments and know that people actually like and appreciate your work!  And, I hope you will consider joining us for this fun challenge!

Click on the photo for a better look.

 

Thomas the Train Birthday

Today I am sharing with you something I'm pretty proud of -- my grandson's Thomas the Train birthday card.  I had seen one on Pinterest that I thought was pretty darn cute, so I decided to give it a shot using my Cricut and some punches.  Believe me, it was a hit with my grandson!  Here are the details:

Size:  4 1/4" x 6 3/4"
Card Stock:  Core'dinations; Bazzill Bling; American Crafts
Patterned Paper:  DCWV
For the top of the train, I cut a cylinder using the George Cricut cartridge at 3 1/2".
The gray circle for Thomas' face is a circle also cut using the George cartridge at 3".
Thomas' eyes and the headlights were circles cut at 3/4".
I also used a 1" circle punch and the Stampin' Up tab punch for his nose and the smoke chimney.
The tires are the Stampin' Up Word Window punch.
To get his mouth, I used a 2 1/4" circle and punched it twice to get the shape.
The eyebrows are a square punch that I cut with scissors.
I used little punch outs from my Crop A Dile for the whites of his eyes.
The green scallop across the bottom is Paper Frills.
That's all I can think of!

I hope you like it.  Thanks for your comments.

 

Finally . . . The Perfect Dress Layout

Another week has come and gone, and two great things are happening -- it's Friday, and it's time for another die cut challenge over at Stuck On U Sketches.  There's a great announcement over there about a new card sketch team.  Make sure you check it out!  And, today the design team is revealing projects with the theme of "creative, hidden tag."  It was a fun challenge for me.  I decided to do a scrapbook page of dress shopping for our daughter's wedding gown.  These pictures are from 2008!  Wow, where has the time gone!?!  Here are the details:

Card Stock:  American Crafts, Core'dinations, Bazzill
Patterned Papers:  DCWV
"Finally . . .":  Don Juan Cricut cartridge cut at 1 1/4"
Label behind pictures/title:  Elegant Edges cut at 8" using the "Book" feature.  I thought this was perfect for a background for the photos.
Black border:  Bazzill Just the Edge
White border:  Martha Stewart border punch with tiny pearls added
Scalloped circle:  Spellbinders Grand Nestabilities Die embossed in my Cuttlebug; circle:  George Cricut cartridge cut at 3 3/4" and then shadowed
"Perfect Dress":  Cuttlebug Baby Face font
Dress w/tag:  Sweethearts Cricut cartridge cut at 3 1/2" -- I cut three layers of this cut and the shadow.  The top layer has the embossing for the skirt.  I cut another layer using the blackout feature and cut a slit in it.  I then cut the third layer and cut the bottom half down to the size of a tag.  The tag slides into the slit that I cut to hold it.
Flowers:  Prima and Recollections with a button added to the red flower as a center
Flourish:  Sizzlit die
Plastic Dress/Wedding Bells Embellishments:  Unknown; purchased in a package of wedding buttons and embellishments at least 5 years ago
Hearts:  Punch
Arrows:  Cuttlebug dies

Thanks for taking the time to comment.  If you have questions, let me know.  Have a blessed, crafty day!

Click on the photos for a better look.

 

Happy Birthday for my Dad

My sweet Daddy had a birthday last month, and this was the card I made for him.  I have a tough time with masculine cards anyway, and once I've made 15 cards for someone through the years, I have a hard time coming up with new ideas.  But this one turned out cute, so I'm happy with it.  Here are the details:

Size:  A2
Card Stock:  American Crafts and DCWV (shiny paper)
Patterned Paper:  Recollections
"Happy":  Don Juan Cricut Cartridge cut at 1 1/2"
Stars:  George Cricut Cartridge cut at 1 1/4" and 1 1/2"
Wavy border:  EKSuccess
Ribbon:  Unknown
Sentiment:  Computer generated and cut using a Spellbinders tag die.
Small stars:  Layered punches
I also used my Cuttlebug to emboss the white section and the stars.

Hope you like it and are inspired!  Thanks in advance for leaving a kind word.  Have a blessed, crafty day!

Just A Note (for Mom)

Is it Friday already?  It sure is!  And I don't know about you, but I love Fridays, especially Fridays that we have a great reveal over at Stuck On U Sketches.  This week we were to create a project using die cuts that showcase the theme "in celebration of mothers."  At first glance, you might have a hard time believing that is what my creation does, but this will be my Mom's card for Mother's Day.  She always wanted to play a piano, and I know this will mean a lot to her.  The inside sentiment says, "to say I love you very much and pray you have a wonderful Mother's Day."  I hope you'll join us for this challenge!  Here are the details of the card:

Size:  Approx. 3 3/4" x 5 1/4"
Card shape:  Life's A Party Cricut cartridge  (I love the cards on this cartridge.)  As soon as I saw this shape, I thought of a grand piano.  I ended up cutting the size of the card just a little after it was cut in order for it to work with the size of the keys.
Piano keys:  George Cricut cartridge -- 2" for the white keys; 1 1/2" for the black keys (popped with foam tape)
Flowers:  The large flower was cut using the  Flower Shoppe Cricut cartridge at 4"; the three smaller flowers are Recollections flowers.
Yellow border:  Fiskars border punch
Sentiment:  Computer generated and punched using the Stampin' Up Word Window punch

I hope you like this card.  I really like how it turned out!  Be inspired!

 

A Special Blend of Birthday Wishes

Hello blogger friends.  I am sharing with you today a card I recently made for a sweet co-worker's birthday.  She loves coffee, and although this is technically a tea cup, it still worked for her card.  Here are the details:

Card:  Life's a Party Cricut cartridge cut at 5 1/4" (page 29 of the handbook)
Circle:  George Cricut cartridge cut at 4 1/4" with shadow
Cup:  Wall Decor & More Cricut cartridge cut at 4" (page 30 of handbook)
Flowers:  I have had these for so long, but I believe the manufacturer was Petaloo.
Sentiment:  Computer generated and punched using the Stampin' Up word window punch

I am submitting it for Challenge #44 over at Card Makin Mamas.  It's a cool photo challenge!

Hope you like it, and as always, thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment.

Be inspired!

 

He Is Risen!

I hope everyone had a blessed Easter.  And now we are back to Monday, right?  I am sharing with you today my latest charger creation, which I made to use in my kitchen for the Easter holiday.  I now have one for Christmas, one for Thanksgiving, and one for Easter.  Maybe I'll branch out and do a summer one as well, or maybe 4th of July!  I do love them!

Here are the instructions:

I purchased the charger at Michael's for $1.99.
Cross:  Wedding Cricut solutions cartridge cut at 7".  I also cut it using the blackout feature in blue and the shadow in yellow.
Drape over cross:  Paper Dolls Dress Up Cricut cartridge cut at 8" (page 53 of the handbook)
He is Risen:  Martha Stewart Birthday Cake Art Cricut cartridge cut at 1 1/2"
Circle:  George Cricut cartridge cut at 8 1/2"
Circle frame around cross:  George Cricut cartridge cut at 8 1/4" using the silhouette feature
Flourishes:  Sizzix die
Mini roses:  Recollections or from the I Am Roses website

I am entering this into Challenge No. 80 over at Cooking With Cricut.  The theme is Easter.

Thanks for looking and for commenting.  Be inspired!

Click on the photo for a better look.

Birthdays Celebrate the Gift of Time!

Good Monday morning everyone.  Is it snowy where you are, or warm, or just plain cold?  We had our first flakes of snow for the winter yesterday.  But, it only tallied up to about an inch, so I'll take that.  It is pretty when it is falling, but I don't like driving on it, so an inch is fine with me!  LOL.

Today I am sharing with you a birthday card I made last week for a co-worker.  Here are the details:

Size:  4 1/4" x 6"
Card stock:  Recollections, American Crafts and Core'dinations
Patterned paper:  My Mind's Eye
Doily:  Wilton with added pearls
Red scalloped border:  Martha Stewart Birthday Cake Cricut cartridge (page 67 of handbook) using the cupcake feature and fit to length at 6".  I then ran this through my Cuttlebug for the embossing.  I added a small strip of white Bazzill "Just the Edge" behind the red border.
Gift:  I cut a square using the George Cricut cartridge cut at 1 1/2" plus a shadow.  I then added a strip of paper down the middle and punched a flower for the bow and added a glitter dot.
I then grabbed two old Prima flowers from my stash, along with a miniature Recollections rose for the flower. The black/white bow came in a package from ACMoore, but I am unsure of the manufacturer.  The leaves are a Martha Stewart punch.
The inside sentiment says, "Birthdays celebrate the gift of time.  We celebrate the gift of you.  Happy Birthday."

Hope you like it.  Thanks so much for your comments.  Be inspired!

Click on the photo for a better look.

Sending Birthday Wishes

Happy Friday everyone.  I am excited to share with you today a birthday card made for my mother-in-law.  I have shared in the past that she loves the color red.  This card isn't totally red, but I managed to incorporate some red into it.  The card is also part of the latest die cut challenge over at Stuck on You Sketches.  Our theme was "You've Got Mail."  That's why the card has an envelope with balloons coming out of it.  I hope you'll stop by and see what the other wonderful designers came up with, and we'd love for you to play along!  Here is a link to the challenge.  And, here are the details of the card:

Size:  A2
Envelope:  Just Because Cards Cricut cartridge cut at 2" (page 67 of handbook).  I used Bazzill Dotted Swiss card stock for the envelope.
Label behind envelope:  Elegant Edges Cricut cartridge cut at 4" (page 41 of handbook).  I then embossed the label and added a shadow.
Balloons:  George Cricut cartridge cut at 1" (and added shadow).  I used memory thread for the strings on the balloons.
The patterned papers are Doodlebug Designs (I think) and My Mind's Eye.
The sentiment was computer generated and punched with a 1 1/4" circle, a 1 1/2" circle, and a 2" scalloped circle punch
The rhinestones are from Kaisercraft.
I also added a yellow border using a Fiskars border punch.

Thanks for your comments.  Be inspired!

Cruisin' Into 76 Birthday Card

If you've visited my blog many times, you know how hard it is for me to do guy cards.  I mean, seriously, no flowers?  Ha!  I try really hard not to put flowers on all of my cards, and I doubt my father-in-law would love them nearly as much as I do.  Thus, he got a card with an old car on the front.  This card was made for his 76th birthday.  I bet you figured that out, didn't ya?  Here are the details:

Size:  4 1/2" x 6 1/2"
Card stock:  Core'dinations, DCWV
Patterned papers:  DCWV, Unknown
Car/Cruisin': Nifty Fifties Cricut cartridge cut at 1 3/4" (I cut the car in black and then in red so the tires would be black.)
Postage stamp background:  Elegant Edges Cricut cartridge cut at 5"
Star:  George Cricut cartridge cut at 1 3/4"
76:  George Cricut cartridge cut at 1"
Little stars:  Punch
"Into":  Computer generated and punched with a Stampin' Up punch
I also used an EK Success border punch behind the postage stamp label, along with a strip of red and a strip of blue paper.

I hope my father-in-law likes it, and I hope you like it too!  Thanks for your comments.  Be inspired!

Click on the picture for a better look.

Happy Brrrr...thday to You!

It's another TGIF for my fellow bloggers.  Today, I am excited to share with you my snowman card.  It is part of the current "snowman" die cut challenge over at Stuck On U Sketches.  I hope you'll stop by there to see what the design team has come up with and then decide to play along with your own snowman creation.  Here is a link to the challenge.

This card was my son-in-law's birthday card.  He is a wonderful singer, a youth pastor, and has been helping with the praise band at his church recently.  So, I knew he would enjoy getting a singing snowman for his birthday.  I had recently seen singing reindeer cards that were made from punches, and when I saw them, I knew I wanted to give it a shot.  I decided to try a snowman instead of a reindeer, and I used my Cricut instead of all punches.  Here are the details:

Size:  4 1/4" x  6 1/4"
Patterned papers:  DCWV for the checked background.  I used the Wonderful Winter pad by My Mind's Eye for the tree paper (it's hard to see in this photo).
Card:  Campin' Critters Cricut cartridge cut at 6 1/4"; I also cut the front of the card using the shift of the "sign" feature at 6" to get a little smaller card front.   I love the cool card shapes on this cartridge that are included in the "sign" feature.
Snowman:  I cut one 2" oval, one 2" circle, and one 2 1/4" circle using the George Cricut cartridge.  The snowman's mouth is an oval Stampin' Up Paper Shapers punch.  I punched another oval in red and used a heart punch to make the shape for the tongue.  I then punched another oval in white and used the very top piece of it and drew lines to make the snowman's teeth.  Do snowmen have teeth?  I guess this one does!  LOL.  I used the snowman's arms from the Christmas Cheer cartridge cut at 3 3/4".  The snowman's nose was hand cut.  I punched a 2" circle and then punched a 1 1/2" circle from the 2" circle, as well as a small oval punch, to make the snowman's ear muffs.
Book:  Learning Curve cut at 1 3/4".  I printed the "First Baptist of Mayodan" on my computer and used a postage stamp punch to add it to the front of the book.
I used a Fiskars scalloped border punch for the border.
I printed the sentiment on my computer and used a Paper Shapers punch for the words.
I then added a piece of ribbon, a button, and baker's twine to finish the card off.

I hope you like it.  Thanks for your comments.  Be inspired!

Click on the photo for a better look.

Happy Thanksgiving Charger

It's another wonderful weekend coming up.  I hope everyone gets to do a little something crafty!  I am sharing with you today our latest die cut challenge over at Stuck On U Sketches.  The challenge was to use something related to "Thanksgiving Table."  I have to say this was a tough one for me.  I had no Thanksgiving pictures showing food, and didn't really need a Thanksgiving card, and just couldn't think of what to do for this challenge.  Then I remembered doing my Christmas charger last year.  See this post for a peek at it, in case you missed it last year.  I decided I'd love to have one for Thanksgiving.  Once I figured out what to do, I had fun!  Here are the details:

Charger:  Purchased at AC Moore  (It already had the crackled look.)
Circle in Center of Plate:  George Cricut cartridge cut at 8"
Cornucopia:  Celebrate with Flourish Cricut Lite cartridge cut at 4" -- I then did a little embossing with my Cuttlebug on some of the pieces.
Leaves:  Flower Shoppe Cricut cartridge cut at 2 1/4" -- I chalked the edges and used a stylus and foam pad to give them some definition.
Acorns:  Create a Critter cartridge cut at 1 1/4"
Happy Thanksgiving:  Martha Stewart Seasonal Cake cartridge cut at 3" (I think)
Vine at bottom:  Martha Stewart Seasonal Cake cartridge cut at 2 3/4" (I think)
Turkey:  Celebrate with Flourish Cricut Lite cartridge cut at 2 1/2"

Come on -- join us for this cool challenge.  What will you come up with?  You can find the challenge and other designers' creations here.

Thanks for looking, and be inspired!

Click on the photos for a better look.

Congrats Retirement Card

This is a card I made a few weeks ago for a co-worker who retired.  It's one of those, "It's not my favorite" cards.  You know the kind -- the ones that don't come easy, and you keep on re-doing them until you decide you're done, and you still don't like them.  LOL.

Here are the details:

Size:  A2
Card stock:  Recollections, Bazzill and Bazzill Bling
Patterned papers:  DCWV (La Creme Stack)
This really is a simple card.  I punched the flowers from the patterned paper with a square punch.  The green shadow was cut using my Cricut and the George cartridge, cut at 1 1/4".  The scalloped squares are a punch as well.
The sentiment was computer generated and punched with circle punches and a scalloped circle punch behind them.  I added little punched flowers and pearls, ribbon, and a bow, and it was done!

This picture was taken with my phone, so I apologize for the quality!

Thanks, and be inspired!

40 or 50?

Happy Monday!  Hope you had a great weekend.  Today I am sharing with you a birthday card made for a co-worker. There's a funny story behind this card.  I was told that this co-worker was turning 40.  So, I made her card with a "40" on the front.  When I gave it to her, she said she loved it and then she said, "But, you do know that I am not 40."  Of course I didn't.  She was turning 50!  I believe it made her day.  She told everyone about it and said it was the best gift she had received.  And I really didn't think she was 50!  What a way to give a gift, huh?!?  Here are the details of the card:

Size 4" x 5 1/4"
Patterned papers: K and Company and Unknown (pink polka dots)
Card stock:  Bazzill and Core'dinations
40:  Storybook cartridge cut at 1 1/2"
Scalloped oval frame:  Elegant Edges cut at 3 1/4"
Roses:  I am Roses
Leaves:  Martha Stewart punch
Butterflies:  Martha Stewart punch
Sentiment:  Sticker from my stash
Border punch:  Martha Stewart
Bow:  Thanks to Joy over at the Cricut message board for posting about these bows.  She found the link to this video and gave me the inspiration to try to design my own using my Cricut.  I welded two ovals and three rectangles from the George cartridge to make my own bow template.  I love, love, love this bow! As you can see, I embossed it with a hearts Cuttlebug folder after cutting it.
Pearl strand:  Unknown

Thanks for your comments.  Be inspired!