Happy Thanksgiving! We fired the cook!!!

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Cricut Mini Launches on HSN Tonight

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Christmas/Winter Blog Hop

Hello!!!  Welcome to the Winter/Christmas Themed Blog Hop celebrating our favorite time of the year. This Blog Hop is hosted by Paulette, from Around the Bock with Scrapalette. If you are following along with the Hop you should have arrived from Blingdazzler’s blog.  If not, you can start at the beginning of the hop at http://scrapalette.blogspot.com

Paulette and I will be following along with the blog hop from the Cricut Circle event in Greenville SC!!  My projects for today are serving dual purpose!  For those of you in the Circle you may know that these events for the Circlets typically include a theme, a swap and a contest.  Luckily for me the theme of today’s blog hop is also the theme for the Circle event (love killing two birds with one stone– YIPEE!!).  For information about joining the Cricut Circle please visit www.Cricut.com.  Now that all that stuff is out of the way…let’s get to the real reason you are here J!!

My first project for the hop is a simple card that will fit not only Christmas but Winter too.  It is the card I am entering into the contest at the Circle event.  I love the way it turned out.  I think this is going to be my stock Christmas card this year.  It was soooooo easy to put together, but yet I think it is simply stunning (maybe I am biased heeheehee).  I may decide to change it up a bit too…maybe a nativity scene, or a silhouette of an ice skater???  Who knows!! 

Materials Used for this project:

Stampin’ Up Cardstock & Ink – Basic Gray

Georgia Pacific Cardstock (Walmart) – White

PK Glitz Glitter – Crystal

Zig Two Way Glue Pen

EK Success 3D-Dots - 1/16” thick

EK Success 3D-Dots – 1/8” thick

Stampin’ Up Stamp Sets – Heard from the Heart  and  God’s Blessings

ATG gun

Gypsy (DS or CCR will probably work)

Cricut Cartridges:

Campin’ Critters – Bare Trees (layer 2 – button 42)

Celebrate with Flourish –Rabbit (layer - button 12)

Christmas – Snowy hill (shift  – button 43)

Don Juan – (Christmas) Pine (shift – button 33)

George and Basic Shapes – (shift – button 14; resized to a horizontal rectangle to weld to the snowy hill to provide a flat edge for the bottom of the card)

Live Simply – Squirrel (base – button 9; flipped right to left)

Wildlife – Deer family (base – button 39)

I designed this with my Gypsy.  First I opened a template I had created for a 4.25” x 5.50” landscape card.  This gives me a base to work from in making sure I have everything sized the way I want it.  There are three layers to the scene to give it the depth.  I started with the snowy hill from the Christmas cartridge.  I then welded a base using the square (resized) from George and Basic Shapes.  Then I added the Pine from Don Juan as well as several sets of the bare trees from Campin’ Critters, using the hide contour feature to space/organize the trees the way I wanted.  Next I began to add the animals; I wanted the deer family from Wildlife to be the main focus, then I placed the rabbit from Celebrate with Flourish and the squirrel from Live Simply (again using hide contour on both to avoid cutting the extras).  After I had my scene the way I thought I wanted it I copied it two times and then began to delete the items I didn’t want for each specific layer.  I welded and grouped the items on each layer and would occasionally place the layers back on top of one another to make sure I was getting everything I wanted in the right place.  Once I was satisfied I made my cuts.  Oh, in efforts to avoid wasting so much paper I flipped one of the layers down and moved the layers around so they would cut on one 8 ½ x 11 piece of cardstock (save the paper from the mat to use later on in the project). 

I used my zig two way glue pen to strategically place glue in the tree bends and on the ground where snow would lay and sprinkled with PK Glitz glitter.  I scored my card base and began by adhering the base layer directly to the cardstock with my ATG gun. I then added 1/16” 3D-Dots and attached the next layer carefully lining everything up and repeated with the top layer.  Then I used the leftovers from the Cricut cuts, and cut a piece to 5.5” by whatever I had to stamp my sentiment using Stampin’ Up’s Heard from the Heart “welcome Christmas into your heart” in basic gray.  I then carefully tore the paper to add another layer element, added a line of glue and sprinkled with PK Glitz glitter.  I attached directly to the top layer with my ATG gun. 

On the inside (not shown-sorry!) I cut down a piece of white cardstock and stamped my sentiment using Stampin’ Up’s God’s Blessings “May the miracle of Christmas find you Safe in the Peace of God, warm in the Light of Christ.”  I find this sentiment just beautiful!  While I respect the beliefs of others, I am a Christian and believe that there is no Christmas without Christ.  That is it.  The hardest thing about this card is the design.  Now that I have that out of the way I am excited about getting these made so I can mail them out after Thanksgiving.

I will be happy to share the gypsy file with you (leave a comment including your email), all I ask is for creative courtesy in that you do not share without my consent and please give credit where credit is due J!  If you do not have the cartridges required to make the cuts, I am sure you can find substitutions with cartridges you do have.  Just have fun with it!  I may be posting some additional versions in the future.     

For my next project I am showing you the tags I made for the Circle event tag swap.  These were soooo simple to make!!  You tend to want simple when you are making 50+ of the same thing LOL!!

Materials Used for this Project:

Stampin’ Up Cardstock & Ink – Baja Breeze, Certainly Celery, and Cherry Cobbler

Staz-on Ink – Cotton White

(Unknown Brand) Cardstock - Vanilla

Caron Simply Soft Yarn (Walmart) – Off White #9702

Close To My Heart Stamp Set from the Art Philosophy Bundle – To: and From:

Studio G Clear Stamp Set ($1 Winter set) - Snowflake

Crop-a-dile

ATG gun

Gypsy

Cricut Cartridge:

Jolly Holidays – Mittens @ 2.75 (base & shift – button 29)

Again, designed with my Gypsy, I added as many sets of mittens I could to fit the paper I had; using 8 ½ x 11 paper I was able to cut 6 sets per sheet of cardstock.  On another layer I was able to add more of the shift layers, which was ok because I wanted all of the mitten “cuffs” to be vanilla for visibility on who the gift is to and from (I despise those sticker tags that are so dark sometimes you can’t find a pen that shows up or you can’t read when you are handing out presents!).  I cut the mittens in various colors, then cut the cuffs in vanilla.  I was careful to keep the cuffs for the left mittens together and the cuffs for the right mittens together…this way I knew which stamp should be used on them (to: stamped on the left cuff and from: stamped on the right cuff).  Using the ink color coordinating with the mittens, I stamped the to: and from: onto the cuffs and attached them to the mitten using the ATG gun.  I then stamped the snowflakes on the mittens; on the Cherry Cobbler mittens I used the Staz-on ink; on the Baja Breeze and Certainly Celery I used the coordinating ink.  Next I used my Crop-a-dile to punch holes for my yarn.  I used the smaller hole punch and placed the mitten set together by putting them face to face and lining up the thumb then punching the hole as close to the bottom and edge under the thumb as I could.  I simply inserted the yarn, tied a simple knot and cut the excess off!  That’s it!!  Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy!!

I love simple things.  Sometimes I want to get to elaborate and I realize that just isn’t my thing!  I have always liked clean lines, bright colors and cutesy images.  I do try to challenge myself every now and then to go  outside of my comfort zone, but when mass producing I just don’t have the patience…nope, not me hahaha!

Well I hope you have enjoyed my projects.  Please leave me a comment…all us bloggers just love comments.  If you like my projects please browse some of my other posts and become a follower.  You  never know, I may just randomly choose someone for a prize J….hmmmmmmmm…..???

Off to the next blog you shall go…that would be Sharon at  Designs by Sharon

Here are the other participants:
1. Paulette at http://scrapalette.blogspot.com/
2. Debbie at http://bugginattheseams.blogspot.com/
3. Carolyn at http://cccscraproom.blogspot.com/
4. Brenda at http://happyscrapper64.blogspot.com/
5. Maria at http://stampcutcreate.blogspot.com/
6. Chris at http://scrappin-nanapuddin.blogspot.com/
7. Cindy at http://www.inlovewithpaper.blogspot.com/
8. Michele at http://www.michelegreen.com/
9. Lisa at http://addictedtothecricut.blogspot.com/
10. Dana at http://papermemories4u.blogspot.com/
11. Nancy at http://lanancyworkshop.blogspot.com/
12. Madylyn at http://inspiredbycolor.blogspot.com/
13. Wini at http://www.looneybugdesigns.com/
14. Renee at http://icameisawicreated.blogspot.com/
15. Tammy at http://www.scrapcavecreations.com/
16. Debbie at http://debbieduddles.blogspot.com/
17. Kim at http://blingdazzler.com/
18. Brandi at http://scubascrapperbrandi.blogspot.com/
19. Sharon at  http://designsbysharon.blogspot.com/
20. Liz at http://liz-lavendarandroses.blogspot.com/

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A Simple Thank You

So quick, so easy…

Materials Used:

Stampin Up Cardstock – Crumb Cake, Early Espresso

Unknown Brand Cardstock – Vanilla

Stampin Up Ink – Early Espresso

Stampin’ Up Stamp Set – Heard from the Heart

Cuttlebug – Swiss Dots embossing folder

Aleene’s Tacky Glue Fast Drying Glue Pen

EK Success 3D-Dots 1/16” thickness & 1/8” thickness 

Cricut Cartridge:

Art Philosophy

Cut info:

button 14 - base @ 3.50”  & basic/icon layer @ 3”  in Vanilla

button 16 - shift base @ 1.75 in Crumb Cake

button 16 - shift basic/icon layer @ 1.75 in Early Espresso

Cut card base at 4 ¼ x 5 ½ using SU’s Crumb Cake.  Make Cricut cuts.  Lightly ink acorn base with Early Espresso ink.  Emboss acorn layer with cuttlebug; glue to base layer.  Glue frame layers together and attach to card base using 1/8” 3D Dots.  Attach acorn to frame layers using 1/16” 3D Dots.  Stamp Sentiment to card base.  Add a layer of cardstock and a sentiment to the inside and that’s it, you’re done.  No fuss, no muss!!  

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First Christmas Project of the Year!!

So as most of you know when you have a lot of people that you are trying to give a gift to, it is REALLY hard to find something affordable!  I really like to make stuff to give away to co-workers and to my church family.  Once I ran across these beautiful handmade ornaments (tutorial can be found HERE) and realized how VERY affordable they were I jumped right on it.  Of course Stampin’ Up no longer sells the kit that is mentioned in the tutorial, so I had to improvise. 

Materials Used:

Cardstock (various)

3” eye pins (found in jewelry section)

Pearls

Crystal Gems

Clear Earring Backings

1/16” hole puncher

Ribbon

For all the materials listed above (excluding the hole puncher, which I already had) I spent less than $25.00; the paper was on sale for 40% off and I used one 40% off coupon for the rest of the stuff!  I can make at least 100 of these ornaments with this stuff!  The 3” eye pins come in packages of 50, I bought 2.  I found a package of 750 pearls and a package of 175 crystal gems.  The earring backs contained 325.  I am going to have plenty of supplies to make even more than 100, I would just need to buy more eye pins. 

I decided to change mine up a bit; some are double balls, some single, some have pearls and gems at the top and the bottom.  I don’t want them all to be exactly alike.  I will be switching up the papers too; the Christmas package I has so many cute pages and it looks like I should be able to make about 5-6 ornaments for every two sheets of cardstock. 

I am going to the Cricut Circle event in Greenville SC this weekend.  From what I hear you really don’t get any work done at these events, it is more about learning, socializing/meeting your fellow circle sisters than actually cropping.  However, I think I will take the stuff with me to make these ornaments…not a lot to pack and something I can start and stop if need be!!  Hoping to get a head start on making these :o}!!

I just love this time of the year!  Things start to get busy for me though.  I have several birthdays in my family in Nov and Dec, Husby and I go to Myrtle Beach in Nov every year (he attends a convention for work), then holidays  with cooking and baking and shopping and wrapping and lots of activities at church…you all know what I am talking about!!  Love it, love it, love it!!  Some of my friends think I am a freak LOL! 

What is  your favorite thrifty handmade Christmas gift?  Have you already started making or planning stuff for Christmas?  I am always looking for ideas, so please share!!

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Totally Scraplifted!!

Ever see a project that you just ooh and aah over?  Well, this was one for me.  Sometimes I don’t want to have to be creative, I just want to get it done!  I wanted to make something for some of my co-workers.  I filled them with Tootsie Rolls.

I must give credit where credit is due…Renee at I came I saw I created is the original designer

Here is my version…

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Backpack Birthday Card

My nephew turned 11 a few weeks ago and he always likes my creations (so sweet ♥).  I have really been wanting to make the backpack from Campin Critters; its boyish, so I thought why not give it a shot!  He loved it (and especially the money I stuffed inside it, hehehehe).  I also noticed when I visited him a few weeks prior to his birthday that he had drawn his name on some cardstock and cut them out and had them posted on his door.  So, I cut his name out of the Varsity Letters cart and give them to him.  He thought they were really cool and now I have to make some for my niece's birthday (to be 7 year old) that is just around the corner.  Guess I'd better get to work LOL! 

Materials Used:

SU! Cardstock - Early Espresso, Pacific Point, Tempting Turquoise

Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel – Bronze

Cricut Cartridges:

Campin' Critters

Varsity Letters

p.s. I guess you can see I made the backpack without the sleeping bag :)

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Congratulations!

I made this for a friend who is having a new baby boy.  He is absolutely excited and I am excited for him.  I did not take a picture of the inside sentiment, but it reads “Of all the blessings God sends from above, the one most precious is a boy to love.”

Materials Used:

SU! Cardstock (Bashful Blue, Blush Blossom, Marina Mist)

Bazzill Textured Cardstock

Paper Loft Patterned Paper

SU! Ink Early Espresso

Studio G Stamp – Congratulations Sentiment

Cloud 9 Stamp – Simple Thoughts – Boy (inside sentiment)

Peachy Keen Stamps – Funshine Face Parts & Basic Paper Doll Faces

Martha Stewart Flocking Powder – Swan

Cuttlebug Folder – Spots and Dots

Stickles - Stardust

Cricut Cartridges:

Elegant Edges

George and Basic Shapes

Simply Charmed

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Anniversary Card

YIKES!  I discovered that I am still in possession of my parents anniversary card.  Their anniversary was August 31^st – ooooops!!  We live 3 hours apart, and we have seen each other several times since then, but I keep forgetting to give it to them!!  I am a terrible daughter – UGH!!

Materials used for making this card:

SU Cardstock (crumb cake, so saffron, old olive, espresso, pumpkin pie)

Off White Cardstock

SU Ink (espresso, crumb cake)

SU Markers (pumpkin pie, so saffron, old olive

Cuttlebug folders (script, paisley)

SU Pearls

Stamps:

SU Sweet Summer (backgrounds, flower stem)

$1 Stamp (Happy Anniversary)

Cricut cartridges:

Independence Day

Elegant Edges

CTMH Art Philosophy

I actually made this card with a different flower and then I went to the CKC (Creating Keepsakes Convention) in Charlotte and was able to purchase the Art Philosophy Cartridge bundle.  I was so excited about getting the cartridge that I whipped it out the next day and cut these flowers just for fun and then decided to rip off the flowers I had on the card and replace them with these.  I <3 <3 <3 this cartridge!!  I am not even a flower person, but I just ADORE these flowers.  It is now making me want the Flower Shoppe cart (of course Cricut.com is out of stock right now L).  I also love the Elegant Edges cart;  this was my first opportunity to use it as well.  I hope you like it, but more importantly I hope my parents like it!!

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Halloween Mini Album

I have never posted this because I was never impressed with it. I have this clear storage tote that I keep either test projects or projects I have made but don’t really know what to do with. This was my first attempt at a mini album and it is actually from a couple of years ago. Some of you may remember Bugjunkie; well, she inspired the idea and had a tutorial on her blog on how to create these mini albums in Design Studio. At the time I didn’t have a binding machine (I now have two that I have STILL never used – probably need to work on that huh?) so I had it bound at a local printing shop so I didn’t really have much of a say in the binding. Anyway, a month or so ago a good friend of mine was over trying to convince me to participate in a holiday sale. I pulled the box down to see what I had that I could sell and when I pulled the book out she went nuts for it and wanted to buy it. I hadn’t even taken pictures, so I told her that I needed to take pictures and she could have it. She asked me to teach her how to make one, so I told her to save some cereal boxes and then we could spend a day making mini albums. Every time I have seen her since she tells me she won’t let her husby throw away any cereal boxes LOL! I can’t wait to do this with her…I love spending time with her!!

If you are interested in the details of how I made it or would like the cut file let me know and I will email it to you. 

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Cricut Circle - Feeling Gifty Challenge

As I have said in a couple of my past posts, I participated in a holiday sale not too long ago.  While there I had some spa sock cupcakes left over from last Christmas to sell.  They were the socks that didn’t really go with the Christmas colors so I figured they would be useful to give as birthday gifts.  Then, of course I forgot about them until I pulled them out of my project tote.  Although we didn’t have a great turnout, I was able to sell all but one of the spa sock cupcakes.  BUT, I had a request for a special order!!  She paid me in advance and asked if I could find a set of purple socks and a set of green socks and make them for her granddaughters.  One of the granddaughters loves purple, and the other loves frogs.  Well I couldn’t find green socks, but I thought, hey, I can buy any color and then make the cupcake wrapper green and add a frog!  So I did.  Here is what I came up with.

It just so happens that my projects fit with the Cricut Circle’s current challenge “Feeling Gifty” – create a new item that includes at least two Cricut cuts (both of the cupcake wrappers have at least two cuts).

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Enjoying the Fall Colors

I spent my morning enjoying the clean, crisp air (not to be confused with cold air) of the fall morning from my front porch. Here was my view…

I listened to the birds chirp and watched the sun glisten off of the dew on the pumpkins, gourds and petals of the mums in my fall outdoor decorations…

What a way to start the morning!! Here is are a few additional shots of my fall decorations…

Ooooooh, I just love these colors.  I think I may have been inspired to go use them now :)!! 

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