Happy Birthday Boy

I'm thrilled to be posting this project for Exploring Cricut.

The story for this card starts with the fact that I have 5 nephews from age 2 to age 9. That means I always need 5 of everything and all boy related... and birthdays are starting up again. Five sets of boy cards can be a challenge. Here is what I came up with for my youngest. I wanted to use plenty of blue and primary colors... (a touch of pink never hurt a boy). I used "boy" themed sentiment paper (scraps) and and added the blue dot border from The Paper Studio, Basics stack. Then, I cut the banner from the Cricut Birthday Bash cartridge and dusted the banner with glitter. I recreated the bird to place over the sentiment (mat in blue) and added the orange dimensional balloon (stash) to finish it up.

Challenges Entered:
Fussy and Fancy: Birthdays (F, 2W)
Crafty Creations: Birthday (W, 2W)

NOEL

 Happy Monday and welcome to another Monday challenge!

Challenge #200: Pick a Holiday

This Weeks Sponsor

$10.00 Gift Certificate

To qualify for the prize, be sure to use at least 1 Cricut cut on your project and if it's not obvious, let us know what cartridge you used.

I am so thrilled to be presenting this card as part of the Design Team for the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog.  Join us in the fun. This week the challenge is Holidays.

Last Christmas I ran out of cards. This year, I'm starting now on my cards so that I'm ready to go when holiday time comes around. I started this card with the embossed frame and the word Noel. Then I chalked it in reds and greens. The patterned paper is from a DCVW mat stack. Using the Joys of the Season Cricut cartridge, I used pearlescent paper to cut the mistletoe. I wanted to break up the green with a little yellow, so I added a bit of bling and the flowers.

Valentines Swap (FCCB)

It is amazing how technology has helped crafters from all over the world meet, share ideas, and become friends. Our Design Team gang at the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog participated in a Valentine's Day Swap. This was super exciting. It's always a great way to find new brands, use different products, and try new color palettes. My wonderful package can be found in the below photos thanks to the amazing Cindy at Creating with Heart. Cindy spoiled me with sweetness... check out the goods:

Close Up Left Side

Close Up Right Side

My Projects:

#1

Pretty in Wings. 

Cindy sent me this gorgeous paper doll and coordinating flower and butterfly patterned paper. I broke up the pink and white with the brown in her hair and coat. The butterflies made me think about wings, and I remembered this sentiment I had from Dylusions, Clearly the Right Words set. It says: Until you spread your wings, you have no idea how far you'll fly. 

#2
Snowman Heart.
In my swap kit, there was this stamped image of the snowman with the heart. He looked so interesting, so I inked him with my Spectrum Noir markers and applied white liquid appliqué for the snow. Focusing on the blue in his hat, I embossed the background paper in a similar blue. Cindy also sent me some felt flowers, so I took the opportunity to use that after attaching pink ribbon down the side of the card. There is a small extra glitter heart brad on the image.

#3

Beautiful Inside & Out. 

Cindy cut this beautiful butterfly for me, and with that, the card seemed to make itself.  In her package, there was a heart doily, and that inspired me to use this white flower doily that I had. I used the sentiment and gems that she sent as well. 

Challenge #8: CASE Yourself (W1)

Challenge #8: CASE Yourself + Die Cut (Show us your original project and your new project (and explain the CASE if isn't obvious) News: We've moved to a monthly format and increased the number of other challenges you can enter to 10. We are also increasing to a Top 5 for the winners list. More exciting changes coming soon. 

Codes: M, 3E, C10

Want to be a guest designer, put GDT next to your name in your entry. 

But first.... Congratulations to our TOP 3 from Challenge #7. The entries for this challenge were all fantastic, and it was hard to pick just 3, so I have a random winner for some blog candy... A pack of rainbow colored brads. (Ships only to the US)

ShirleyAC2

Darlene Pavlick

Paper Munch

Winner: ShirleyAC2

Random Winner: Angelique

Angelique

Sponsor:
The Top 3 Picks will be listed with links to their blogs. 

The winner will receive a custom  Kathy's Cozy handmade die cut machine cover. Do you have a Cricut? A Silhouette? Something else? Kathy has it. Don't have a die cut machine, she has so much more. This is a fantastic prize. You don't want to miss out. 

Also, a random winner will receive a $15 gift certificate to Kathy's Cozy. Buy one for yourself or buy someone else a gift. 

Check out what you can win HERE & HERE
Kathy has a BLOG too. 

To claim your prize, email scrapbookerphd@gmail.com. 

For inspiration:

Original Card

New Card 

Inspiration: silhouette punk rockstar in black, 

same Cricut cartridge (Rock Princess), 

one color + white + pink

An InLinkz Link-up

Holiday Tag

Exploring Cricut is hosting their second challenge of the month. The theme is "bag, box, or tag with ribbon." I never miss an opportunity to start my holiday tags early. So I'm proud to present this DT sample of the challenge.

I started with the Cricut cartridge Holiday Frames and Tags, and cut the tag on page 66. The actual tag has journaling lines down the right hand side, so I used my CRR to eliminate those cuts. I chose this tag in particular because I thought the small inside tag would be perfect for a sentiment. I really wanted a few pops of color on this tag to go beyond the traditional blue, white, and silver for Hanukkah, so I chose the orange patterned paper from Basicgrey, Hey Girl stack, and the yellow gift bag from my stash (there is a Jewish star on the bag). Across the lower part of the tag is a piece of ribbon that is printed with words such as: love, laugh, life, family, together, and more. I thought that was quite appropriate for a family Hanukkah party.

Challenges Entered:
Addicted to Stamps and More: Holidays (W, W)
Little Red Wagon: Anything but a Card (W, W)
Mark's Finest Papers: Anything but a Card (W, Saturday)

Paw Prints

I am so thrilled to be presenting this card as part of the Design Team for Through The Purple Haze Challenges. Join us in the fun. The challenge this week is to use pencils. Our sponsor this week is Derwent.

I am so excited about this card because I finally found a product (from Ink Antics) that turns regular craft pencils into water color pencils. I loved doing this because the pencil coloring felt and looked so much smoother. It's a different look and feel from using markers, but the pencils gave me a steadier hand. The stamp is from Paper Smooches, Birthday Buddies set.

I started the card using kraft paper. I wanted this card to be simple to highlight the stamp and coloring, so paw print paper from the Spoiled Rotten paper stack by The Paper Studio. I love this pack because some of the papers are glossy or glittery. The main patterned paper on this card is both glossy and embossed (although it is hard to tell in this photo). I inked around the scalloped oval in a chocolate brown, and finally, I added two paw prints white brads (from my stash) at the bottom of the card.

Challenges Entered:
Art Impressions: Kraft Paper (2W, Th)
Send a smile for kids: Die cut or Punch (2W, Saturday)
Come and Get it Challenges: Domestic Animals (W, Saturday)

Green & Bloom

I am so thrilled to be presenting this card as part of the Design Team for the Exploring Cricut Blog.

This was such a fun card to make. I started with this tree from the Cricut cartridge "Just Because" cards. But the tree was pretty bland, so I used my Spectrum Noir markers to put in different shading and blending of various greens. What would be on this tree? And, I thought of apples. So I cut the bottom layer in red. To jazz it up, I added some silver glitter to each of the red circles. Then, using the apple image, I cut three apples popped up on the tree for further dimension, and to make it clear that the tree is an apple tree. I included one other apple at the bottom, and polished it off with the sentiment, bloom. The green cloud paper is from the American Crafts paper pad, XOXO.

Challenge #7: Hearts (use pink and red) W4

Challenge #7: Hearts (use red and pink) 
For entering click HERE. 

Sponsor:
The Top 3 Picks will be listed with links to their blogs. The winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to The Paper Nest. 

To claim your prize, email scrapbookerphd@gmail.com. 

The Paper Nest

Remember you can create any paper craft - card, layout, tag, etc.

Codes: 3E, 1M, C5.

Happy Birthday, Mom

My mom loves everything and anything heritage, vintage, and Victorian. Her birthday is coming up, so I decided to work on her card.

I started with kraft paper for the base, and layered it with black and a reddish floral pattern (from my stash). Next, I used my Heritage Cricut cartridge to cut the fence. I actually bought this cartridge just for her, and I have wanted to use this fence cut for a long time. The fence is cut from gemstone pearlescent paper by core'dinations to add some texture and shine.

I also thought about her childhood, and I imagined her riding a bike, so I used the bike image on the same cartridge. To add some brightness and flowers (I always think of the flower basket on a bike), I used this sweet lavender floral patterned paper from BasicGrey's Wisteria pad. Since I had the thought of a flower basket in mind, I added a few flowers from my stash.


Challenges Entered:
Through the Craft Room Door: Anything Goes. (W, T)
Crafting From the Heart: Anything Goes + Flowers. (2W, M)
Make it Monday w/ Kraft Outlet: Kraft Paper + Die Cut (W, M)
Catered Crop: Birthdays (2W, Sun)

You Make My Heart Sing

Music has been on my mind lately, especially while I was making Valentine's Day cards. I was using my CardsTV stamp set: Hugs & Kisses often, and I fell in love with the sentiment, You Make My Heart Sing, and decided to make that my inspiration for this card.

I was also inspired by Jennuine Challenges (FB): Use Teal, and Amusing Challenges asked for 6 or more papers (teal, teal pattern, pink pattern, white, black, pink)

The teal patterned paper is from The Paper Studio, The Basics stack.
The pink patterned paper is from BoBunny, Head Over Heals stack.
The die cut songstress is cut from the Cricut cartridge, Rock Princess.

Challenges Entered:
Jennuine Challenges (FB): Use Teal.
Bunny Zoe's Crafts: Hearts/Love (Month)
Card Mania: Love is All Around (2W, M)
Make it Monday: Anything Goes (W, M)
Amusing Challenges: 6 papers (W, S)

Blog Candy Winner

Wahoo. Our blog candy winner from the Valentine's Day Blog Hop is Stephanie from Cricutmimi. Her prize is three spools of ribbon with Valentine's Day colors red and pink. 

Friendship Grows

 Happy Monday and welcome to another Monday challenge!

Challenge #198 Sketch Challenge

Sketch is from Card Positioning Systems 

This Weeks Sponsor

Be Wild and Free Stamp Set

To qualify for the prize, be sure to use at least 1 Cricut cut on your project and if it's not obvious, let us know what cartridge you used.

For my project this week, I was fortunate enough to use Mark's Finest Stamps, Garden Bunny set. 

I was immediately drawn to the carrots.

In my Recollections, Garden Harvest, specialty paper pack, I found this wonderful glittered carrot kraft paper. To separate all the layers of the craft paper, I used a bright green cardstock. Then, to further separate the craft paper, I added a strip of orange/red. The top layer is from the same paper pack. It is just striped paper, so I cut this specific stripe. 

I chose this Cricut Elegant Edges cut because the edges looked very similar to the details in the patterned paper. I stamped three sets of the carrot stamps, and colored them with my Spectrum Noir markers.

Carrots: OR1, OR2, OR3

Carrot Tops:  LG1, LG3, LG5

I added a smear of glitter to the carrots from Martha Stewart's glitter pens: Fire Opal and Golden Beryl. And two green brads on the edgers. 

On the inside of the card, I used one of the sentiments from the stamp pack, and a few glitter brads. 

Challenges Entered: 

Addicted to Stamps - Coloring (W)

Simon Wednesday Challenge - Kraft Paper (W)

Art Impressions Challenge: Kraft Paper (Th)

Summer Poolside

It's time for another challenge at Through the Purple Haze. This week's theme is embossing. And we have a fabulous Sponsor:

My project started with this amazing digital stamp called Eve Swimming from Anonymous Stamps. I have loved this image since I first saw it, and am so pleased to use it for this challenge.

I started with the blue and white patterned paper because it looks like a summer sky to me. Then, I added the sun overlay from the Cricut cartridge CTMH: Artbooking. I am so excited to finally use an overlay. I think they add something fun and different to projects. But the small circle for the sun on the overlay just didn't feel like a sun, so I added this chip board sun from my stash. I like the pop of orange.

Next, I used my Spectrum Noir markers to color the image. I embossed her bikini with clear embossing powder, and then I used Comotion Clear Tops embossing powder in Essence of Monet on the water because it has blues, greens, and a touch of purple in the powder. To me, it helped the water shine and look more realistic.

Next, I took Ranger Perfect Pearls in Green Patina and dusted it along the edge of the tiles. It's hard to see in the photo, but the Perfect Pearls gives off a shine when you use your embossing heater and dry the pearls.

This was such a fun challenge; I hope you play along!

Challenges Entered:
Addicted to Stamps: Use Markers (Wednesdays)
Shopping our Stash: Shiny (Tuesdays)
Southern Girls Challenge: Bling it Up (Thursday 3W)
Crafting When We Can: Lots of Bling (Sunday 2W)

Challenge #7: Hearts (pink and red) W3

Challenge #7: Hearts (use red and pink) W3
For entering click  HERE. 

Sponsor:
The Top 3 Picks will be listed with links to their blogs. The winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to The Paper Nest. 

To claim your prize, email scrapbookerphd@gmail.com. 

The Paper Nest

Remember you can create any paper craft - card, layout, tag, etc.

Codes: 3E, 1M, C5.

Heart Breaker

It was high time that I made a Valentine's Day card with a twist. Over the weekend, I heard the song "Heart Breaker" by Pat Benatar while listening to a mix playlist. I love this song, and I saw Pat Benatar not too long ago. That made me think of my Rock Princess Cricut cartridge. I immediately looked through it, and found that it included the words Heart Breaker!! Now, I needed to find the right cut to go with the phrase. I decided on this flame heart with stitching across what looks like wire  to me. That was the heart I wanted to use. It is found on page 43. 

The flames actually have another layer on top, but I thought the glitter flame looked far better than a plain orange layer. I cut the stitches for the criss cross, and tried to adhere them so that you saw some of the blue - almost as a shadow effect. 

Choosing the paper was difficult. I couldn't find a pattern that wasn't too punk so as to not overwhelm the cuts, but too many papers were cute, and didn't fit the mood. Dark colors wouldn't work because I wanted the heart shadow and the sentiment to be in black. I finally chose this chevron paper from The Paper Studio, Chevron pack. Since the top corner was too empty, I added three red gems from my stash. 

Challenges Entered:

Dragon Dreams Challenge: Favorite Song

Delicious Doodles: Love - Good or Bad

Sparkle n Sprinkle: Anything Goes - Use loose glitter.
Hiding in my Craft Room: Stash (Saturday)
Cut it Up: Valentine's Day
Pause Dream Enjoy: Hearts
Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog: Use Hearts

Musical Love

I just adore the images on the Cricut cartridge Quarter Note. They are so elegant. I knew that I wanted to make a Valentine's Day card using music as an inspiration for a friend, so I chose this beautiful image, Violinist (pg. 69). I knew that I wanted her silhouette to be black with a red accent, and that took me to a clean and simple design. The sentiment is by Hampton Art, "The way to know life is to love many things" by Van Gogh.

Challenges Entered:
The Squirrel and the Fox: Love (Sundays)
Addicted to CAS: Love (Saturdays)
Open-Minded Challenges: Show Some Love (Saturdays)
So Artful Challenge: Flourish in Red (Month - Saturdays)
Splendiferous Creations: Black & White (with a splash of color)

Blog Hop: Valentine Monsters

Exploring Cricut is hosting their Valentine's Day (with gems) challenge, and the challenge starts with a Blog Hop.

In honor of this blog hop, I am offering some blog candy for a random drawing: first, follow the blog, and then leave a comment (include your email address and a note that you are a follower). Random drawing will be next Monday. I'm giving away three spools of ribbon that has Valentine's colors like pink and red, but had no hearts.  Ribbon that had sticking, flowers, and dots. The photo doesn't do the ribbon justice!

I'm happy to be a stop on the blog hop showcasing this Valentine's Day card I made for my youngest nephew. 

My mom has commissioned me to make Valentine's Day cards for my nephews. She wanted the cards to be cute with something that appeals to them. Immediately, I thought of the Bump in the Night Cricut cartridge because my nephews love all things monsters, aliens and superheroes. The patterned papers are from American Crafts XOXO paper pad with the exception of the monster's body, that is from The Paper Studio's Eat Cake mat stack (fun paper that is very glittery). The sentiment stamp comes from CardzTV Hugs and Kisses stamp set.

My second nephew is only a couple of years younger, and they love the same things, so a reversed the patterned papers in the background, and cut a different monster from the same cartridge. Here, I flocked the belly area inside the monster.

I have one more to do from my youngest nephew, and I think I will go with something different since he is so much younger that the others.

Check out the rest of the blog hop:

Sharon http://meemeescreations.blogspot.com
Donna  http://wwwkindredkreations.blogspot.comFaith   http://scrapbookerphd.blogspot.com
Rae Ann   http://joyinart.blogspot.com
Emily  http://emilyqueenofallthingscrafty.blogspot.com
Annette  http://mymindsdustbunnies.blogspot.com
Michelle N  http://justanutterpapercrafter.blogspot.com
Jen  www.javajencreations.blogspot.com  
Julie      http://mylittlecorner-julie518.blogspot.com
Michelle S  http://cricutcrazyscrapper.blogspot.com
Liz  http://unikbyyes.blogspot.com
Rosa  http://enjoyingthebug.blogspot.com
Diane  http://happyscrapperdiane.blogspot.com

Challenges Entered:
The Corrosive Challenge: Feel the Love (Sundays)
Cutie Pie Challenge Blog: Must be cute (Mondays)
The Craft Place: Valentine (Sundays)
Kitty Bee Designs: Valentine (Fridays)
Left of Center Challenges: Cute vs Creepy (Fridays)
Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog: I Heart You (Mondays)
Brown Sugar Challenges: Valentine (Fridays)
Pile it On: Stripes or Dots (dot patterned paper on both cards) (Sundays)

Christmas Beauty

I am so thrilled to be presenting this card as part of the Design Team for Through The Purple Haze Challenges. Join us in the fun. The challenge this week is Anything Goes. Join us in the fun. Our sponsor this week is Whoopsidaisy Digis.
  

Sponsor

Link: http://linnie-whoopsiedaisy.blogspot.no/

My project:

I adore this image from Whoopsidaisy. It's sweet and and versatile. She does remind me of Christmas, so I went with red, pink and green. The DP is from the Lost & Found Christmas by My Mind's Eye. The colors include shades of pink and red and gold. I used a dark green background, and added gold brads to the corners to accent the gold in the DP. I added dimensional stickers with the sentiments: joy, wish, and remember as they also reminded me of Christmas.