My Other Blog

Oh I just have to brag about how cute my other blog background turned out! Lauren did a fab job combining her background with some clipart I purchased off of Etsy. Maybe this will inspire me to write some more:-) I just LOVE LOVE LOVE Etsy artists!!!

Checking In from down under

G'day crafters!  Well it's been a few months of stress and anxiety but I think I'm starting to get into a comfortable routine. It took about three weeks to get comfortable driving on the left side of very narrow roads, but I think I'm doing rather well (at least I haven't turned into oncoming traffic like my DH did. - a bit scary). The local Aussies have been very helpful and patient (I don't think they take too much too seriously anyway). I'm slowly coming to terms with the lack of paper crafting here. I spoke with someone from Oz who lived in the states about scrapbooking stores. She was very familiar with what I was referring to. She said that it's not very popular here:-( I'm also coming to terms with the fact my cricut machine may not work here:-( I am still going to try and find a voltage adaptor somewhere. I think I'll be more motivated when all of our belongings clear customs and get delivered. Wish me luck!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a creative day:-)

The time has come

The movers are coming Monday! Ahhh!  Yes, I'm stressed, anxious, excited, nervous - every emotion you can fathom. Even though our visas took four weeks longer than we expected, I'm still not organized for the movers! I KNOW you crafters will empathize with me. There is a lot of paper craft and sewing "stuff" that has to be organized and categorized! Soooo many embellishments - Can't have those flying around al loose (pun intended) ;-)

Hoping I will be reunited with my precious craft room sooner than later. I won't know what will be able to ship air until the movers come with the containers. Otherwise it will have to be shipped by ocean which would mean 3 months of crafting withdrawal:-(   ( I am sneaking some cardstock, stamps, and punches on the plane with me, just in case:-)

So, I am starting another blog, Midwest Mom's Aussie Blog, so I don't go too nuts not being able to post to this blog. It will be mainly info and pics of our new adventure in Sydney. Hopefully I'll be able to start posting from my iPad after packing on Monday. I have never done that before so I'm not quite sure how it will turn out. Another adventure, right?

Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

International Relocation Tip #2: 457 Visa

Do your own research. Don't rely on your company or the relocation company to tell you everything involved relocating. That was my mistake. I was told not to worry about anything, the relocation company would handle all of the paperwork. NOT! The first week of July I get an email with attachments with 2 forms to complete totaling 23 pages. Most of the information I had no clue what I was supposed to answer. Then I get to the fun part, children's passport numbers. Okay, I was told they didn't need this for the visa. Phone call to Melbourne, yes, they do. Run around like a crazy woman getting kids passport photos and somewhere that will process them asap on a weekend! Ugh! Then pay to have expedited in Chicago! Can you feel the stress building in me? So, when someone says, "don't worry they'll take care of it", don't believe them. Do your own investigating into what needs to be done to enter a country. Come back later for my tip on packing and moving companies.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

International Relocation Tip #1

Yes, it has been awhile since I have even looked at my blog. So, so, so much craziness and I'm sure it's only going to get crazier. Since I really haven't had time to craft I thought I'd at least share a little of what I've been dealing with for the past few months. This post may not get many views, but I definitely feel better writing it down:-)

Tip #1 and MOST IMPORTANT: If you plan on moving and have a pet you need to get in contact ASAP with a pet transportation company. You may need an RNATT (rabies antibody blood test) for your pet at least 5 months prior to your move. This needs to be done by an USDA approved vet and takes about 2 weeks to get the results back. Then a period of 5 months needs to elapse before we can apply for a permit to even allow our dog into Australia to begin his 4 weeks of quarantine. Needless to say, I did not know this and we are due to move in 4 weeks. Yes, I freaked out when I found this out. Transferring a pet out of the US is a much more complicated process than our relocation company led us to believe. Jetpets, has been very helpful starting this process but it's still going to be a long road.

Check back again for my 457 visa and passport escapade;-)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

Sugar Plum Birthday

I've been trying to get all of my grad cards and birthday cards done before I tackle fixing my studio wall. You may have seen my catastrophe on my FB page recently. I'll post a separate before and after pic later. Right now I want to share with you this cute birthday card I made for my dad's step-granddaughter who is turning one.

Okay, yes, I'm using Teddy Bear Parade quite a bit recently, but this cart has so many darned cute bears!!! I am a softy for bears. I collected them as a kid (still have all of them - hope I can bring them to Sydney with me).  I also pulled out the DCWV Nana's Kids stack. I love all of the bright colors in this stack:-) The ribbon is from PTI and the cute sentiment is from Scrappy Moms Critter Crazy stamp set.

Challenges

Crafty Calendar - Things with wings

Bunny Zoe's - Wings

The Paper Nest Dolls - Animals

Party Time Tuesdays - Anything

Ruby's Rainbow - Things with wings

Cute Card Thursday - Fly like a bird

In The Pink - Pink with wings

Polka Doodles - Animals

A Gem of a challenge - Teddies

Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

A July Birthday Card

So happy you stopped by today:-) I have a "patriotic" colored birthday card to share with you. I have quite a few birthdays coming up. Most importantly my son who will be turning three on the fourth:-) This card, however, is for my oldest nephew.

I used one of my favorite October Afternoon stacks, Rocket Age, along with some of my favorite stamps from Iron Gate Stamps, Birthday Wishes. I added a tad of dimension using a punched out star from a set of grunge board shapes by Tim Holtz.

Challenges

Seize The Birthday - sketch

Pause Dream Enjoy - Anything

Paper Playtime - Red, White, and Blue

2 Sisters - stripes

Card Crafters Circle - Birthdays

Loves Rubber Stamps - Red, White, & Blue

Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

Happy Birthday Fortune

Another rainy day yesterday let me put off yard work and let me to tinker in my studio:-) I came across a few fun challenges to enter this card in.

I used one of my favorite Iron Gate Stamps sets, Fortune Cookie, to make an asian inspired birthday card. The kraft layer is dry embossed with Darice's Basketweave folder. The patterned cardstock is from Graphic 45 Birdsong collection with the stamped image on top from Iron Gate Stamps. The sentiment was printed using 7 Monkey Fury font inside of the fortune border stamp.

Challenges

Tuesday Morning Sketches

My Cheri Crafts - birthday

Inky Chicks - anything

Party Time Tuesdays - anything

Hobby House - anything

Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

Hello!

Welcome back! Today is my last FCCB DT post for awhile. My DH and I have decided to take the plunge and accept a job promotion to Sydney, Australia! I have gone through a lot of anxiety and excitement for the past three months, but I think I/we are ready. With that being said, my craft room supplies will be on a boat and quarantine for about three months so I will not be able to do much crafting on my blog. I did scope out the Sydney area back in May for craft stores, but they are slim to none. My BFF will need to be my supplier for awhile:-) Thank you Mary!!

For my card I used Lovely Floral and CCR basics to make and size the frame. It was cut from a wood panel patterned card stock. The cute little robin is from IGS Birdhouse stamp set as well as the sentiments. I colored in the bird with my Stampin' Up watercolor pencils (I haven't ventured into the alcohol markers yet - a little intimidated). Now it's your turn to show us what fabulous ideas you have using frames and your Cricut:-) Stop on by the FCCB site to get all of the details and see all of the other fabulous DT projects! Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

Let's Hit The Beach!

Welcome! Looks like we're finally going to get some summer weather this weekend:-) A few fun blog challenges have inspired me to make this summer fun lovin' teddy bear card.

This little bear is ready to do a little swimmin'! I used the Teddy Bear Parade Cricut cartridge along with patterned paper from My Mind's Eye's Sunny pad. The orange button is tied on with some Mandarin baker's twine from The Twinery. The sentiment is from My Creative Time's Have Fun In The Sun stamp set. The cream layer behind the teddy bear is dry embossed with the Swiss Dot Cuttlebug folder. I also "popped" up the bear's nose over his goggles for a little more dimension.

Challenges

The Perfect Sentiment - Sun & Sand

Crafting by designs - show your season

Cuttlebug Mania - O, Y & G plus button

Die Cuttin' Diva - Refreshing Summer

Craft Room Challenge - Here Comes Summer

Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

Hello Summer!

I know, it's not officially summer, but I got a little inspired by the warm weather to do a little stamping! This card was made using Iron Gate Stamps Treehouse and Birdhouse sets. I just love that Treehouse set. That little tire swing is just adorable!! I cut the small star out with my Cricut and the Doodlecharms cart and then stamped the sentiment in black. The base is 5 1/2" square layered with some left over Pebbles patterned paper. The red is dry embossed with Darice's Woodgrain folder. The circle and star's edges are inked with Pumice Stone Distress Ink.

Challenges

ABC Challenges - Summer

Cards Galore - Sketch

Creatalicious - Color Palette

Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

Mustache Father's Day

Why do weeks go by so much more quickly during the summer than during school days?! I can't believe it's Saturday already and I've missed quite a few blog challenges. Well, here is my quick Father's day card for my dad. I just did a CAS card with this fun felted mustache found on Etsy. I also used Iron Gate Stamps' Treehouse set for the sentiment.

 

Challenges

Polka Doodle - Male theme

Simply Create Too - Father's Day

DL.Art - Father's Day

Sisterhood of Crafters - man or boy

Paper Playtime - anything

Craft Your Passion - Father's Day

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend:-)

Make A Wish

A quick card for a last minute entry to Seize The Birthday sketch challenge before heading out the door.

I used stamps from IGS Birthday Wishes set along with Bazzil chipboard star and a cut star from the George Cricut cart. The blue was embossed with the Cuttlebug Happy Birthday folder. Yes, a little Stickles, too:-)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

FCCB Father's Day Challenge

This weeks FCCB challenge celebrates fathers:-) Since I have a crazy summer schedule, I'm likin' the QCAS type of projects. I put this Father's Day card together using some of my extremely old paper stash. First I cut out the tie image using the Summer Celebrations cartridge. I then took the negative image and cut around it at 4 x 5.25. I stamped the sentiment on the bottom and dry embossed a frame around the card using my Martha Stewart scoring pad. Using an A2 sized brown card base I adhered some old patterned paper to the brown and layered the white on top using foam adhesive.

Quick and easy!

Now, head to your creative space and make you Father's Day project to share with us!

One random winner wins a fabulous prize!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

A Winged and Sketch Challenges

Hello everyone! So happy you stopped by today:-) I want to give a little shout out to the Feline Playful volunteers and what a fabulous job they do! I was able to help out for a couple of weeks and let me tell you - there is quite a bit of time commitment involved. I encourage you to stop on by the blog and let them know how much you appreciate the time they take to organize all of these challenge sites.

I made this card from one of the sketch challenges I came across on Feline Playful called Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge on the Techno Stamper's blog. I sized my card at 5x7 and used patterned cardstock from The Paper Studio's Farm Fresh stack. I stamped IGS Chicken Wire background stamp on top of the chicken/rooster print. I then stamped the weathervane and rooster top on to some card stock from Stampin' Up that I think is retired. The flag is a piece of black twill ribbon adhered to the layer with a brad from Making Memories. The weathervane layer is popped up with foam adhesive.

Other Challenges Entered

Crafty Calendar - things with wings

Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

FCCB Memorial Day Challenge

So glad you stopped by today! This week's FCCB challenge is to create a project that celebrates Memorial Day. I am so honored to be able to use one of our fabulous sponsors images, Bugaboo Digi Stamps. I tried my hand at using my Stampin' Up markers to color in this patriotic soldier. The base card is an A2 dry embossed with the Darice Stars Assortment folder. The ribbon is from my stash. The corner was cut using Straight From The Nest out of paper from my stash.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge - Congratulations Graduate

Have you ever thought you were totally organized and on top of things only to realize - Not! Ugh, I thought I had my two-page layout done for when I was ready to post only to find it most of the components buried under a stack of scrap cardstock and notes for my sons school project. I didn't want to rush putting the layout together because it is for my scrapbook of my daughter, so I decided to do a quick card.

I used the DCWV Grade School stack along with scraps of solid card stock. The base measures 5 1/4 square. I cut the puppy at 4" from the Create A Critter 2 cart. I attached a die cut tag from My Craft Spot's Tiny Tags set. I used some foam adhesive to pop the little guy up on the card. Make sure to stop over at The Fantabulous Cricut Challenge blog to see the other wonderful DT graduation inspirations:-) Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

Teacher Appreciation Treats

Wow! I can't believe it's Friday! These last few weeks of my kids' school is loaded with activity! This week was Teacher Appreciation Week. There was something everyday for the teachers and staff. The theme is Summer Fun and today is snack day:-) I found the most perfect Cricut die set on Cricut Craftroom called Bag Toppers - Summer. My goal was 80 but only made it to 50 bags. I had volunteered for snack day before I found out about the big 5th grade project due next week (I'll post a pick of that later). Not only that, but I also found out that I'm going with Sydney, Australia for a week with my DH in a week. So, I had to cut back somewhere. I bought some clear cello treat bags at Hobby Lobby, filled them with different popcorns, then stapled the toppers to the bag.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

FCCB Paper Roses Challenge

I had the hardest time deciding what DT project to make for this challenge. There are simply soooo many fabulous Cricut cartridges with amazing flower cuts on them. I literally lined up about eight of my favorite on my studio floor then narrowed it down to two. The one I finally chose was the Mother's Day Bouquet cart. And even then, I had troubles deciding on what combination I wanted to use! I have some ideas swirling around for the "runner-up" carts for later dates;-)

I can't tell you how much I love love love this Quilting Bee patterned paper stack from My Mind's Eye! You will definitely be seeing more of it on my blog (no pun intended). The solid cardstock is dry embossed with the Darice 5x7 Honeycomb folder. The sweet sentiment is from My Creative Time's Just A Little Note To Say... stamp set. I stitched around the edge of the card using a decorative stitch on my sewing machine.

If you haven't already, please stop by The Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog to see the other fabulous DT projects. They are amazing!!!

Floral Sympathy

Well, I feel like I've been MIA from my computer lately. I volunteered to bring popcorn for the teacher  treat during Teacher Appreciation week at my son's school (I'll post when they're done). Of course, I can't just bring a tin of popcorn! The OCD crafter in me has to make it "special" - I think I may have gotten in over my head:-P I found out there are 85 teachers and staff at the grade school and I decided to make bags with Cricut cut toppers for each one. Okay, I have 30 done and I have one more week! Ugh! Well, I did find time to make a sympathy card for one of my mom's friends whose mother passed away. I grabbed my Lyrical Letters cart because I remember seeing someone use it for a sympathy card once. Wow, there were quite a few really nice cuts to make a quick and easy/CAS card. I added a little Midnight Blue Stickles for a simple embellishment. The cardstock, patterned paper, and sentiment is from Stampin' Up.

Challenges

Catered Crop - glitter

Celebrate The Occasion - CAS

Cupcake Craft - Monochromatic

Die Cuttin' Diva's - Flower

Exploring Cricut - Flower

Totally Papercrafts - Monochromatic

Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

April Showers FCCB Challenge

This week we want to see what you can do with umbrella Cricut cut. There are a lot of options and I went with a more unconventional one. Yes, I associate April with Spring Break! I used a base card of 5 x 5-inches. Next, I layered a 4 3/4" square piece of patterned paper from The Paper Studio's A Day At The Beach paper pack. The mat weave PP is from that same pack. I dry embossed the white piece with the D'vine Swirls Cuttlebug folder. The tropical drink was cut using Something To Celebrate Cricut cart. I used a piece of Pergamano to create more of a "glass" feeling. This was adhered to the card with foam dots. I tied a piece of hemp cording for more texture. The sentiment is from Pink By Design's Girls Just Want To Have Fun stamp set.

Please make sure you check out the rest of the FCCB DT's fabulous inspirations! Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous day:-)

A Little MoJo

So happy you stopped by today. I made a quick little card for this week's Mojo Monday sketch challenge. I used one of my favorite patterned cardstock packs, Authentique's Lively Collection. I decided to use some of my recently organized Washi tape with this challenge along with one of the cute little bird and sentiment stamps from Iron Gate Stamps' Birdhouse and Weathervane sets.

Other Challenges

Critter Challenge - washi / fabric tape

Love To Scrap - recipe

Creative Moments - things with wings

Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

under the weather?

Well, luckily no one in our household is sick (knock-on-wood). We did have our bout of the flu last month, but hopefully we are done with that. If I ever need to use this card, this cute little birdy should brighten their day.

Card Inside: Hope you're feeling sunshiney soon!

I used the 3 Birds On Parade Cricut cartridge and cut him out at 3 1/2-inches. I tried a smaller size, but those tiny boots and wings were difficult to work with. The base card was cut in an A2 size from DCWV cardstock. I used the patterned cardstock from Heidi Grace's Sunshowers pad for the card front and layers. The white is dry embossed with the Darice Cloudy Sky folder. I added a little Aqua Stickles to the rain drops - even popped one up with foam adhesive. The sentiment was printed on a clear address lable using the Honeybee font.

Challenges

Celebrate The Occasion - umbrella

Creative Card Crew - clouds

Cuttin and Stampin - showers

Cuttlebug Mania - April Showers

Creative Moments - things with wings

Fab n Funky - April Showers

Cooking With Cricut - Rain

Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

Clownin' Around

A smidge late with the April Fools "celebration", but I wanted to jump on the joke band wagon and do a punny card:-) I ended up sizing this card as an A7 (5x7) so I didn't have to make all of the clothing too tiny or the banner too small. I started with the sketch from Die Cuttin' Divas challenge. I used some patterned cardstock from DCWV Grade School scrapbook kit. The polka dot brads are from Paper Studio. The clown is cut using the Paper Doll Dress Up Cricut cartridge. I made the smallest pom-pon I think I have ever made using bakers twine (sorry, not sure where it came from). I dry embossed the hair with the Script Cuttlebug folder and the green oval with the Polka Dots Cuttlebug folder. The scalloped oval was cut using Cricut Craft Room Basics. I stamped the face with PKS 450 Wide Eyed Kids. I didn't use the nose that cut with the image because it was too big so I simply used my regular sized hole punch and popped it up with the tiniest piece foam adhesive I could cut. With a little trial and error, I sized and printed my joke onto a banner from the Christmas Cheer cart. I used a downloaded  font, Circus, for the printing.

Why did the clown go to the doctor?

card inside

Challenges

Die Cuttin Divas - sketch

Tammy's Scrapin Corner - funny birthday card

Cards For Men - April Fools

365 Cards - joke or silly sentiment

Bitten By The Bug 2 - clown

Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

Tweet Me!

I'm not an avid Twitter user, but I thought this Scrappy Moms sentiment worked so well with the card I made for Celebrate The Occasion's sketch challenge.

I stamped and watercolored one of the bird images from Iron Gate Stamps Birdhouse set. Next, I cut out the flags from coordinating cardstock from the Heidi Grace Sunshowers pad. I used the same cardstock for the Sizzix/Stampin' Up Little Leaves branch die. The base is Bermuda Bay textured cardstock from Stampin' Up. I used the same color dye ink to ink the edges of the layers and to stamp the IGS Clouds background. I finished the card with Caribbean bakers twine from The Twinery. Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

Challenges

Celebrate The Ocassion - sketch

Catered Crop - twine

The Sisterhood of Crafters - Easter/Spring

Simon Says Stamp - anything

7 Kids College Fund - wings

Did Someone Say Chocolate Bunny?

I love this little chocolate bunny! I think it came from Stampin' Up as a single. I'm so glad I decided to use it for these challenges. It pairs so perfectly with the sentiment from Scrappy Moms Critter Crazy set. I used a pink cardstock from my stash so I'm unsure of the maker. The lighter embossed pink is from Stampin' Up. I embossed it with the Cuttlbug Geometric Rings folder. I adhered a felt ric-rac ribbon to the embossed layer before adding the bunny layer with foam adhesive. I added some Prima flowers and a vintage button that I cut the shank off of. The inside layer was embossed with the coordinating Geometric Rings embossing strip and stamped with that cute SM sentiment.

Challenges

Raise The Bar - Sketch

Just Add Ink - Bunnies

Die Cuttin Divas - Embossing and Ribbon

Scrappy Moms - Easter

Party Time Tuesdays - Anything Goes


Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

Seize the Birthday #11 masculine

One of my favorite blog challenges is Seize the Birthday. Who couldn't use more birthday cards in their stash?:-) Even better, adding to the male birthday card stash. Here is my card for this weeks STB masculine sketch challenge.

I used some brown DCWV stash for my A2 base and then added coordinating patterned cardstock from DCWV The Guy Stack. The sentiment is from Iron Gate Stamps Tree House set. Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

Washi Tape Holder

I wanted to share with you my new Washi Tape holder. I've been buying a lot of Washi tape recently (mostly on Etsy coming from China) so I was trying to figure out what I could store them in besides a drawer. I remembered I had bought a June Tailor thread holder for my sewing threads and recalled there was also one for the big spools used for sergers. I used my half off Joann's coupon to buy one. I can get four spools on dowel. Works like a charm!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

To A Good Egg...

I don't know why it's taken so long for me to use all of the Washi tape I've been buying.  It makes cards super easy and very colorful! One of the techniques I use for Washi tape cards is using the negative image from my Cricut cuts. For this card I used the negative from an egg shape cut. I layered different Springy colored tapes on an A2 card and adhered the egg cut-out on top of the base. Stamped a cute sentiment from My Creative Time's Color Me Happy set and there it is:-) I'm posting this on a couple Moxie Fab challenges this month, Washi Tape Challenge and Emphasize the Negative Challenge in the Moxie Fab World.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a creative day:-)

FCCB Easter Project Challenge

Time again for another Fantabulous Cricut Challenge! This weeks theme is Easter. Let's see all those bunnies, chicks, and eggs! Here is my DT inspiration for you. I used the Martha Stewart Seasonal Cake Art cart and layered it on a 5x5 base with Echo Park Dots & Stripes Candy Shoppe patterned cardstock. My inspiration was to use patterns normally seen on Easter eggs. The scrap piece of blue is embossed with Sizzix Chevron embossing folder. I tied a little antique button I purchased on Etsy (best place for cool papercrafting supplies) with some white cotton crochet yarn.

Please stop over to The Fantabulous Cricut Challenge blog to see all of the other fabulous DT projects as well as all of the details about this weeks challenge. Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

Seize The Birthday #11

I hope this is the last snowfall until December:-P I secured myself in my craft room and put on a little island music on Pandora to pretend I'm somewhere warm and tropical. So glad I did because I found a birthday card I was supposed to mail out last week. Hopin' she'll understand that it's going to be late;) I was able to crank out a few cards. This one is for Seize the Birthday girl challenge.

I used some paper tape from Martha Stewart. It was so easy peasy to make this card because all of these strips came in the same box. I used one of my favorite birthday sentiments from Iron Gate Stamps and stamped it with Stampin' Up Real Red dye ink. Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

Make a Wish

I found this fun challenge blog through Feline Playful the other day, Cuttlebug Mania. Their challenge this week is a sketch challenge so I thought I'd play along.

I used an A2 sized card base using Stampin' Up Wisteria Wonder cardstock and embossed the bottom third using the Seeing Spots Cuttlebug folder. I layered patterned paper from Basic Grey's Hey, Girl stack and some scrap Stampin' Up pink cardstock. I watercolored the candle stamp from Iron Gate Stamps Birthday Wishes set on a piece of Stampin' Up Very Vanilla. After it was dry, I dry embossed the vanilla piece with Sizzix's Perfect Polka Dots folder. I added some Stickles and inked the edges before I adhered it down with foam adhesive. Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

I {heart} Sketches challenge

Well, even though it's the first day of Spring, it's 9 degrees here in IL with windchills below zero! It's amazing that a year ago it was in the 80's.  Well, that's the midwest for you:-P  My project today is an A2 size card for the I {heart} sketches challenge. I used Iron Gate Stamps Birdhouse stamp set along with a cute little paper pad set from Heidi Grace, Sunshowers. The images are stamped with black StazOn and then watercolored with Staedtler watercolor crayons. The birdhouse was cut out and popped up with foam adhesive dots. The circle die is from My Creative Time, the tag die is from Stampin' Up, and the flower is from Punch Bunch.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

Go Green! (and go away flu!)

Ugh, what a miserable couple of weeks here with the spread of influenza :-P First my 2 YO, then me, now I think DH has it. I sure hope the other two don't come down with this. Not fun:-(  So, before the projects I started on "expire" I want to post what I have finished.

I started this little guy thinking there was a masculine card challenge I wanted to enter it for but, can't remember. The base is a size A2 using textured Bazzill. I dry embossed most of the patterned paper from an old DCWV spring stack with the Darice St. Pat's folder. The flat bottom I used to stamp the cute sentiment from Scrappy Moms Spring Fling set.  I used the image from the Cricut Smiley Cards cart to make a mug of "green beer". I used scrap black, cream, and a old piece of Bo Bunny dotted CS.  I've been obsessed with this mustache my BFF has in one of her stamp sets Birthday Wishes. I stamped and heat embossed the 'stash in black and popped it on the front of the mug with foam adhesive. Makes me giggle every time I look at him. The whole mug is popped up on the card with an Action Wobble. I think I set the wobble up too high so the bottom keeps hitting the card and stops the wobble. At least it jiggles:-) The twill ribbon is from PTI that I've had for awhile. Thanks for stopping by:-) Have a healthy and creative day:-)

Challenges

Scrappy Frogs - green/St Pat's

Tammy's Scrapin Corner - Shamrock

The Pink Elephant - Happy St Pat's/green

Clear It Out - St Pat's

Cuttin & Stampin - St Pat's

Loves Rubber Stamps - St Pat's

Party Time Tues - Luck of the Irish

Creative Belli - St Pat's

Papercraft Star - Green

Whimsical Designs - St Pat's

The Crafter's Cafe - St Pat's

Just a Note

I found this fun new challenge blog, The Outlawz, a few weeks ago. I'm finally going to submit an entry. It's not the typical "blog" challenge that I'm used to. A few hoops to jump through so I'm hoping I do this correctly. When I saw this challenge I new exactly what I was going to do. A quick "note" with a little inspiration from my BFF at Iron Gate Stamps. She recently did a card and used both sides of the same textured cardstock to create a subtle mat.

I used a die and stamp set that I purchased last year from PTI and never used. The set is called Happy Trails. I was drawn to it because of the many wonderful sentiments along with the multiple items and their "trails". I die cut the fountain pen from the same white Bazzill cardstock as the base and stamped the image in black. I popped up the pen for a little added interest after stamping the other images and sentiment with the same black dye ink. I think I'm going to make a few more of these. It was quick and easy and I really like how it came out:-) Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day!

FCCB Luck O The Irish Challenge

March is my official unofficial beginning of Spring! Even though we have 9 inches of snow here, I know it won't be around for long:-) This weeks challenge at FCCB is about all things Irish! For my inspiration project, I made a A2 sized card using my new Teddy Bear Parade cart. I don't know why I waited so long to get this fabulous cartridge. This little leprechaun cutey was cut at 3 1/2 inches using various scraps of card stock along with some patterned paper from DCWV Flower Shower Spring matstack. The light PP was embossed with Darice's St. Pat's folder. I inked up the black edges with some white craft ink for a little dimension. The cute face is a stamp from Critter Faces Set A XL Peachy Keen set. The little buckle on his hat has a touch of gold Stickles. The fun Irish sentiment is from Scrappy Moms Spring Fling set.

Make sure you check out this weeks rules along with the other DT inspiration projects then come play along at FCCB! Thanks for stopping by. Have a creative day:-)

Birthday Girl

I cleaned up my studio this week and found a stack of challenges that came and went. There are so many good ones going on now, it's so hard for me to only do a few. I get so "gung ho" and try to do multiple cards at the same time. Life happens, time gets away, and there ya go... several unfinished cards. So I put them aside and make a resolution to do one at a time. I put my supplies in stacks with my "ideas" on the top, but refuse to start until I get the previous card done. This way I'm not "wasting" valuable crafting supplies;-)

Here is one of the cards I finished today. It is for a brand new (well, almost new - I missed the first 8) challenge blog, Seize The Birthday. Love this idea. One (1) sketch for two weeks - 1st week-  boy card, 2nd week- girl card. How brilliant is that! I'm always needing birthday cards. In fact, I finished up the boy card from the last sketch to give to my Bestie's son this Sunday.

I used my favorite set from Iron Gate Stamps, Birthday Wishes. I masked the sparkler and stamped the cake over it. Hard to tell from the picture but it makes it look like one stamped image. Pretty cool:-) The patterned paper is from Basic Grey's Hey, Girl stack. Super cute! I found some coordinating DCWV solid and used the ric-rac die from PTI. Of course, I couldn't leave out the Stickles, sugary pink frosting and sparkly sparkler:-) Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

FCCB "Bye Bye Birdie" challenge

This week we would like to see you use a bird in your project. My DT inspiration is a 5x5 sized card using Bazzill Kraft and distressed around the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. The blue and white checked, red, and green cardstock comes from The Paper Studio's Farm Fresh stack. The green cardstock was embossed with Distressed Stripes Cuttlebug folder and the red cardstock was stamped with Iron Gate Stamps Chicken Wire background stamp. I used the Country Life cart to cut out this cute little hen. The eye was stamped using an eye stamp from the Everyday Character Face Parts and More Peachy Keen stamp set and a white gel pen. I used a Stampin' Up tag punch and faux stitched around it after stamping the cute sentiment from My Pink Stamper's Tweetie Hoo Puns (retired). I tied the tag with some hemp twine from my stash.

Make sure you check out this weeks DT inspiration projects as well as all of the challenge details at The Fantabulous Cricut Challenge blog. Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

Kiss The Cook FCCB Challenge

This week's Fantabulous Cricut challenge is to create a project with your Cricut that includes a recipe. Even more fun, make the recipe and show us the finished goodness with your Cricut project!

I made a recipe holder I saw on Pinterest. It was super easy and came out sooo cute! I found a large wooden clothespin that was already painted, cut a strip of cardstock printed from my Imagine Kate's Kitchen cartridge, and adhered it with some Mod Podge. I used the Accent Essentials cart to cut various sized flowers from some scrap October Afternoon Campfire patterened card stock. I printed the word "RECIPE"  on a piece of DCWV Mod Retro cardstock and made it into a tag. I attached all of my elements, including a vintage button purchased from Etsy, to the clip after it had dried thoroughly. I then printed out a recipe card from the Kate's Kitchen Imagine cartridge. After a little trial and error using MS Excel, I fit the recipe onto the card using my inkjet printer.

Ready for crisped bread and crackers!

Make sure you stop by the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog to see all of the other wonderfully fabulous DT projects and recipes! Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

More Snowflakes:-)

Oh, I am so happy to have a somewhat free day to make some cards! This one is for the Come and Get It Challenge Blog and the Sketchy Colors Blog challenges. My trick to getting several cards done without too much fussing is using these fabulous card layouts and color combos that other bloggers have already put together. Cuts my designing time down more than half!:-)

I used one of my favorite IGS sets, "Snowflakes" to create this quick card. I cut out a scalloped hex at shape at 1 1/4" using my Cricut and the Winter Woodland cartridge. I stamped the snowflakes with S/U Brocade Blue and used Diamond Stickles in the centers. I popped them up on 1.5" squares of purple PP. I cut two 5/8" strips of white CS and used the IGS Snowflake border stamp. The sentiment is also from the IGS Snowflake set. All of the what edges were inked with S/U Brocade Blue and the purple squares were inked with S/U white craft.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

FCCB Queen of Hearts Challenge

So happy you stopped by today:-) This week's Fantabulous Cricut Challenge is all about Hearts! I used the Better Together Imagine cartridge to create this 5.25 x 5.25 layered card.

I used a square shape installed in the Imagine and four 2.5" squares. I made two the striped background and the other two the damask background paper. These were layered on a cream card base. I cut the tag shape, heart, and LOVE separately so I could "pop" them up with foam adhesive for added interest. Of course, I needed a little bling so I did a little Stickles on the "O". I finished off the card with a vintage pink button on some of my hand dyed seam binding ribbon.

Please make sure you stop over to the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog to find out all of the details about this weeks challenge. You may also want to visit the other fabulous DT blogs to see their inspiration projects.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)

Piano Notes Binder Cover

Welcome to another Fantabulous Cricut Challenge! I will admit I have been wanting to make a cover for my son's piano lesson binder since this summer. Not sure why it took me so long. A little secret {shhhh} this was very easy.

My son loves the color green so I looked through my Expression cart swatches and picked this green pattern from the JT cart. I then used Cricut Craft Room to weld and cut the letters and notes. I used CCR Font and Quarter Note cart to accomplish this. After adhering the layers to together, I did a little white doodling and stamped the cute little Peachy Keen Boy Mates faces with white craft ink. Next, I slid the sheet behind the clear vinyl cover.

Please check out FCC blog to see the other fantabulous design teams inspirational projects!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day:-)