Merry Christmas to all!

I have been busy for the past three days playing Betty Crocker!  I love to bake and make candy and that is one of my favorite things about this time of year.  This year I made:  peanut brittle, english toffee, chewy molasses spice cookies, shortbread, butterscotch confetti, noodle stacks, macaroons, yum yums, and caramels.  Phew!  Thankfully my daughters were a really big help to me this year.  Usually by the time I am done with all the baking I couldn't care less about how they're packaged up, but my Cricut came to the rescue!  It's just so easy to make something cute, so how could I resist?  I did the cutting, my daughter did the assembling and voila!

Cricut Cartridge:  Wild Card
Paper:  American Crafts MerryMint
Ribbon:  American Crafts

Merry Christmas!

MPS Christmas Challenge

Every spare minute that I have right now is spent making cards that I will be giving as Christmas presents (shhh, don't tell anybody!).  But when I saw that Robyn at My Pink Stamper had posted another challenge, how could I resist?  Especially since I gave myself a bit of a challenge, and that was to make a Christmas card based around this ribbon that I found at the American Crafts warehouse sale.  It is called Candy Cane #2, and it has white, blue, red, pink and green in it.  Here's what I came up with:

Cricut Cartridge:  Winter Frolic (peppermint border) and Simply Charmed (candy cane)
Embossing:  Cuttlebug
Stamp:  Stampin' Up!
Ribbon:  American Crafts Candy Cane #2
Cardstock:  AC Cardstock

MPS Color Challenge - Pink, Blue and Black

Come and celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas - My Pink Stamper style!  Today, Robyn has posted a challenge that was so fun for me.  The challenge:  to use two shades of pink, two shades of blue, and black in a project.  I had no idea how I was going to do this until I remembered the adorable penguins on the Simply Charmed cartridge.  I have also been wanting to use my snowflake cartridge, and this gave the perfect opportunity!

Cartridges:  Simply Charmed, When It's Cold Outside
Embossing:  Cuttlebug
Stamps:  Close to my Heart
Punches:  Fiskars, and Martha Stewart
Cardstock:  Core-dinations, DCWV, AC Cardstock, Stampin' Up!

"Deck the Halls" with a Fantabulous Cricut Crawl!

Welcome to Divine Domesticity and the third Fantabulous Cricut Crawl...Fantabulous Cricut's version of a blog hop!  I'm so glad that you decided to join in the holiday fun with us!

In honor of this joyous season we're having a "Deck the Halls" Crawl in which each Design Team member will be showcasing a Christmas or holiday themed home decor project - all made using a Cricut of coarse!  I'm the first stop on the crawl, and I'm so glad that you have found your way here.

I have been using these glass blocks for about 3-4 years now, but this is the first year that I have been able to decorate one using a Cricut!  I have to say, it's so much easier!  If you are looking for a quick and easy project with maximum "ooohh, aaahhh" factor, this is the project for you.  I made these for a boutique that I participated in recently - hence the price tags.  Incidentally, don't mind the price.  I know, I know - I was practically giving them away.  I was mostly looking to use up some supplies that I had on hand.

I bought these blocks at Home Depot and my husband was good enough to drill the hole in the back so I could put the Christmas lights in.  In order to do that you have to have a diamond tip drill bit, and quite honestly, it's a bit of a pain.  Thankfully, a lot of craft stores sell these blocks with the holes already in them, and some even with slits in them so you can use the blocks as a piggy bank.  Isn't that a good idea?  I might have to try that...

Cricut Cartridge:  Create a Critter (Peace), Beyond Birthdays (Peace on Earth), Winter Frolic (Merry & Bright and Frosty)
Ribbon:  Costco
Battery operated LED lights:  IKEA (go after Christmas and stock up when they're 75% off)
Vinyl:  Roberts Crafts


And now it's your turn.  We would love to see your Christmas/holiday themed home decor projects that you have made using your Cricut.  And when you're done, make sure to link up your project to FCCB's Fantabulous Cricut Crawl post to be entered into the contest!

If you just happened upon my blog today - welcome!  If you would like to join in with the Fantabulous Cricut Crawl, you can here.  Make sure to check out each DT member's blog for some awesome inspiration!  Some DT members will have PRIZES along the way, AND there will be a Grand Prize up for grabs at FCCB for one participant that submits a "Deck The Halls" project at FCCB!

The next step on the crawl is Angela at Simple Creations Paper Crafts!

OH MY! It's an "Oh My Crafts" Warehouse Sale!

This could be bad.

This could be VERY bad!

I stumbled across this ad completely by accident, but I'm glad I did!  For those of you who are in Utah, here's another warehouse sale that is going on tomorrow only.  I've never been to this one before so I can't say whether it's very good or not.  But I can say that they sell some great products.

I'll let you know if I get there!

I know the ad is a little hard to read, so here's the ad in print:

Join us for a day of amazing savings, FREE crop party, giveaways and more!

Oh My Crafts BIG WAREHOUSE SALE!

Saturday, December 11th from 10am to 4pm.

1499 West 105 North Orem, Utah 84057 (Just off of Center Street in Orem, head West and turn right after Standard Plumbing Supply Co.)

We carry CRICUT, SIZZIX, CUTTLEBUG, GYPSY, BASICGREY, DOODLEBUG, WE R MEMORY KEEPERS, QUICKUTZ, GRAPHIC 45, BAZZILL BASICS, VINYL, IMAGINISCE, CRICUT CARTRIDGES, YOURSTORY and more!

Get your holiday gifts at discount prices!

MPS - Birthday Challenge

This was just the challenge I needed because so many members of my family have asked for packs of homemade cards for Christmas.  That I can definitely do, but I was in need of a few new designs in the mix.  I couldn't resist this piece of pizza from the Simply Charmed cartridge.

Cricut Cartridge:  Simply Charmed
Paper:  DCWV, American Crafts, Stampin' Up!
Stamp:  Stampendous
Punch:  Fiskars Apron Lace
Buttons:  DCWV, and other random button  ;-)

American Crafts Quick and Easy Christmas Card

Well, I'm not sure how quick and easy this was...

It would be quick and easy to reproduce, but the fun (and time) is in the design process, isn't it?  Ever since I got the Winter Frolic cartridge I have been dying to make a gingerbread card.  As many of you know I was lucky enough to go to the American Crafts warehouse sale last week.  Well, I totally scored on some great cardstock, ribbon, adhesive, and really cute Christmas paper - some of which had little gingerbread men in the background!

I also discovered the American Crafts Blog last week.  And low and behold, they're having a Quick and Easy Christmas Cards Challenge this week.

I made this card using a number of great American Crafts products:

• AC Cardstock
• AC Patterned Paper in Jolly and Merry Mint
• American Crafts Galaxy Marker in White
• American Crafts Elements Premium Ribbon in Gingerbread #1 and Ginberbread #6 (how appropriate?)
• American Crafts "This to That" adhesive

FCCB Challenge #39 - Gifts Galore

I have been making these journal/stationary sets for years, but this is the first year that I've been able to use my Cricut to make them!  They are so fun to make, and a great way of using your "stacks" that already have paper that is meant to coordinate.  And when you wrap them up in cellophane they look so pretty!

There are 5 items in this gift set:

• A journal, which is an embellished composition book.  I always stock up on these when you can get them for $.25 at back to school time.
• A 2 year calendar/planner - I usually buy these at Michaels, and I think they usually are available starting in September  - sometimes in the dollar section, sometimes they have a separate "calendar" section.  You need the ones with the clear covers that you can slip off. 
• An embellished notepad.  I try to pick these up at a dollar store.
• An embellished Pentel R.S.V.P. pen
• A bookmark - which is basically an embellished paper clip.  In the past I have used the enormous, long paper clips but they are getting harder to find and are expensive.  So this year I switched to these cool round ones that I found at Office Depot.

 The trick to making these is you have to have the right glue.  For the embellished notepad you pretty much have to have the Glue Lines or Terrifically Tacky Tape (narrow) to keep your cardstock in place.  For the journals, I have used an assortment of liquid glues like Tombo, Scotch, Martha Stewart's gel adhesive, or even contact cement.  You can't use Monoadhesive or a glue stick - it just won't cut it.  Of coarse with the liquid glue you have to make sure that you don't have too much or it's going to cause your paper to ripple.

If you would like more specific instructions, just leave a comment with your email address.  Don't forget to spell it out using "at" and "dot" instead of "@" and "." so you don't have to worry about people you don't want using your email address.  We'd love to see you over at the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge blog for this week's challenge!

Cricut Cartridge:  Sweet Treats
Cardstock:  DCWV, AC Cardstock

 

I have had a number of people ask for more detailed instructions, so here they are:

Directions for Embellished Composition Book

The directions are going to vary somewhat depending on what brand of composition books you get.  I always get the ones at Wal-Mart.

Spine:  9 ¾ x 5

Front upper right:  5 ½ x 4 ¼

Front lower right:  5 ½ x 5 ½

Front long strip (next to spine):  9 ¾ x 5/8

Front short strip:  5 ¾ x 3/8”  except if you’re planning on using a punch, then you’ll want it wider.  I started at 1” and then trimmed to my liking.

Back:  9 ¾ x 5 ½

Here are some more suggestions:

• use good quality cardstock because the liquid glue will soak through the lighter weight stuff far too easily, EXCEPT…
• It is easiest to use paper on the spine.  Cardstock can be a little tricky to wrap around the front and back of the spine.  It can be done – what I do is rub the cardstock width-wise along a sharp edge (like a counter-top), and that helps create a curve that you can ease around the book.
• Remember, these dimensions may vary slightly depending on the size of your composition book

The notepads and calendars vary a little too much in size to give measurements there.  Just remember, measure twice, cut once!

Check out this fabulous giveaway!

There is a fabulous giveaway going on at the Roberts Crafts blog - over $450 in DCWV products.  Check it out here.

One of the benefits of living in Utah

I LOVE their cardstock, and ribbon.  If you're in Utah, be there or be square!

FCCB Challenge #38 - Ribbon Challenge

OK - I know this is probably the LAST type of card you would expect to see on my blog right now considering the season.  Maybe that's why I chose to do this one - I'm entering winter and the holidays kicking and screaming this year!  I live in Utah and it has been SO cold for the past week and we have about 6 inches of snow at the moment.  There's no need to dream of a white Christmas - it's already here!  ;-)

The challenge at the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog this week is to use ribbon on your project.  I love this ribbon!  I think this card is the perfect example of how the right ribbon can make a project.

Cricut Cartridge:  Forever Young
Paper -  DCWV Citrus Stack
Ribbon - Michaels
Stamp:  Stampin' Up!

I got one!

Hee hee!  I joined in the insanity last night and went to my local Wal-Mart to see if I could get one of the Cricut Expressions that they had advertised.  Do you want to know how badly I wanted one?  I arrived at the Wal-Mart at about 9:50 pm, and sat down by the pallet where they had all the Cricuts and cartridges bundled up and stayed there for the two hours until the craziness began.  You know, if you can look past all the insanity and the bad that these sales can bring out in people, it can actually be kind of fun while you're waiting!  I got to visit with some really nice people, answer a lot of their questions about the Cricut, and I found a great local source for cheap Cricut cartridges.  Of the five of us that were there first we had it all planned out how we were going to help each other get the colors we wanted.  And I think the one dad in the crowd was glad to have people there who knew what they were talking about to help him know what to get for his daughter.

One of the girls I was standing there waiting with kept asking, "How are we going to know when it's time?"  I just told her, "Trust me, you'll know.  Just wait - when it gets close to midnight some customer is going to decide when it's close enough and will start grabbing and it will start a chain reaction."

Yep, that's exactly what happened.

By the way - there are still Cricut Expressions available online for the same price as they had in the stores.  Check them out here:  yellow, green, aqua, and plum - the price is up to $225 now though. 

Oh, and did I mention I'm not allowed to play with my Expression yet?  I have to wait until Christmas...  :-(

Stylish Blogger Award!

I am just tickled - I was nominated by two different people to receive the Stylish Blogger Award:  Elsa at CricutLvr and Kerry at Momma K Crafts.  Thank you so much!

There are some rules that go along with receiving this award:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this

2. Share 8 things about yourself

3. Pay it forward to 8 bloggers that you have recently discovered

4. Contact those bloggers and tell them about their awards

So, eight things about myself....

1.  I have been papercrafting for about 13 years and used to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator.
2.  I am a Food Network junkie.
3.  I have a MAJOR paper fetish, and am needing treatment.  ;-)
4.  I am originally from Canada.
5.  I teach Cricut classes at my local Joann.
6.  Red is my favorite color.
7.  I play the piano and love to sing.
8.  I pretty much love everything crafty/homemade and would love to be Martha Stewart when I grow up!  ;-)

Now eight blogs that I have recently discovered whose work I love:

http://thecricutbug.blogspot.com/
http://jennyplace26.blogspot.com/
http://allscrappedout.com/
http://nonnascraftcorner.blogspot.com/
http://calypsocandycraft.blogspot.com/
http://creativewarcraft.blogspot.com/
http://lisa-craft-blog.blogspot.com/
http://happylifecraftywife.typepad.com/blog/

FCCB Challenge #37 - Thankful for...

my husband.  Isn't he handsome?  What greater inspiration than the love of my life and the colors of this beautiful time of the year?  This is the time to remember all of the many things we have to be thankful for.  And after you do we'd love for you to join us in this week's challenge at the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog.

Cricut Cartridges:
Font - Plantin Schoolbook
Border - Winter Frolic

Paper:
American Crafts
Paper Pizzaz

Paper Punch:
Martha Stewart - Arch Lattice

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge #36 - Achoo!

The theme for this week's challenge at  the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog is - Achoo!  Get well, being sick, flu-bug types of projects.  Very appropriate considering we have certainly had our share of "bugs" around this house the past couple of weeks.   This is the only "flu-bug" I'd like to be getting this winter!

Cartridges:
Create a Critter (ladybug and "bug"
Wild Card ("flu" and "?")

Embossing:
Quickutz - Polka Dots

Cardstock & buttons:
DCWV

Punch:

Fiskars Apron Lace

Glitter Glue - Studio G

A not-so-mini album! ;-)

As you have probably noticed my creations definitely lean more towards cards, but with the classes that I am teaching at Joann I have had to branch out a little bit.  One of the classes I am teaching is at the end of December, so right after Christmas.  Not really a time for Christmas projects, but we're all still feeling festive at that point, so what to do?  I decided to try my hand at making a mini-album, which as it happens, turned out to be more like a not-so-mini album (in my humble opinion).  I decided to go with a winter theme, so once again I pulled out my Winter Frolic cartridge, et viola!  Aside from the cover, there are 2 of each of the pages pictured below to make the album.

Paper - chipboard, DCWV, KI Memories

Ribbon - Offray, American Crafts

Embossing - Cuttlebug

The father of a good friend of ours passed away a couple of days ago.  Something simple and tasteful was in order.

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge #35 - Shape/Color Challenge

Welcome to my first design team submission for the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog!  The challenge for this week is to use the color green and a circle in your project.  So I decided to use a green circle!

The little peppermint was made using the Simply Charmed cartridge, and the "Sweet" comes from the Create a Critter cartridge.  The background was created using the D'vine Swirl Cuttlebug folder.  Cardstock from DCWV.

I need to spend more time at the Cricut website!  As I was looking for the link for the D'vine Swirl folder I noticed that they have a lot more Cricut Companion folders - Winter Frolic, Simply Charmed, Boys Will Be Boys, just to name a few.  I love these, but as luck would have it I haven't been able to get my hands on any of them yet.  I live in the area where so many papercrafting/scrapbooking companies are headquartered (Provo Craft for a start) and yet the local stores have the worst selection of Cuttlebug products.  So aggravating!

Fantabulous News!

I'm so excited to share with you that I am now on the Design Team for the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog!  I'm just so tickled!  As many of you know, I love a challenge and I have been participating in their weekly challenges for a while now.  I find both the challenges and the artwork of the design team very inspiring, and often just what I need to get motivated to do some creating of my own. 

To those of you who have been followers for a while, thank you for your kind comments.  To those who are new here, welcome!  I hope you will find some inspiration and enjoy crafting along with me.

My favorites

As you may have noticed from previous posts, I LOVE this time of year - and for so many reasons!  I love the cooler weather, I love the leaves changing colors, I love having a reason to snuggle under a blanket by the fire with a good book, I love making hearty soups to feed my family.  The list goes on and on.

Two of my favorites are featured in this card:  the color red, and apples!  The apple is from the Preserves cartridge, and I have also used two Cuttlebug folders:  Script Texture, and Victoria.  The stamp is from the Stampendous Fresh Fruit set.

P.S. - I don't know how it escaped my attention, but there are 3 MORE seasonal Cricut cartridges that were released recently:  Winter Lace, Trim the Tree, and Gingerbread.  They are beautiful!  I especially love Trim the Tree.  Check them out!

Think Pink!

Among many other brave women in the world, two of our sisters in the online scrapping/crafting community are battling breast cancer.  If you would like to support these two individuals in their fight, you can find more information here.  Here are the cards that I have made.