Friday, April 30, 2010

Special Delivery

A friend of mine is having a baby this weekend, and is expecting a little boy.  So I took the opportunity to play a little.  I went to a seriously great DCWV warehouse sale yesterday and picked up some really fun paper.  In the past I have kind of shied away from using cardstock with a white core.  I was a SU demonstrator for years and one of the things they always kind of boasted was the fact that their cardstock is a solid color all the way through.  So I guess I kind of got indoctrinated, or confused, or something because I just equated white core cardstock as bad.  Silly, eh?  It was actually getting the Create a Critter Cricut cartridge that opened my eyes to the endless creative possibilities with white core cardstock.  Or even better, Core'dinations cardstock.


Anybody who looks at this, you need to respond and tell me how beautiful the sewing is on this card.  You would not believe the drama with trying to get it there!  My girls have taken an interest in sewing, and I reluctantly let my 10 year old use my machine a few times this week.  Well, when I sat down to do the stitching on this card, my machine seized up!  Waaaahhhh!!  There's something wrong with the bobbin casing, and I'm so (sew) sad!  Luckily we gave my 8 year old her own machine for her birthday last year, so I was able to use hers.  Time for a trip to the repair shop...

Win a Cricut Cake!

Anyone who loves their Cuttlebug is familiar with the Cuttlebug Challenges.  Well, you're going to love it even more if you go over there today because they have a fabulous giveaway going on right now - a Cricut Cake and a whole bunch of Cricut cartridges.  Go check it out!



Sunday, April 25, 2010

MPS Scrapbook Sketch Challenge

Well this is just unprecedented!  I have completed two scrapbooking projects in less than week's time.

My Pink Stamper posted a challenge today with a cute and easy layout, so I thought, why not?  As it happens, there isn't a lot of Cricut use in this project.  And I don't know why, but the colors look really blah - in real life it's a really cute combination of pink and brown.  Here it is:



After completing this layout I know what kind of cartridge I would like next.  I need a cartridge that has lots of candy images on it - is there one like that?  I really needed something that looked like a candy bar, but had to settle on making something on my own.  Do you like my attempt at creating a 2-D chocolate bar?  So Provo Craft, if you're listening, I want a cartridge with lots of candy images - you can call it Sweet Shoppe.  The other thing I need is another font cartridge.  I think it's time for George to have a rest!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Crazy for Critters

It's amazing how time flies when you're living in an antihistamine haze...

Last week when Michaels was having their fabulous Cricut Cartridge sale, I never dreamed they would have the new cartridges in stock and part of the sale - but they did!  So I picked up Create a Critter and some super cute ribbon to go along with it.

I took the opportunity to scrapbook our recent trip to the zoo, and you need to realize, this is a huge accomplishment.  No really, a HUGE accomplishment.  I haven't done any scrapbooking in years - not since my oldest was about 2, and she's 10 now.  I think that scrapbooking can be really overwhelming if you allow it to be.  I've just decided that I am going to do it when I feel inspired to.  And I just happened to have this new cartridge, and new zebra striped ribbon, and zebra brads.  The fact that we didn't see any zebras that day is completely beside the point!  Here is what I have made so far:

In the process of putting together this post I found some fantastic news!  First of all, the Cricut website has a preview of upcoming cartridges, and has a bunch of Cuttlebug products that are coming out that are companions to a number of the new Cricut cartridges.  I am so excited!  The companion embossing folders are totally adorable.  I will definitely be watching for those in the stores.
Also, Michaels has on their home page a 20% off your entire purchase coupon, including sale items, that you don't have to sign up for anything to print.  Too bad I've spent my limit this month.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Go Jamie!

This is going to be a departure from all the papercrafting I have been posting recently.  I have a passion for papercrafting, but there are many other things I feel passionate about.  With 3 young children this is something that hits close to home. 

When I first started seeing commercials for Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, I immediately thought that was a program that I needed to watch.  But I kept forgetting!  So finally I remembered to program it into the DVR and I was able to watch a couple of episodes Sunday evening.  All I can say is, bless that man!  He isn't saying anything different than what nutritionists and other health professionals have been saying for years.  If it takes a celebrity to get people and excited and motivated about eating a more healthy diet, then I say go for it!

I generally pack a lunch for my girls, for a few reasons.  First, because it's cheaper.  Second, because it's better for them, and last because my oldest daughter quite literally gets sick every time she eats school lunch.  I figured the reason she got sick was because she isn't used to eating processed foods, but I didn't really fully understand until I went to the school and joined my girls for school lunch one day.  Corn dogs and "potato wedges" (code for:  we don't want to call them french fries) were on the menu that day.  I won't go into the details of how revolting the food was, but suffice it to say, the only time my daughters will be eating school lunch from now on is in the case of dire emergency.

School lunch, generally, consists of processed, preservative laden, reheated garbage.  And it proves just how mixed up people are in what they think is healthy eating.  A few years ago I worked in an industry where I frequently had the opportunity to talk to people about their diets.  I remember one conversation that I had with a mother who's child was struggling with constipation.  I asked the mother how many fruits and vegetables the child ate.  Her response?  "She usually eats a salad with her school lunch."  First of all, it's highly unlikely that the child ate the salad.  Secondly, the salad was probably made with iceberg lettuce which is almost entirely water.  On one episode of Food Revolution, the head of food services gave Jamie a hard time for not having enough veggies out for the kids.  So what did she put out?  French fries!!!!  There are a lot of foods that people consider "vegetables" that only marginally qualify - potatoes, corn, and even carrots are mostly carbohydrate.

I digress...

Here's where I have a confession to make.  I like food.  I wish I was one of those lucky people for whom food is fuel.  But I'm not.  I like good food, and I like to feel good about what I am eating so I try very hard to cook good meals for my family - generally from scratch.  I bake my own bread, I can make my own yogurt, and I can honestly say that we eat a lot of vegetables - especially in the summertime when the garden is producing.  I am not stick skinny, and probably never will be, but we eat well in this household, with rare exceptions.  My children eat brown rice regularly, like tofu, like vegetables and it's all because they have had the opportunity to develop a liking for these foods.  Do we ever eat sugar and junk food?  You bet!  I think those things are there to be enjoyed, but only occasionally.

The benefits of preparing a meal go far beyond good nutrition too.  There is just something nurturing and healing about preparing good food.  It can bring your family together too.  If you agree that eating habits need to change, go and sign the petition so this revolution can move forward!

Saturday, April 10, 2010

MPS - Challenge!

I love My Pink Stamper Challenges!  This may sound really strange to some people, but as much as I love papercrafting I can't just sit down at my desk and tinker.  I don't exactly know why - I just know that it's far too easy for me to think of all the other things that I should be doing.  I need to have some kind of motivation or inspiration, and challenges do the trick!  Today's challenge is to make a project using black, pink and green.  And I was finally able to use my new cartridge Preserves.  Here are my projects:

Pink Ladybug:

Recipe:
Cricut Cartridge:  Walk in My Garden
Stamps:  Stampin' Up! Greetings Galore
Ink:  Stampin' Up!  Whisper White Craft ink
Cardstock:  AC Cardstock
Embossing Folder:  Sizzix Floral Flourishes
Border Punch:  Martha Stewart Arch Lattice
Accessories:  Ribbon (Michaels), black eyelets

So Strawberry:

Recipe:
Cricut Cartridges:  Bags Tags Boxes & Bows, Preserves
Stamp:  Hero Arts Cupcakes
Ink:  Memento Graphite Black
Cardstock:  Stampin' Up!  Pink Passion, AC Cardstock
Embossing Folder:  Quickutz Polka Dots
Accessories:  Glitter Glue (Studio G), Ribbon (Michaels)

Thursday, April 8, 2010

My Pink Stamper - Gallery Submission

As I have mentioned before, my recent obsession has been My Pink Stamper.  This is a great website for anyone looking for creative papercrafting ideas, but especially ideas on how to get the most out of your Cricut.  Recently she put a call out for the first ever Pink Designers, so I of coarse submitted some of my work to be considered.  Although I wasn't chosen to be a member of the design team (Yet!  I still have high hopes for the future!), I was invited to submit one of my projects to the new Gallery.  I chose my Bling Cupcake that you can see below, or here.

My Pink Stamper Design Team Submissions:


Does anybody need cards?  Do I need to start doing some giveaways?  Post a comment and let me know if this is something you would be interested in.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Easter

Having 2 beautiful girls in 2 years provides lots of opportunities for a mom who likes to craft.  I used to sew for my girls quite a bit - often matching dresses or outfits.  And then little brother comes along and it all abruptly stops...

Lately my girls have been saying, "You need to start sewing again!"  I finally took the hint, did the unthinkable and bought fabric so I could sew them dresses for Easter.  I had planned on getting them done secretly so they could be a surprise on Easter morning, but no such luck.  They found out, and it's probably for the best because I don't think I would have gotten them done if I was only sewing when they were at school or in bed.  From the pictures it will look like I have twins, but they're not.  My younger daughter is just gaining on the older one!  I keep telling my oldest that she needs to be nice to her sister because she's going to be bigger than her some day soon!  Anyway, here they are.



The dresses were made using the Simplicity pattern #2715.  It is just so adorable!  Part of me thinks it may be another 3 years before I sew anything again, and another part of me can't wait to make the long sleeve version in white eyelet.  One of the things that I really love doing with fabric and paper is finding ways to make different pattern and colors work together.  With as much sewing as I have done, this was my first experience with covered buttons.  I think they turned out really well!

Although the dresses were ready for them on Sunday they weren't able to wear them because it was General Conference this weekend, and it was really cold.  As you will see from the pictures taken at the town Easter Egg hunt.  Yes, that is snow on the ground, and much more snow came the following night.


Now that the Easter projects are done I can play with my new Cricut cartridge - Preserves!  I am so excited!
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