FCCB Challenge #49 - Shaped Card

The challenge this week at Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog is to make a shaped card - any shape other than a square or rectangle.  This was a tough choice to make!  I started pulling out my cartridges and looking at the carts that had shaped cards on them already, but none of them really appealed to me.  So I finally settled on making my own - enter Gypsy!  I chose a bee from the cartridge A Walk In My Garden.  I welded together the "shift-blackout" version of the bee.  You need to use the "hide" function to get rid of the stripes, and remember you have to flip one of the images before you weld:

Then cut the "blackout" version of the bee in yellow to get the wings, and glue to the card base:

Then you're going to cut another "shift-blackout" version of the bee, with the stripes hidden:

which you will glue to the yellow "wing" portion.  For mine I chose to cut the stripes in a different paper, a yellow gingham - so back to the Gypsy to cut just the stripes this time.  Add the stripes, embellish, and voila!

And for the inside, what could be more perfect than one of My Pink Stamper's "punny" stamps?  This comes from Even More Punny-licious.

Cricut Cartridge:  A Walk In My Garden, Gypsy
Stamps:  My Pink Stamper Even More Punny-licious
Paper:  Paper Pizazz, AC Cardstock, Roberts
Embellishments:  copper wire, misc. gems

Now it's your turn to go and create!  Have fun thinking outside of the usual "box".  And don't forget to post your creation at Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog for your chance to win some fun prizes!

When life hands you lemons...

Make a lemon card!

It's been a bit of a lemon of a week.  There has been a cold passing between members of my family for weeks, and this week I finally succumbed.  It's not so bad though, as far as colds go it has been pretty mild and I am already starting to feel better.

I have been wanting to make a card of a "citrusy" theme ever since I saw an episode of the Martha Stewart Show this week that was all things citrus.  They taste good, they're bright and happy colors, they're full of vitamin C (especially attractive right now) - what's not to like?  Then I found this adorable ribbon, which matched perfectly with this cute paper I had...

Have you been noticing that this cute ruffly ribbon is appearing everywhere?  I have been wanting to get some ever since I watched Robyn's (a.k.a. My Pink Stamper) DVD, "Cricut Layouts - Throughout the Year", and she used some adorable pink ruffly ribbon.  Not the easiest stuff to find, but as it happens, totally easy to make.  I don't know why I didn't think of it before!  You just have to run a straight stitch (set at the longest setting) down the middle of your ribbon, then pull one of the threads to gather it.  Don't be surprised if you see a lot of this from me in the coming weeks - it's really fun!

Cricut Cartridge - Simply Charmed
Stamps:  My Pink Stamper Fruit & Veggie Puns
Paper:  Me & My Big Ideas (stripes), AC Cardstock, Archivers
Border Punch:  Fiskars
Embellishments:  Offray (ribbon), Doodlebug Design (flower brad), Stickles, misc. gems and buttons

My Pink Design Team - February!

I have had so much fun working with Robyn's newly released stamp sets.  Today I have chosen to feature a set called More Faithful Sayings.

I have a niece who just turned 8 and was baptized recently, but I wasn't able to be there so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to send her a card saying how proud we are of her.

 

I am seeing now that I have a little work to do as far as keeping a steady hand when using my Copics!  I'm just glad that I had them since I didn't have any flesh-toned cardstock.

Cricut Cartridges:  Playtime, Winter Frolic (for the swirls), George & Basic Shapes

Stamps:  My Pink Stamper More Faithful Sayings

Paper:  Stampin Up, Georgia Pacific, Colorbok

Embossing:  Cuttlebug Victoria , Quickutz Flowers

Embellishments:  DCWV (buttons), Stickles, Recollections (pearls)

And here's another card featuring her new stamp set called Sport-tastic:

 

I have a confession to make:  we're not the biggest sports fans at my house.  We're more the artsy type, although I think this is going to have to change because my son needs an outlet for his oodles of energy!  But because of this I don't have any Cricut cartridges with a sports theme.  So I had to get creative.  I "built" this gold medal from the tabs feature on the Simply Sweet cartridge.  I just used the Gypsy (yes, I'm loving it more and more!) to remove the cut from the center.  Then I embossed the medal with an embossing folder from the Preserves Cricut Companion set.

Thanks for stopping by today, and if you haven't already be sure to stop by My Pink Stamper to check out all the wonderful My Pink Designer projects!

FCCB Challenge #48 - Emboss It!

I had so much fun with this week's challenge at the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog!  The challenge is to make a project using some form of embossing, whether it be wet, dry, using a stencil, or with embossing folders.  How fun is that?  I think embossing is one of the best techniques for adding interest to your project.  And so easy - especially if you have a Cuttlebug or a comparable product.

One of my favorite things about paper crafts is combining different colors, patterns, and textures and finding a way to make them all work together.  My sister on the other hand, is a master quilter, so she works the same magic in fabric.  If anyone in the Akron/Canton area in Ohio needs a long-arm quilter to do some work for them, I can hook you up!  When I was given this challenge I wanted to find a way of incorporating a number of different embossed textures into my project.  What better way to do that than with a quilt!  Take some super adorable paper from Doodlebug Design, embossing folders, and the Country Life cartridge, put them together and voila!

You will find embossing in a number of places on this card.  I used a Quickutz embossing folder called Stripes Label to create the look of thread on the spool.  I used the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder for some of the "patches" on the quilt.  And I used one of the Cricut Companion Preserves folders with all the berries for the background, and for my strawberries in the center of the quilt.

Cricut Cartridge:  Country Life
Embossing:  Cuttlebug Swiss Dots & Preserves Cricut Companion, Quickutz Stripes Label
Stamps:  My Pink Stamper Fruit and Veggie Puns
Paper:  Paper Pizazz (gingham), Doodlebug Design (Berry Blue & Ladybug Picnic), Stampin Up and AC Cardstock
Edge Punch:  Martha Stewart Scallop Dot
Embellishments: Doodlebug Design Tutti Fruitti Boutique Brads, DCWV (button), Michaels (ribbon)

Face the music

Phew!  It has been a really busy week.  I am working on a project right now that is taking a lot of my time.  Add that to the fact that I have had almost a month of illness going through the family (myself excluded thankfully), and I'm sure you can understand how crazy it has been around here.

Some of you may have participated in the Pinkalicious Blog Hop this past Friday.  Well the card that I am showing you today was round I (if you will).  I love music, so I have been loving playing with Robyn's new stamps set Music Speaks.

 

Cricut Cartridge:  Gypsy Wanderings

Stamps:  My Pink Stamper Music Speaks

Paper:  AC Cardstock, Roberts Crafts, 7 Gypsies, Georgia Pacific

Embossing:  Cuttlebug Allegro

Embellishments:  black organdy, musical note eyelet

FCCB Challenge #47 - Weather Forecast

Welcome to this week's Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog challenge!  The theme for this week's challenge is "Weather Forecast":  create a project featuring your favorite season's weather.  Well, I have to admit that this is probably a stretch of an interpretation for me.  First of all, my favorite season is Autumn.  I love the colors, I love the nip in the air, I love apples, and I love leaves.  It has just been so darned cold around here that I couldn't bring myself to think about it!  I need spring!  Right now I need to create with happy spring colors and images, and then maybe I'll be able to stand a few more weeks of winter.  LOL!

Cricut Cartridge:  Simply Charmed
Stamps:  My Pink Stamper Everyday Life
Paper:  Paper Pizazz (gingham), Doodlebug Design (flowers), AC Cardstock, Stampin Up, Georgia Pacific
Accessories:  DCWV (buttons), American Crafts (ribbon), Studio G (for the glitter I added later to the cheeks!), white gel pen

My Pink Stamper Pink-alicious Blog Hop!

Welcome to the 2nd My Pink Stamper Pink-alicious Blog Hop!  Whether you have arrived here from Kassidy's blog, or you stopped by on your own, I'm glad you're here.  If you would like to begin at the beginning, hop on over to My Pink Stamper and then you'll be sure to see all the wonderful projects made by Robyn and my fellow designers.

The theme for this month's blog hop is to make a project that is black, combined with our favorite color.  My favorite color is red.  To a pianist, I don't know that there is anything more beautiful to the eyes than a shiny black grand piano.  I play and teach piano, so I knew that with the colors black and red I would have to make a project that incorporated music - especially since Robyn just released a new stamp set called Music Speaks.

This is a wooden 4 x 6 picture frame that I painted black and embellished, that now sits proudly on top of the piano - hopefully it will provide a little inspiration to my students, and to you!

 

Cricut Cartridge:  Gypsy Wanderings

Stamps:  My Pink Stamper Music Speaks

Paper:  7 Gypsies (music paper), AC Cardstock, Georgia Pacific

Embossing:  Cuttlebug Allegro

Embellishments:  Crystal Effects, black tulle

Adhesive:  Mod Podge, Dimensionals, ATG Gun, Zig 2-Way glue pen

The next stop on the blog hop is Raechel's Cards!  Have fun, and here are the links to Robyn and all the designers for your convenience:

Robyn

Courtney-Court’s Crafts

CarrieAnne

Sonia

Lori

Julie-readysetstamp

Agnes-Flowerdisco

Helen

Angela’s Simple Creations

Tracy-Craft Junkie Too

Pam

Cristi

Shelley

Shauna at Craftee She

Edna

Kassidy

Andrea

Raechel

Bling Queen Wendy

Michelle-Meesh’s Pieces

Karlee

Alex-You Had Me At Craft

Maria

Be sure to come back tomorrow evening...

For Pinkalicious Blog Hop Friday!  I can't wait!




And now I need to go and finish my project...  ;-)

A little Toy Story love...

Here's a little something that I made for my son's preschool class for their Valentine's party.  No, I'm not completely insane - there are only four of them in the class!  This is a pretty simple concept, but there's A LOT of layering with this Toy Story cartridge.  I think it was worth it though - doesn't it just look like the alien is trying to give you a hug?  I knew there would be a perfect My Pink Stamper stamp to go along with this - Hugs to You, from the Everyday Life set.

 

4 x 6 cellophane bags
Cricut Cartridge:  George & Basic Shapes,  Toy Story
Stamps:  My Pink Stamper Everyday Life
Paper:  AC Cardstock, Stampin Up, Georgia Pacific
Embellishments:  Crystal Effects, Studio G glitter glue

FCCB Cricut Crawl - Share the Love!

Welcome to Divine Domesticity and the fourth Fantabulous Cricut Crawl ... Fantabulous Cricut's version of a blog hop!

Valentine's Day is in a week and everyone at Fantabulous Cricut has decided to Share the Love!   Each Design Team member will be featuring an original Valentine-themed project that includes the word LOVE somewhere on it.

If you came here from the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog, then you're in the right place because I'm the first stop on the crawl.  If you just happened to stop by today, you're still in the right place if you would love to be inspired for your Valentine's Day projects.

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays for a number of reasons:  red is my favorite color, it's my son's birthday, and I love sugar!

And isn't this some of the cutest sugar you've ever seen?  I would venture to guess that many of you have seen lollipops like this because they're everywhere - I've seen them in New York City at Dylan's Candy Bar, I've seen them at Michaels in Indiana, and many touristy areas.  Do you know where they are made?  In my town, by a little company called Kencraft.  They make the most adorable candies decorated with sugar art.  I can even give you a little insider information:  this past week they have been filming an episode of Kid in a Candy Story, a great Food Network show.  Watch for it around Easter!

Cricut Cartridges:  Tags Bags Boxes & More, George & Basic Shapes, Simply Sweet
Paper:  Doodlebug Design (glitter paper), AC Cardstock, Georgia Pacific
Embellishments:  Doodlebug Design (heart brad), Michaels (ribbon), and don't forget the Hershey's Kisses!

I used my glue gun to glue a foam ball (from the floral dept) in the bottom of the box, stuck the lollipop in the foam, and voila! 

Now it's your turn! Let's see your Share the Love projects!  Make sure to include a Cricut cut somewhere on your project and the word Love!

Next stop...Angela's blog, Simple Creations Papercrafts. Go see what she has in store for you today... 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!

PKS Monochromatic Challenge

There is a great sketch and challenge going on right now at Peachy Keen Stamps.  The challenge is to make a card that is monochromatic, with black and white allowed.  One of my nieces is having a birthday this weekend, and I had this planned out for her and then realized how beautifully it fit with the challenge.  And it gave me another excuse to play with my My Pink Stamper stamps.  I love all of Robyn's punnies!

Cricut Cartridge:  Create a Critter
Stamps:  My Pink Stamper Even More Punny-licious (Yappy Birthday and paw print)
Paper:  Roberts (black), Doodlebug Design (glitter paper), CTMH (stripes), Stampin Up (violet), Georgia Pacific (white)
Embossing:  Cuttlebug Swiss Dots and Lifestyle Crafts Polka Dots
Decorative Edges:  Coluzzle, Martha Stewart Scallop Dot
Embellishments:  Darice (gems), Michaels (ribbon), Crystal Effects

New Cartridge Fun - Country Life!

Country Life has been out for a few months now, but I didn't really discover all the fun things it had on it until recently.  You have probably noticed from my other posts that I love all things handmade and am a bit of a foody - so I love the fact that this cartridge has the fruits and veggies, pies, the sewing machine, etc.  They're all just warm-fuzzy, homey cuts.  But do you want to know why I just had to have it?

For the chicken - I love chickens!  I can't wait until I am in a place where I can have my own chickens, I decorate with chickens in my kitchen, and since I got the My Pink Stamper set Even More Punny-licious I've been dying to use the, "Just chicken in!" stamp.  It also just so happens that red is my favorite color.  I made this card for a swap that I am participating in, so I'm going to be making lots of them!

Cricut Cartridge:  Country Life
Stamps:  My Pink Stamper Even More Punny-licious
Embossing:  Cuttlebug Victoria
Paper:  Stampin Up, DCWV, AC Cardstock, Me & My Big Ideas (I'm getting some mileage out of this paper - love it!)
Ribbon - Offray
Punch:  Fiskars Apron Lace