Yellow/Red "Kindness" Card

I was in the mood for card-making today and this is my result:

I used some red and yellow patterned paper from BoBunny and accented it with a strip of red eyelet, a red flower and some yellow fibers (craft supply).  I used the Storybook cartridge to cut the Marquee frame and then stamped the sentiment (CTMH "State Of Mind") in Tulip ink.  I accented the frame with a flourish from the "Playful Flourishes" set from CTMH as well (in Creme Brulee ink).  I popped the frame up with foam dots for dimension.

Thanks for looking!  :)

"Where's The Noise Maker": My Version Of 'Where's Waldo'

Can you find him?????

Let's just say the playroom hasn't been cleaned in a few days and it's sooooo messy, I can't find my kids in there.  :)

Pictures from today:

3-D Lotus Flower Pop-Up Card (Boom-Di-Ada)

I found a tutorial along with a template by "tekuila" to make this AWESOME pop-up lotus flower card and I just couldn't resist.  Now I would obviously prefer to use my Cricut and either Design Studio or Sure Cuts A Lot to do this, as it would save a LOT of time.  So if anyone out there knows how to go about doing this, PLEASE let me know!!!

For this one, I used CTMH's Boom-Di-Ada papers, focusing on the Hollyhock and Olive color combo.  I'm loving this project!

Thanks for looking!!!  :)

Perfect "Pear" Card (CTMH Veranda Collection)

I've been wanting to make one of these for FOREVER and today, after seeing one of my fellow Just Buggin DT Member's project for this week's challenge, I decided to do it!  :)  Thanks for the motivation, Robin!  You can see her super-cute card here.

Mine is made with CTMH's new Veranda papers.  I used Home Accents to cut the pears, then inked each piece with Cocoa ink (CTMH).  I adhered them to a coordinating piece of Veranda paper and added mini flowers and a brad (craft supply).

To finish, I added a scallop-edge strip to the right side of the mat and added "faux stitching" to the strip and the pear details.  Then I added a length of eyelet and a printed sentiment, matted with a coordinating Veranda patterned paper.  Thanks for looking!  :)

Just Buggin Challenge #22: "Berry Sweet" Card

This week's challenge (#22) over at Just Buggin is called "All About Food": make a food-themed project.  Here is my Design Team card:

I used 3 Bugs In A Rug patterned paper (green polka dot) for the mat on this one and added random dots of green glitter glue for sparkle.  Using Winter Wonderland, I cut the scallop circle out of hot pink and the shadow out of white cardstock.  I added pink glitter glue for sparkle.  I ran a striped ribbon (American Crafts) around the card base, attached the scallop circle and then adhered the mat to the green card base.

I wanted a strawberry die cut and didn't have one on the cartridges I own, so I made my own!  I used Street Sign to cut the "body" of the strawberry from red cs using the "interstate sign" cut.  Then I used Doodlecharms to cut the "palm tree top" from green cs and placed it on top...looks like a strawberry to me!  :)  I added glitter glue to make the "seeds" and for the lines on the leafy top.

To finish, I printed the sentiment onto white cs, matted it with red cs and adhered with foam dots.

Thanks for looking!  :)

February CTMH Workshops!!!

Here is a look at the projects for the workshops I'll be teaching in February!  I'm sooooo excited about these super-fun crafts...

It's back!  I'm teaching another cupcake class...I'm calling this one my "Red Velvet" cupcake, in honor of Valentine's Day!  We're using CTMH's That's Amore papers for this yummy treat!

I'm super-excited about my new monthly workshop, "Word Book Wednesday"!  One Wednesday a month, we'll be making a different word book.  This month's theme is "LOVE" for Valentine's Day!  Using CTMH's Silhouette papers and coordinating embellishments and stamps, create an album about the "LOVE" of your life!

This is a super-fun refillable notebook!  Covered in CTMH's Emporium papers, this bound notepad can be refilled once the original notepad (included) is gone.  This is great to keep in your purse or by the phone to take down messages!

This accordion baby album is made from a CTMH True Fit Folio!  It's been altered to include 12 pages and comes complete with tags.  Using the new Topstitch collection, this album can be customized for a boy or a girl...here I've used primarily blues and browns for a boy.  The options on this one are endless!

I'm doing my monthly Home Decor Club differently now...rather than having a financial commitment each month, I will allow anyone interested in the project to pay just the project fee...no commitment required!  It's new name???  "Hot Home Decor"...a monthly workshop in creating beautiful projects for your home!  This month we'll be making this birdie wall hanging, inspired by a similar one by "An Altered Obsession" I saw here. Mine is made with a mosaic of CTMH's Grace papers, Hemp and a twig...Spring is just around the corner!

I will be holding a monthly card workshop using the Workshop On The Go kits...this month's kit is Topstitch!  Create these beautiful cards using one of three workshop options:  basic card workshop, WOTG kit or WOTG kit + embellishments.

Also available this month is a Super-Saturday crop from 10-5!  You'll create your own 9x9 album using a CTMH album, one Level 2 paper pack and coordinating My Stickease Assortment.  You'll also have full use of my stamps, inks and tools, including my Cricut and 26 cartridges!

For the beginners out there, I'm hosting a "Scrapbooking 101" and Open House, to introduce you to art of scrapbooking, stamping and papercrafting.  I'll teach you the basics and let you know what you need to get started with this awesome hobby!  We'll have a FREE Make-n-Take, too!

I'm looking forward to crafting with you!!!  :)

Make Your Own Word Books!

Photo from ACherryOnTop.com

I have been wanting to make my own word books for quite some time now. I just recently mastered Cricut Design Studio (I know, welcome to like 1998)...and after browsing some awesome and super-informative websites/blogs, I found this tutorial at ACherryOnTop.com that shows you how to make them, step-by-step! There are several tutorials out there, but I especially like this one b/c of the thorough explanations and detailed images.

I need to know how to do this because I am starting a new monthly CTMH workshop called "Word Book Wednesday" and will be offering a different word book each month!  I thought it necessary to know how to do this on my own to help keep class fees down.  :)  Check back in the next day or so to see the Word Book I'll be teaching in February...LOVE is in the air this month!!!

FREE Valentine Bookmarks!!!

While checking out some websites, I ran across this FREEBIE at the Creating Keepsakes Blog!  You can print these super-cute owl bookmarks out for free!  I printed two pages of them and plan to laminate them, attach a treat, and then give them to the Mess Maker to give to her classmates at preschool for V-day.  How fun (and INEXPENSIVE) is that?!?!?

Just Buggin Challenge #21: Monochromatic Baby Brag Book

This week's challenge #21 over at Just Buggin is to use a monochromatic color theme on our Cricut project.  I wanted to make a brag book for a cousin that recently had her first baby (a boy!) and I decided to go with a blue monochromatic color scheme.

Using three varying sizes of acrylic sheets (Fancy Pants Designs) and some Heidi Grace papers, I made the base for this album.  The paper had two coordinating patterns in various shades of blue.  The top was a paisley and the bottom was a polka dot.  I alternated the two sides and covered the back and front of each acrylic sheet, round the right side corners on each page.

I used my Cricut to cut the large "b" on the cover using Plantin Schoolbook, then attached a flower embellishment and tied a ribbon around the top.

I used Calligraphy Collection to cut the words "baby" and "evan" on the right sides of the first and last pages of the book.

To embellish the brag book, I added coordinating blue flowers and mini flower brads (craft supply), blue cardstock strips trimmed with scallop-edge scissors and layered with the coordinating background papers, and a journaling spot stamped with CTMH's Frame of Mind Acrylic Stamp Set.  To finish, I tied ribbons (craft supply) on the two binder rings.

I left a lot of blank space for photos, journaling and mementos.

Thanks for looking!  :)

Just Buggin Challenge #20: "On Horseback" Layout

This week's Just Buggin Challenge #20 is called "About Pets": make a project featuring a pet (and of course use at least one Cricut die cut on your page!). Though the Mess Maker doesn't actually own a horse, I figured this layout still met the "pet" criteria, since some people actually do have pet horses! :)

This photo was taken at our local petting zoo last October when her cousins were in town. Up until that point, this normally timid and fearful (of EVERYTHING, especially large animals!) little girl wouldn't have had anything to do with horseback riding. But this day, she said, "I want to ride the horse", completely unprompted! So she did (three times) and had a blast. This is a moment I definitely wanted to capture!

For this layout, I used Geroge to cut the large background circle and the recently released Paisley cartridge for the horse die cut. How cute is this little horsie?!? It's actually a unicorn, but I just cut the horn off and ta-da! I layered the Chocolate and Colonial White cardstock (CTMH) for the main part of the horse and used black cs for the shadow. I used the Magic Moments patterned papers (CTMH) for the saddle and cut one of the little circle designs from one of the sheets to decorate the saddle (I also inserted a glitter brad in the middle).

I also used the Opposites Attract cartridge for the title. Using the "opposite" feautre, I cut the letters out of Colonial White, then used the "opposite shadow" feature to cut the shadows from black cs. I didn't like the stark look of the plain white letters so I decided to use one of my favorite stamping techniques to give them some detail: after cutting the letters with the Cricut, but BEFORE removing them from the sticky mat, randomly stamp over the letters using a coordinating stamp and ink. Then when you remove them, they have a perfectly coordinated random stamp pattern that complements the other patterns in the layout!

Supplies used for this layout: (all CTMH unless stated otherwise)

Magic Moments Level 2 Paper Packet

My Acrylix Stamp Set: "Dream Big"

My Acrylix Stamp Set: "Connections"

Adhesive Backed Rhinestone Frames

Ricrac in Hollyhock

Organdy Ribbon in Hollyhock

Twinkle Brads Jolly Assortment

Foam adhesive dots (Craft Supply)

black cardstock (Craft Supply)

Thank You Cards (CTMH Boom Di Ada Collection)

I made these thank you cards using the Boom Di Ada patterned paper collection from CTMH.  To make the "thank you" stamped square, I combined several "thank you sentiments" from different CTMH stamp sets and randomly covered a 4x4 acrylic block with them!  Using Olive ink, I stamped the sentiment onto Colonial White cardstock and then rounded the corners.

I wrapped coordinating ribbon around the square, adhered a green flower (craft supply) and then layered a circular "thank you" sentiment in the center.  Then I matted the square with Boom Di Ada paper and adhered it to the card base.

Thanks for looking!!!  :)

Valentine Mail Boxes

These plain white mailboxes are from the dollar bins at Target...aren't they fun?  I bought one for the Mess Maker and one for the Noise Maker for Valentine's Day to put some treats in.  Now that I think about it, what kind of "treats" can a 9-month-old really have???  Hmmm...

I covered the body of the mailboxes with this cute paper from Three Bugs in a Rug.  I used my Cricut for everything else.  The frog, turtle and "xoxo" are from the Paisley cartridge, and the names are from Plantin Schoolbook.  I added some white swirls (hard to see in the photo) to the pink part of each animal with a white opaque pen.  To finish, I tied a red ribbon on the flag.

Thanks for looking!  :)

Just Buggin Challenge #19: "Treasure Life" Card

This week's challenge (#19) over at Just Buggin is called Stamping Fun: stamp on our project (and of course use our Cricut!). 

For this card, I used the Home Accents cartridge to cut the brown decorative frame from Chocolate cardstock (CTMH) and George to cut the circles from Felicity patterned papers (CTMH) and Chocolate cardstock.  For the stamping, I used the new "A Tweet" My Acrylix stamp set, which will be introduced in the new CTMH Idea Book, due out Jan. 1.  I used the birdie, branch and sentiment from this set. 

I cut out the birdie, inked the edges and adhered him to the square with foam dots for dimension.  I accented the stamped tree branch with mini Chocolate flowers and mini brads (craft supply).  I also added a mini brad for the birdie's eye.  I matted the design with Twilight cardstock and added a Desert Sand cardstock strip, both inked on the edges.  Before adhering the frame with birdie and sentiment, I tied some thin brown and tan ribbon (craft supply) around the front of the card and tied a bow.  Then I attached the frame with adhesive dots for extra dimension.

CTMH supply list:
Colonial White cardstock (card base)
Twilight cardstock (card mat)
Desert Sand cardstock (strip)
Felicity Patterned Papers (circles)
Chocolate cardstock (circles, decorative frame)
A Tweet My Acrylix Stamp Set
Exclusive Inks: Twilight, Chocolate, Desert Sand
Chocolate Mini Blooms
Other:  mini brads, narrow ribbon (craft supply)

Thanks for looking!  :)

Quick Project: Crochet Flower Butterfuly Mini Card

This is just a quick little 3x3 mini card I made up yesterday.  I saw a card with a crochet butterfly and I decided I could make a butterfly out of one of my CTMH crochet flowers!  I folded the top two petals behind and adhered them down with glue dots.  Then to make the butterfly body I added a photo corner/brad and tied a ribbon to the brad for antennae.  I matted it with a pink die cut circle (Storybook cartridge) and lace cardstock and added a sheer pink polka-dot ribbon.

Thanks for looking!  :)

The Noise Maker is FINALLY getting well...

He has seriously had three ear infections in like three months.  ARGH!!!  Not only that, he had all the green guck coming out of anywhere it could, and to top it off...pink eye (which he gave to the Mess Maker...and now potentially me).

That photo was two days ago...poor little man.  But here he is this morning:

Looks to me like someone is feeling a little bit better.  :)

Oh, and I just can't resist posting this one as well...two peas in a pod:

The Mess Maker is 3!!!

I can't believe my little girl is three years old!  Wow, where has the time gone!?!?  As I read her some books last night, I remembered back to three years ago when I was in the hospital, having just delivered her and I was thinking about how different my life was just moments before that event.  And I realized that my life is so much happier, full and blessed now that I have her and the Noise Maker!

Happy Birthday "Bug"!!!  :)