Thursday, August 25, 2011

3 D Chandelier

Emily has a locker this year for the first time. You cannot imagine the excitement this has caused among all the 4th grade girls! Everyone wants to "decorate" their locker, and surprisingly there is a lot of expensive stuff out there to do it with. I flatly refused to spend $25 on locker decorations. Emily wanted (of all things) a chandelier! I just got a secondhand Summer in Paris Cricut cart from a friend who doesn't like her Cricut (?!?). And it has a 3 D chandelier on it! It has two pieces of it, but since I was cutting it out of DCWV glitter CS instead of double-sided DP, I cut each piece twice (at 8"), flipping one piece of each set. I glued the matching pieces back to back and fit them together (there's a slit in the bottom of one and the top of the other). I used some glue dots at the joints to add a little stability, and added a little bling.
I think it turned out pretty cute, and I hope Ems likes it. She will see it when she gets home from school. Now that I've made one I have a few ideas of how it could be better. Next time I think I'll cut it out of thin chipboard, then cover with CS or DP, for more stability. Another thing I want to try is to cut 4 pieces of the 2D chandelier (on the same cart), score each down the middle, and glue them together like that, instead of having the slit. So many ideas, so little time...

Another thing Emily wanted for her locker (insert me rolling eyes here) was a green fur rug for the bottom. Where in the world does she get this stuff? While I was measuring her locker for the chandelier, her 3rd grade teacher overheard us discussing all this and volunteered both a lime green fake fur rug and a hot pink one! So I cut an 11" square out of the green one and voila! she has what her little heart desires. I hope.

Soon I'm off to go to a Copic class with my sis! We've got other fun things planned too. Hope you get to do something fun and crafty this weekend!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Butterfly Friend

We made a card similar to this in my stamp club a couple of Sundays ago. Well, I completely goofed mine up, so I made this one when I got home. I found the DP at Mikes--it's gorgeous, it's embossed. And I knew it would go really well with Purely Pomegranate and Groovy Guava.
Stamp sets are Bliss and Simple Friendship. I also used Define Your Life on the inside right edge of the card, but you can barely see it because I used Versamark instead of Groovy Guava.
I think it turned out pretty, even though it may be a trifle bright for some people. I like this sketch and will definitely be using it again. Thanks for looking!

Monday, August 22, 2011

Old-Time Train

I borrowed this retired SU set from my friend Karen. It's called Happiness is a Journey. I adore this image and can't imagine why I didn't get it when I had the chance. I stamped the image on black with Vanilla Craft ink and embossed with clear EP. Card Base is Confetti Cream. DP and metal fastener are SU. You can't tell in the pic but I pierced the upper left hand corner of the Basic Black layer.
I'm going to make several more cards with this set before I give it back to Karen. I've seen lots of great examples using this set and the soot stamping technique, which I've never tried. Thanks for dropping by--have a wonderful Monday!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

CASE'd Birthday Card Idea

I saw and loved THIS IDEA from Jen del Muro. She always has great sketches on her blog. Then I combined it with one of the sketches in the Sept/Oct issue of Paper Crafts, which is basically a diagonal sort of panel on a vertical card. It didn't turn out as cute as I'd hoped--needs more tweaking, but I thought I'd show it here.
All supplies are SU except the rhinestones and the Stickles on the cupcake. DP on the tag is Just Add Cake. Sentiment is from Bring on the Cake. I'm going to keep going with this idea--hopefully it will improve. Thanks for dropping by today!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Shop Till You Drop!

Here is another card for my friend (it's so nice to be appreciated--LOL!). It's for a friend of hers who loves shoes and animal prints. My idea of shoes to love is comfortable flip-flops, but I think most women feel differently, and I know I used to as well. Getting old is not for sissies!
Shoes are from the Wrap It Up cart. I got the black glitter paper from Target, I think, and the animal print came from a scrapbook kit from HL that I've had for quite a while and never used. Card base is SU confetti cream, scalloped layer is Basic Black, and the other color is Really Rust (ret.). I couldn't find a really good match to the DP, so RR is what I went with. Punch is SU and sent. is from SU's Bring on the Cake set. I think this turned out kind of cool. Hope you like it too--have a great day!

Friday, August 19, 2011

Flowers for Your Birthday!

I made this card for my friend at church to send to a friend of hers. I used the Elegant Edges Cricut cart. for the frame and Country Life for the pitcher of flowers. Card base is PTI white, all else is SU. I cut the pitcher at 3" and the frame at 5". I used brads for the flower centers for a little extra dimension. Colors are Brocade Blue (ret.), Certainly Celery, and Daffodil Delight. I just love blue and yellow together, such a happy color combo.
Sentiment on the inside is from SU's Bring on the Cake. Thanks for dropping by today--have a wonderful Friday!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Beachy Card

This birthday card is for someone who likes to sunbathe. I used the Life is a Beach Cricut cart. I outlined the chair with my Cri-kits gel pen, then cut it out. All CS is SU except for the card base (PTI white). Cloud paper is Reminisce from my LSS. The water was a scrap leftover from a scallop cut--love how it made waves! The flip flops were so small I couldn't get the layers to work so I just colored the straps with my white gel pen. Sand is Sahara Sand, torn and wheeled with the Texture jumbo wheel and Sahara Sand ink. Umbrella is Pumpkin Pie and Melon Mambo. The little fishies are from PTI's Pond Life, stamped in and on Tempting Turquoise.
Thanks for looking! As always, all comments are appreciated.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

You Rock!

I made this card for a friend who is actually paying me to make her some cards! I'm so excited. Quite honestly it's not about the money--it's more about the appreciation. She wanted hot pink and animal prints and I was lucky enough to find some hot pink, glittery zebra stripe at Mike's. It is very heavy--chipboard weight. I cut it twice on the Cricut using my deep blade at the highest settings--and it worked!
Cartridge is Rock Princess--you'd think they'd have the phrase "you rock" somewhere in a cart with that title, wouldn't you? But no. Luckily they have this cute heart font, and I had some cute black heart rhinestones to embellish with. Card base is SU Basic Black. The inside has a white CS star. I used my Cri-kits pens to outline the star and stamped Happy Birthday with PTI's Birthday Basics. Hope she and the recipient like it. Thanks for looking!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Old West Tri-fold Card

Hi, all! I decided to play along with a couple of challenges today--Cricut 360 (Old West) and She's a Sassy Lady (scene). I used my Gypsy and She's a Sassy Lady's trifold card tutorial to create this card. I welded some rectangles (Plantin Schoolbook) and the arched shape (Gypsy Wanderings maybe? Not sure.) with my G. I then welded the coyote and saguaro shapes to the rectangles. Card base is Night of Navy textured CS.
I made front and back layers for the welded icons (coyote 2.5" in Basic Gray, saguaro 3" in Wild Wasabi) by flipping them. I also used my Cricut markers for added definition. I love those things--they are so fun!
I used my OLD Creative Memories curvy cutter to make some sand dunes, then traced over my rectangles and trimmed. I wheeled the sand dunes (Sahara Sand) with my SU Texture Jumbo wheel and Sahara Sand ink and sponged the edges. I also stamped a paisley pattern on the bandana. I punched a 1 3/4 " circle out of yellow glitter CS (DCWV) for the moon.
I was originally going to use the phrase "missing Youuuu... but then I remembered my sister's birthday is in a few days and she LOVES all things western, so I went with a howling birthday sentiment. I used the Jandles font (Lettering Delights).
I had an absolute blast making this card! Hope you like it too!

Stamp Club Swap Using NEW In Colors

Good morning! This is the swap card I made for my stamp club meeting. I totally cased the card on p. 178 of the current Idea Book and Catalog--it was too pretty to resist. Card Base is Pool Party, main image is stamped on Whisper White, and the "lace" trim is Wisteria Wonder. Large flower outline and sentiment (from Pocket Silhouettes) is stamped in Island Indigo, interior is Pool Party. Calypso Coral was used for the two flowers on the ends--I stamped off for the solid part. The purple flower outline is Elegant Eggplant and the interior is Wisteria Wonder. Stems and leaves are stamped in Lucky Limeade. I pierced the edge rather than sewing it (too lazy to get out the machine!). For the "lace" I used my eyelet border punch and ran it through the crimper. Then I flipped the image over, added some sticky strip to the edge, and pressed the trim into place. I popped the main image up, since it wouldn't lie flat anyway! The ribbon is some retired SU narrow organdy ribbon that is a perfect match for the WW.
I like all the new IC's except for WW. The only purple they have right now that I like is Elegant Eggplant. I really liked Lavender Lace and Lovely Lilac that they got rid of a couple of years ago. Oh, well, maybe it will grow on me. The rest of the IC's are not THAT different from some other SU colors--Pool Party is quite close to Cool Caribbean, Lucky Limeade is close to Kiwi Kiss for example.

That's it for me today--hope you get some stamping time in today. Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, August 14, 2011

PTI Swap over on SCS

Hey, all, my fave group of swapping stampers is up to their usual tricks! You can read all about it HERE. This first card is for the Autumn Splendor category. I used my Elegant Edges Cricut Cartridge to cut out the card base and patterned layer. Nesties were used for the focal image. Stamp set is PTI's Fall Elegance from last year. I decided to use masking on this card--an old technique, but a goodie. I built up my little fall flourish and cut it out (arrghh! see how much I love these gals?!) and popped it up over the top of the focal point. Card base is PTI cream. Scalloped oval layer is SU Really Rust. I embellished with a couple of Dew Drops. This patterned paper by PTI is pretty much my fave paper ever--love the rich glowing colors and the lovely patterns.
This card is for the regular cards category. Card base is SU Crumb Cake, stamp set is Love Lives Here. I die cut the little house from PTI cream, then stamped it with Crumb Cake and PTI Pure Poppy ink. I die cut the Mat Stack 1 die and embossed it with PTI's wood grain impression plate. Scalloped layer is done with Nesties out of Pure Poppy CS. Patterned paper is PTI; border punch, eyelets (ret.), and gingham ribbon (ret.) are all SU. I'm so please with how this turned out! I hope whoever gets them is pleased as well.
There were some other categories that I didn't join. I did join the die cut swap and did Tiny Tags and Love Lives Here dies for my spots. So excited to see what I get back--it's just like Christmas when I get this swap back! Thanks for stopping by--have a great day.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Baby Card

This card is a total CASE of the one on p. 79 of the new Cricut Cards magazine. I didn't have the cart they used, but I do have Baby Steps, which has some adorable cuts on it! I also made mine girlier, since it is for a little girl, and left off the machine stitching, as I hate to drag out my sewing machine! All the cuts are done at 2", card measures 5.25" square. CS is Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Apricot Appeal, Pumpkin Pie, and Certainly Celery. DP's are various SU. I did add some "stitching" with my white gel pen around the bottom of the little dress.
I just LOVE how this turned out! I should def. CASE cards more often! Thanks for stopping by today!

Friday, August 5, 2011

Birthday Card for a Friend

This is a card I made for one of my college roomies. She is a wine aficionado so I thought this cut from the Celebrate with Flourish cart would be pretty cool. The DP is Once Upon A Time. CS is Rich Razzleberry and Pear Pizzazz and vellum CS, all SU. Used some SU stamps on the inside.
This is a note my DD wrote to go inside. I think it's hilarious, and so representative of Ems' personality! Click on the pic for a larger view.
I had fun making this card. Hope you've enjoyed it too--thanks for stopping by today!

Thursday, August 4, 2011

He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

This is the card I made for our church members to sign for our Christian Ed coordinator who is leaving. A while back, I discovered how you can use SCAL and Lettering Delights images together to do a kind of "print and cut" a la the Cricut Imagine. It is a trifle labor intensive, but I did make a few images this way and this image of the kids around the world holding hands really appealed to me. I have saved it all this time with the intention of making this very card, which I finally did. I printed the words to the song in various colors for my BG. I edged around the main image with a marker, which didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped, but it looks okay I guess. I stamped a couple of sentiments from ODBD on the inside.
Thanks for looking! Have a fabulous day!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Front cover of Star Book

This is the front cover of a star book I made for our Christian Education Coordinator, who is leaving us. I've been wanting to try one of these and thought this was a good occasion. All CS, ink, and DP is SU. Main colors are Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake, Not Quite Navy, and Whisper White. Almost all the stamps are from ODBD--I love their stamps so much! Some are SU and I have noted those.

I used my Cricut and the Elegant Edges cart and my gypsy to weld the shapes together to get the bracket shape. The title is cut using the Inspired Heart Cricut Lite cart. The bird is from ODBD's Sing to the Lord set, embossed in gold and colored with inks and blender pens.
The pix of the other pages are in the previous post--just scroll down to see them. I couldn't fit all the pix in one blog post LOL! Thanks for looking!

Interior pages of star book

For the first page I made a tag with a stamp from Scripture Collection 2 and SU's Lovely as a Tree. The bird is from Flourished Christian Symbols and is stamped in Not Quite Navy Craft ink, embossed with clear EP. "Faith" is cut from the Home Accents Cricut cartridge.
Here are some more scripture stamps from ODBD scripture collections 2 and 5. The dragonfly tag looks gold in the pic but is actually copper. It's made out of a metal rimmed vellum tag that SU used to sell, dragonfly is MM. Flowers are from Mike's, and of course I can't seem to make anything without using my butterfly sizzlit! It is also stamped with Ecclesiastes from ODBD Randi's song. The little flourishes above and below the scripture are from retired SU set Noteworthy.
This page I die cut with my nesties and stamped the cross from Flourished Christian Symbols in versamark and embossed with clear EP. Butterfly and flowers are from Don't Worry! and scriptures are from the collections (I think 5).
Shells here are from retired SU set Stipple Shells. This set is very fun to use masking on. Swirly clip and ribbon are SU
This page uses Our Daily Bread and The Living Bread stamp sets. The little pocket contains a nestie shape with Ecc. 3:1 stamped on it. Flourishes are from Home Accents Cricut cart.
Thanks for looking! Hope you've enjoyed this project!