Curious George Baby Shower (Guest Designer for Decorate to Celebrate)

I'm so honored to be featured as a guest designer on Decorate to Celebrate today!  I love this craft blog and all the fabulous party ideas shared by the designers and challenge participants.  I just wish I had more events to try all those great ideas!  (Wait, did I just ask to get busier...?!  Uh oh.)

I did help host a baby shower last weekend, which fits -- with a little stretching -- into Decorate to Celebrate's theme for Challenge #8 - Baby Birthday.  We celebrated the impending birthday of Baby Sophia with a Curious George themed shower.

For the shower, I made a monkey decorations, monkey favors, Curious George invitations, and a banner:

Invitation:

• Card Base - 5x5"
• Paper - Recollections
• Other - Curious George image edited with Adobe Photoshop to be a dark-haired baby wrapped in pink blanket; invitation text arranged with MS Publisher; ribbon by The Ribbon Boutique

Monkey Decorations:

• Cricut Cut - monkey from Create a Critter, page 46, several monkeys cut at various sizes (7-9 inches)
• Paper - Recollections
• Hung the monkeys on vines draped from the ceiling around the room.

Banana Favors:

• Cricut Cut - monkey from Create a Critter, page 46, cut at 2.5 inches.
• Paper - Recollections
• Sentiment - "Thanks for going BANANAS for Sophia" text arranged with MS Publisher; printed on 1" strips of red cardstock
• Wrapped the sentiment strips around the bananas and secured with a staple; double-stick tape then secured the monkeys over the staple.

Banner:

• Paper - Recollections
• Cricut Cuts - banner from Birthday Bash, page 64; font also from Birthday Bash; monkey from Create a Critter, page 46
• Other - ribbon by The Ribbon Boutique

The mom-to-be and guests really seemed to love all the Curious George decorations, and I had a blast using my Cricut for party purposes.

If you have a baby birthday (or any event) to plan, be sure to share your creations at Decorate to Celebrate now through October 5.  And many thanks to Rhonda and Amy at DTC for featuring me as a Guest Designer today!  Now, get to crafting! :)

Celebrate the Occasion: Challenge #31 - Birthday with Balloons

I'm so excited to show you my project for Celebrate the Occasion this week!  Challenge #31 is Birthday with Balloons, and we were tasked with creating a birthday project featuring at least one balloon.

I made my first tent card for this challenge, and it was so much fun!  (You can see a tent card tutorial at Split Coast Stampers.)  I don't have any Spellbinders dies, so I used my Ciruct to cut the circle for my card.  Just think of the possibilities when you can cut any shape as the window to a tent card!

 

Card Details:

• Card Base - Studio G (5x5")
• Papers - polka dots and clouds by American Crafts: Play; textured cardstock by Bazzil Bling; all other cardstock from scraps
• Cricut Cuts - balloons from Birthday Bash, page 54; trapezoid tags from Opposites Attract, page 62
• Embossing - balloons with Cuttlebug's Swiss Dots and Spots & Dots; The Paper Studio's Doodle Borders and Mesh Texture
• Other - trapezoids and balloons on pop dots; doodling with white Gelly Roll pen

Now it's your turn to make a birthday project with balloons!  Float on over to Celebrate the Occasion to link up your creation.  I can't wait to see what you create!

Fantabulous Cricut: Challenge Me Monday #78 - A Pirate's Life

Happy Monday!  It's Challenge Me Monday at Fantabulous Cricut, and this week's challenge is A Pirate's Life.  YO-HO!

My project is a little different than your typical pirate-themed craft -- it's for a girl.  (Yes, girls can like pirates, too!)  I used pinks and greens for this simple card, as it's for one of my son's toddler playmates.  She loves Jake and the Neverland Pirates on The Disney Channel and any kind of animal, so I chose this cute octopus cut from Create a Critter:

Card Details:

• Card Base - Studio G (5x5")
• Papers - pink polka dots by Heidi Grace Designs; textured cardstock by Bazzil Basics; all other cardstock by Recollections
• Cricut Cuts - pirate octopus from Create a Critter, page 42
• Embossing - Doodle Borders by The Paper Studio
• Other - inking with pink Stampabilities ink pad; octopus on pop dots

Hope you like my clean-and-simple card.  Now, it's your turn to head over to Fantabulous Cricut to share your own pirate creation -- ARRRG! :)

Two Baby Shower Cards

Hi, crafty friends -- I miss you!

I've been swamped since mid-August with substitute teaching at my son's preschool, three baby showers, and preparing for our first MOPS meeting of the year.  I'm finally seeing light at the end of this busy tunnel -- and it's a craft light!  Hubby is treating me to a scrapbooking retreat next weekend at Rivendell Ranch.  If I can just make it through the next five days of craziness, I get to relax with my Cricut, Cuttlebug, and absolutely no responsibilities.

I have made a few projects over the past few weeks, one of which you'll be seeing as a guest spot on Decorate to Celebrate while I'm away in crafting paradise.  But for now, I can show you two cards I made to accompany baby shower gifts:

 

Card Details:

• Card Base - two <onesie> cuts from Wrap It Up, cut at 6.5 inches, adhered together above sleeves
• Papers - cardstock by Bazzil Basics
• Cricut Cuts - onesie from Wrap It Up, page 53; "P" from Birthday Bash (font and font shadow)
• Embossing - "P" with Cuttlebug Swiss Dots
• Other - brads by 7 Gypsies - Angelo; "P" on pop dots

I adhered this card to the top of the gift instead of making a bow.  I really like making these types of tags for packages, especially when they're personalized with initials.  I love how the brads mimic the snaps on a onesie, too.

Card Details:

• Card Base - Recollections (A6)
• Papers - patterns and cardstock by Recollections
• Cricut Cuts - monkey from Create a Critter, page 46; scalloped background from Elegant Edges, page 23; "baby" from Simply Sweet, page 75
• Embossing - scalloped background with Intricate Swirls by The Paper Studio; rectangle background with Mesh Texture by The Paper Studio
• Other - ribbon by The Ribbon Boutique; monkey, scalloped background, and "baby" on pop dots; flower and gemstone embellishment by Recollections

My mom told me about embossing folders by the Paper Studio now in stock at Hobby Lobby.  I bought a few (okay...five!) and am really liking them.  I used two on the monkey card above and am pleased with the result.  The folder is made identically to a Cuttlebug embossing folder and fits into the Cuttlebug without any special "sandwiching" techniques.

I'm entering the monkey card into the following challenge:
Die Cuttin' Divas:  Challenge #32 - Zoo Crazy

Hope you liked my few projects.  I promise more to come -- and more frequently -- in the coming days!

Tell me what you've been creating and what's been happening in our Cricut world... :)

Celebrate the Occasion: Challenge #29 - Grandparents Day

Are you ready to Celebrate the Occasion?  I am!  Challenge #29 is to create a project celebrating Grandparents Day.

We just returned from a great visit with my parents over the long Labor Day weekend.  My son had a fabulous time playing with his Papaw and GG.  If he had a way to get in a pedal car and make the seven-hour drive himself, he would!

Card Details:

• Card Base - Recollections (A6)
• Papers - stripes by My Mind's Eye: Magnolia; cardstocks by Bazzil Basics
• Cricut Cuts - boy/dog in car from Nate's ABCs, page 59
• Other - inking with Colorbox petal point ink pads; handwritten sentiment; cut on pop dots; twine from my mom's stash

Do you have a special grandparent in your life?  If so, join us in making a project this week at Celebrate the Occasion.  Happy crafting!

Fantabulous Cricut: Challenge Me Monday #76 - Back to School

I'm excited for back-to-school time.  My toddler isn't back in MDO yet, and I'm practically counting the minutes until his first day back.  Mommy is ready for some crafting time!  So this week's theme at Fantabulous Cricut is perfect for my current state of mind -- Challenge Me Monday #76 is Back to School!  You're encouraged to use your "ABCs" and "123s" on your project, too.

My project is a wall-hanging for my son's teachers.  He's in the Peaceful Pandas class this year:

Project Details:

• Papers - textured cardstock by Bazzil Basics; blue and orange patterns by Recollections; green stripes by American Crafts - Play.
• Cricut Cuts - panda from Create a Critter, page 58; crayons and glue from Simply Charmed, pages 52 and 54; banner from Birthday Bash, page 63; font for PANDAS from Birthday Bash.
• Other - googly eyes and white crochet thread from my mom's stash

This panda is a really big critter; I made him fit-to-page, which equaled 11 inches tall.  My son also helped by gluing on the googly eyes.

Join us over at Fantabulous Cricut by adding your back-to-school project.  Happy crafting!