Saturday, March 31, 2012

Guest Designer for My Sheri Crafts: Challenge #82 - MSC Turns 2!

I'm so honored to be featured as Guest Designer at My Sheri Crafts this week -- especially as they celebrate their second anniversary!  I love all the inspiration the designers bring each week, and this week is packed with project ideas for a child's birthday.  This challenge is perfect for me because I'm always making something for my son's toddler friends.

For this special occasion, I decided to make a shaped card with fun, cheerful colors:


Card Details:
  • Card Base - gumball machine from Wrap It Up, page 44, cut @ 5.5 inches
  • Papers - solid cardstock by Recollections; blue polka dots by Heidi Grace Designs
  • Cricut Cuts - gumball machine from Wrap It Up, page 44; tag from Wrap It Up, page 63
  • Other - sentiment stamp by The Paper Studio; bakers twine from Really Reasonable Ribbon; patterned embellishments by Recollections; doodling with white Gelly Roll pen

I've seen some super cute versions of this card using colorful buttons.  But as soon as I saw these patterned button embellishments in my stash, I knew they were calling my name for this project.  The colors work for a child's birthday card, but I think a fun-loving adult would enjoy it just as much.  :)

Again, I'm super-honored to be part of the MSC team today.  Head over to My Sheri Crafts to see what the other designers have made in celebration of their second anniversary!

I'm also entering this project into the following challenge:

My Creative Time - Throwback Thursday Challenge / Episode 336

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Airplane & Helicopter Diaper Cake

Hi, friends!  I'd like to share one of my mini-diaper cakes with you today.  I made this airplane and helicopter-themed concoction for one of the gals from my Mothers of Preschoolers group.  We surprised her with a mini-shower after our meeting yesterday.


Here's some closeups of the topper and Cricut cuts:





Project Details:
  • Papers - Recollections
  • Cricut Cuts - airplanes and helicopter from Beep Beep; cloud from Create a Critter, page 65 (accessory)
  • Embossing - clouds with Cuttlebug's D'vine Swirls
  • Other - ribbon by The Ribbon Boutique

I wasn't sure of her nursery theme, so I let my son pick a teether toy as the inspiration piece.  I was happy with his choice, because I got to use my brand new Beep Beep cartridge (another birthday present from hubby) for the first time!

Monday, March 19, 2012

Fantabulous Cricut: Challenge Me Monday #103 - Spring Is in the Air

Happy Spring!  It's definitely spring here in Houston -- the trees are getting their leaves, flowers are blooming, and I even have two yellow roses opening in the front yard.  Fantabulous Cricut is celebrating this beautiful season with Challenge #103 - Spring Is in the Air.  The challenge is to make a project featuring at least three flowers.

I had other plans for this challenge until I opened my birthday present from hubby on Saturday -- it was Tags, Bags, Boxes & More 2!  And the scoring tool!  I was so excited -- honestly, I'm still excited! My birthday celebration included some uninterrupted craft time, so I made this cute spring basket from TBBM2:


Project Details:
  • Papers - cardstock by Recollections; textured cardstock by Bazzil
  • Cricut Cuts - basket from Tags, Bags, Boxes & More 2, page 49; <vine> from Lovely Floral
  • Other - handmade flowers, inking rose petals with Stampabilities and Colorbox ink pads

This project was the first time I'd made handmade 3D flowers, too.  I watched this tutorial video by Inna's Creations, and it was super simple and fun to make my own paper rose:

 
The only difference is I didn't use scalloped scissors, but it's definitely something I'll try next time.

Are you ready to make a project with flowers?  Show us your best blooms at Fantabulous Cricut this week!

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Pretty Patterned Floral Birthday Card

I made a quick card for my choir friend's birthday a few days ago. Since spring is in full bloom here in Houston, I decided to use fun, bright patterns.  I love these florals because they don't wreak havoc on my allergies!


Card Details:
  • Card Base - DCWV Brights (A2)
  • Papers - patterns/florals by K&Company; cardstock by Recollections
  • Cricut Cuts - flower from Forever Young, page 70; scalloped strip from Elegant Edges, page 52 (border function)
  • Embossing - red flower layer with Cuttlebug's Perfectly Paisley; red background strip with The Paper Studio's Doodle Borders
  • Other - green gemstone by Recollections; sentiment stamp from Michaels $1 bin

I'm entering this card into the following challenge(s):

CAS-ual Fridays: Challenge #43 - For Sentimental Reasons

Die Cuttin' Divas: Challenge #55 - Sketch Week
Paper Playtime: Challenge #69 - Die Cut Flowers

Monday, March 5, 2012

Fantabulous Cricut: Challenge Me Monday #101 - Luck of the Irish

Happy Monday! So crazy it's already March, isn't it?  The holiday most people associate with March is St. Patrick's Day -- and I especially like that day because it's my birthday!  Because of my connection to March 17th, I'm excited about this week's Luck of the Irish challenge at Fantabulous Cricut.

Our sponsor this week is Jaded Blossom Stamps, and I got to play with their cute Luck of the Irish stamp set:



I made a shamrock easel card to celebrate the little bit of Irish in all of us this time of year:


 I used Jaded Blossom Stamps for the sentiment and the small shamrock stamp to adorn the message area:


Project Details:
  • Card Base - Easel (5x5")
  • Papers - cardstock by Bazzil; patterned paper by K&Company
  • Cricut Cuts - shamrocks from Celebrate with Flourish
  • Embossing - shamrocks with Cuttlebug's Floral Fantasy; background with The Paper Studio's Mesh Texture
  • Other - stamps from Jaded Blossom - Luck of the the Irish; white ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbon; green ribbon by CelebrateIt Basic Narrows; Colorbox green ink pad; coloring with Le Plume II markers; shamrocks and sentiment on pop dots

How do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day?   Get in the mood for all things green with this week's Luck of the Irish challenge at Fantabulous Cricut.

One other item of note...St. Patrick's Day is my one-year anniversary of papercrafting with the Cricut!  What a truly awesome birthday present -- the gift that has kept on giving me tons of creative crafting therapy!

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

BBTB2 - Shamrock Challenge
Jaded Blossom - Green Challenge
My Sheri Crafts: Challenge #80 - Happy St. Patrick's Day