Fantabulous Cricut: Save the Earth Cricut Crawl

Welcome to Fantabulous Cricut's Save the Earth Cricut Crawl!

In honor of Earth Day, each FCCB Design Team member is featuring an "up"-cycled project that includes at least one reused/recycled item and a Cricut cut.

If you've come from Jamie's Scrap Queen blog, you're in the right place!  If you've just happened across my blog and would like to play along, you can start from the beginning at Fantabulous Cricut.

Make sure to check out each DT member's blog for some awesome inspiration! There will be prizes along the way and a grand prize for one participant that submits a "Save the Earth" project at FCCB!

Now for my project...!

I have tons of gift bags stashed in my spare closet -- always with the intention of reusing them to wrap a gift, but it rarely happens.  I was inspired by our Cricut crawl to actually use one and make it extra-special.  I added some Cricut cuts and used another recycled item -- a page of text from an old book I no longer wanted.  I even made a matching notecard!  I think the result is super chic:

Here's some close-ups...

Project Details:

• Recycled Items - pink gift bag; book page
• Card Base - DCWV Brights Collection (A2)
• Papers - black cardstock by Recollections
• Cricut Cuts - butterfly and background from Kate's ABCs, page 62; flower from Kate's ABCs, page 68
• Embossing - butterfly and background with Cuttlebug's Swiss Dots
• Other - gemstone and pink paper flower by Recollections

I'm really pleased with the result, and I'll probaby try incorporating book pages into more of my projects.  Another variation would be newspaper -- curious to see how it would cut on a Cricut mat. :)

Who's up for some blog candy?  Me!  Just leave a comment below, and I'll draw a winner on Monday, May 7th with random.org to receive the following cute gemstone flowers (sorry, I can only ship to US addresses):

Now it's your turn...let's see your Upcycled-Themed projects at FCCB! Make sure to include a Cricut Cut somewhere on your project, too.

Your next stop is Judy at Crafty Jar -- go see what she has in store for you today.  And when you're done, make sure to link up your project at Fantabulous Cricut to be entered into the contest.

Happy Crawling!

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

My Craft Spot: Challenge #54 - Mother's Day
Paper Playtime: Challenge #73 - Anything Goes

Fantabulous Cricut: Challenge Me Monday #97 - Love Is in the Air

Today I get to share with you a very special card -- my hubby's valentine!  He promised not to check my blog so I can post it before Valentine's Day and for Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Me Monday #97 - Love Is in the Air.  (So, hubby, you better not be reading!)

Our sponsor this week is K Andrew Designs Art Stamps, and she shared with the design team some awesome stamps to complete our "love" projects.  I received this Mini Heart set with both sentiments and images:

And here's what I created:

Card Details:

• Card Base - Paisley, page 28 (Card Function) @ 4.5 inches
• Papers - pattern by K&Company; cardstock by Recollections
• Cricut Cuts - hearts from Doodlecharms, page 26; tag, frame, and "heart" sentiment from Lovely Floral
• Embossing - frame with Cuttlebug's Kassie's Brocade
• Other - stamped sentiment by K Andrew Designs; key by Recollections; inking with red Colorbox ink pad, and brown and pink Stampabilities ink pads; ribbon and glitter from stash; tag and hearts on pop dots

I'm so proud of this card -- it's my first shaker card!  The photo doesn't capture it well, but the heart has a piece of recessed plastic that encloses both the key and lots of red glitter.  My inspiration -- and tutorial -- for making a shaker card with the Paisley cartridge came from a video at Above Rubies Studios.

Would you like a chance to win some K Andrew stamps?  Join us at Fantabulous Cricut with your "love" projects this week for a chance to win!

I'm also submitting this project to the following challenge(s):

CardzTV: Cricut Cardz Challenge #101 - Valentine's Day
Die Cuttin' Divas: Challenge #50 - Anything Goes
My Sheri Crafts: Challenge #78 - Love Is in the Air
Paper Playtime: Challenge #67 - Hearts or Love Theme

24 Tiny Valentines

You might remember how I had big ambitions to make two dozen of these dump truck valentines for my son's preschool class.  Well, they were really involved, so I scrapped that idea in favor of a simpler (and faster!) tiny valentine:

Card Details:

• Card Base - 3x3"
• Papers - all by The Paper Studio
• Cricut Cuts - sentiment from Create a Critter, page 49
• Embossing - heart background with The Paper Studio's Doodle Borders
• Other - ribbon from stash

I'm sad I had to abandon the dump truck cards, but this mama just didn't have 20 minutes per card before next Friday.  And the three I'd completed went to a good cause -- that definitely makes me feel better!

I'm entering this project into the following challenges:

Cooking with Cricut: Challenge #71 - Child's Valentine
Fantabulous Cricut: Challenge #96 - Valentiny Cards
Paper Playtime: Challenge #66 - Anything Goes Blog Hop

Celebrate the Occasion: Challenge #39 - Thanksgiving

If you're looking for my Fantabulous Cricut Harvest Blessings Cricut Crawl entry, please click HERE.

Happy Tuesday -- it's time for another Celebrate the Occasion challenge!  This week's theme is Thanksgiving with the requirement to use a punch.  I've made so many turkeys lately that I wanted to take a departure for this challenge.  So I used another animal we see quite often in November -- squirrels!

Card Details:

• Card Base - squirrel card from Winter Woodland, page 57, cut at 5 inches
• Papers - stripes from Me & My Big Ideas - Autumn; cardstock by Recollections
• Cricut Cuts - squirrel and card base from Winter Woodland, page 57; leaves from B is for Boy
• Embossing - squirrel body with Cuttlebug's Herringbone; squirrel tail with Cuttlebug's D'vine Swirls; acorn top with The Paper Studio's Mesh Texture
• Other - sentiment stamp by Hampton Ink; EKSuccess 1-inch scalloped punch; inking with brown Stampabilities ink pad; leaves and sentiment on pop dots

Head over to Celebrate the Occasion to see the other design team members' creations link up your Thanksgiving project with punches!

I'm also submitting this project to the following challenges:

Cooking with Cricut - Challenge #59 - Fruits, Cornucopia & Harvest Time
Cricut Cardz Challenge #95 - We're So Thankful (Use Card Feature)
Paper Playtime:  Challenge #60 - Thank You Projects
Stuck On U Sketches:  Die Cut Leaf Challenge

Icky, Spooky, Creepy Halloween Wall Decor

Halloween is so much more fun as a parent -- I think that's why I've been really excited about decorating for the holiday this year.  My little guy is totally into spotting pumpkin and ghost decorations in neighbors' yards, so I decided to make a wall hanging to put on our front door:

 Here's some close-ups of each panel:

Project Details:

• Papers - patterned paper from ATD - Spookytown Collection; cardstocks by Recollections
• Cricut Cuts - background panels from Elegant Edges, page 25; all other cuts from Mini Monsters - spider, page 54; ghost, page 42; pumpkin, page 61; spider web, page 74; trees, page 73; fence, page 72; "icky", page 28; "spooky", page 42; "creepy", page 31
• Embossing - pumpkin with Cuttlebug's Distressed Stripes; spider belly with Cuttlebug's Spots & Dots; spider's bow with The Paper Studio's Doodle Borders
• Other - pre-made glitter bow by Momentum; inking with black Stampabilities ink pad, green and purple Colorbox ink pads, and ultramarine and butterscotch Le Plume II markers; buttons and petal embellishments by Recollections; googly eyes from Target $1 Spot; spider, spider's bow, ghost, and pumpkin on pop-dots

I hung the project on little man's bedroom door to get a good photo with a solid white background -- and now he thinks it belongs there!  I'll have to sneak it to the front door when he goes down for a nap.

I hope you like my project.  It's definitely the most ambitious Cricut adventure I've had since my retreat last month.  And now I'm in the Halloween spirit!

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

BBTB2:  Crafty Sprouts Contest - Halloween Project with Purple
Cooking with Cricut:  Challenge #56 - Purple and Green
Cricut 360º:  Spooky Halloween Blog Hop & Challenge
Decorate to Celebrate:  Challenge #11 - Halloween Party
My Sheri Crafts:  Challenge #71 - It's the Great Pumpkin!
Paper Playtime:  Challenge #58 - Say It with Sentiments - Use Buttons and Bows

Adore Wedding/Anniversary Card

My blog may be quiet, but my Cricut hasn't been!  It's been frantically chirping with Fathers Day and birthday cards.  By this weekend -- hopefully -- I should be able to share a few "shh-shh" projects with you.

In the meantime, I can post a wedding/anniversary card I made this morning.  I've been dying to use this Heidi Grace patterned bird paper, and a card for two nature lovers was a good reason.  It's also two firsts for me -- my first Z-fold card and my first time to stamp a sentiment on the front!  Here's the entire card stretched:

And folded to view just the front:

Card Details:

• Card Base - black cardstock (A6)
• Papers - patterned and cream cardstock by Heidi Grace; blue textured cardstock by The Paper Studio
• Cricut Cuts - scalloped background from Elegant Edges, page 51 (<btfly2_s>/Shadow); bird from Create a Critter, page 45, legs snipped and one image flipped; bell from Stretch Your Imagination, page 72 (Blackout), handle and heart snipped.
• Cuttlebug Embossing - D'vine Swirls on bell
• Other - ribbon by American Crafts; "adore" sentiment by The Paper Studio; gem from Michaels dollar bin; inking around edges of bird with sky blue Le Plume II marker

I'm entering this project into the following challenges:

Cricut Cardz Challenge #78 - Wedding Card
Die Cuttin' Divas: Challenge #19 - Wedding Bliss (without hearts)
Fantabulous Cricut:  Challenge #64 - Wedding Wishes (use white and a bell)
Paper Playtime:  Challenge #48 - Z-Fold Card

Home Sweet Home Card

So, how's the housing market in your area?  Houston has been very fortunate, and home sales and foreclosures aren't nearly as bad here as elsewhere in the country.  I've seen two houses flip and be snatched up quickly in our neighborhood.  We're also watching a CVS and Kohls go up nearby.  And three -- yes, three -- couples we know are closing on houses soon.

So today's card is for friends who are moving into their first home this weekend:

Card Details:

• Card Base - Recollections (A6)
• Papers - Simply Delightful: My Mind's Eye for all patterned papers; red textured cardstock by The Paper Studio; yellow cardstock from scraps
• Cricut Cuts - "Home Sweet Home" sentiment and layered frame from Lovely Floral; house from Create a Critter, page 29 (accessory) with a second, larger house cut to make a shadow effect
• Charm - Metal Madness (clearance at Michaels -- yay!)
• Other - inking around yellow edges with brown ink pad by Stampabilities; inking around red edges with Le Plume II persimmon marker; doodling with white gel pen; pop-dots on sentiment frame and house.

This card followed the Sassy Lil' Card Sketches May 21st Reveal fairly closely until my toddler decided to do his own "doodling" with my white gel pen while I was away from the table.  ARRGHH!  I couldn't salvage the patterned pieces of the card, so I started over.  It still has the same elements as the sketch -- just moved around a little -- so I hope it's okay to submit it to their challenge.

Really, my son has gotten better about not touching "Mommy's Cricut" -- he's just too enamored with my markers these days.  It's too cute when he says "Mommy's Cricut," but it's soon followed by his saying, "Noooo...JonJon's Cricut."

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Paper Playtime:  Challenge #46 - Just for Fun / Add a Charm
Sassy Lil' Card Sketches:  May 21st Reveal

Farm Animal Birthday Card

My son is invited to a farm-themed birthday party next month, so I jumped at the opportunity to make a cute farm animal card for his friend.



Cartridges Used:
Birthday Bash
Create a Critter
Wrap It Up

I think it turned out really cute for a little guy who's turning 3!  And I had fun making more of the critters from Create a Critter.  This cartridge is quickly becoming one of my most frequently-used.

I'm entering this card into two challenges:

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge #56 - Do the Bunny Hop (I have a chick!)
Paper Playtime Challenge #43 - Weather