Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Me Monday #112 - You Did It!

Welcome to another installment of Fantabulous Cricut's Challenge Me Monday!  This week's challenge celebrates graduates by crafting any graduation-themed project.

For the first time in a long time, I don't know anyone who's graduating -- either from high school or college.  How weird, huh?  So I made a simple project that I would have enjoyed if I were a graduate -- a gift card holder in my high school's colors of black and gold:

 

Project Details:

• Papers - cardstock by Recollections
• Cricut Cuts - gift card holder from Wrap It Up, page 47; cap tag from Wrap It Up, page 67
• Embossing - gift card holder with The Paper Studio's Intricate Swirls; white background on tag with Cuttlebug's Swiss Dots
• Other - curling ribbon from stash

I wanted some extra color on both the gift card holder and tag, so I carefully traced both the diploma ribbon and lower background area behind the cap onto gold paper.  I then trimmed, pieced, and adhered behind the cutouts.  I think the third color makes it a little more special.

You can enter your graduation-themed projects all week at Fantabulous Cricut -- come join us!

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

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... :)

Texans Football Treat Box

Is crafting as therapeutic for you as it is for me?  I've been super-busy preparing for our upcoming MOPS semester and for a friend's baby shower, so my Cricut has had to take a siesta for the past week or so.  And -- you know what? -- I've been a very cranky, unhappy person!  Maybe it's just withdrawal, but I tend to believe this obsession hobby makes me a better person.  (Or, at least, a more fun person to be around -- and hubby agrees.)

I did find time on Saturday to make a little something for hubby.  I've been wanting to do a 3D item, and this football box was an easy, fun project to celebrate the start of the NFL pre-season.  Hubby is a die-hard Houston Texans fan, of course!

Project Details:

• Papers - brown cardstock by Me & My Big Ideas; all other cardstock by Recollections
• Cricut Cuts - football box from Wrap It Up, page 70; font from Birthday Bash
• Other - doodling with white Gelly Roll pen

This little box was super easy; the entire project took just an hour, start-to-finish.  The blue and red papers are an addition to the box pattern, and I doodled line marks and yard numbers to make it look like a football field.  (If I were to make another, I'd make the band green, though.)  I filled the box with blue and red Jolly Ranchers.

Hope you enjoy this little project; I think hubby did.  Now onto figure out a challenge or two to get my creative juices flowing again!

Blue & Silver Wedding Card

My cousin has commissioned me to create a few cards for her -- which means I now have a paying customer!  (Or at least an excuse to buy more goodies with the proceeds.)

The first card is a wedding congratulations card for her friends, requested with the colors blue and silver.  Here's my resulting design:

Card Details:

• Card Base - Studio G (5"x5")
• Papers - blue damask from Recollections: All Seasons; all cardstock from The Paper Studio except cardstock with luster, which is Bazzil Bling
• Cricut Cuts -  wedding bells from Wrap It Up, page 36; scalloped background from Elegant Edges, page 56 ("bird3_s")
• Cuttlebug Embossing - scalloped background with Kassie's Brocade
• Other - ribbon by American Crafts; doodling with white Gelly Roll pen

I really like how parts of the wedding bell and ribbon cut with Bazzil Bling cardstock shimmer when they catch the light.  It adds a lot of dimension in addition to the background and cuts being elevated with pop dots.

I'm entering this project into the following challenge:

Cricut Cardz Challenge #78 - Wedding Card

Bookworm Birthday Card

I have another special card to show you today -- and this one had to be kept hidden, too!  It's my hubby's birthday card, and since he reads my blog, it had to be top secret until he received it yesterday.

This card is also my first try at a sidestep card.  Its two recessed rows were perfect for making a bookshelf.  Hubby is an avid reader, so I decided to make it a bookworm-themed card.  Here's the result:

Card Details:

• Card Base - Sidestep Card (A2)
• Papers - patterned brown paper from My Mind's Eye: Simply Delightful; patterned blue paper from Recollections: All Seasons; all cardstock by The Paper Studio
• Cricut Cuts - worm from Create a Critter, page 65; books (one set flipped) from Wrap It Up, page 57; presents from Stretch Your Imagination, page 59; banner from Birthday Bash, page 69 (font, both layers); "Happy Birthday" sentiment from Birthday Bash, page 68 (card/tag)
• Cuttlebug Embossing - Kassie's Brocade on presents; Dots & Spots on light green layer of bookworm
• Other - ribbon by American Crafts (double-sided -- how cool!); lots of inking with brown ink pad by Stampabilities 

Hubby loved his card!  He's so supportive of my papercrafting addiction, and I was glad to try a new card fold especially for him.

Gingerbread Joy Page

Have I mentioned lately how much I like Sassy Lil' Sketches?  Their layouts really inspire me to complete pages on my son's scrapbook -- and I need that push!

I'm progressing sequentially in his scrapbook (for now), so the page I worked on these past two nights is Christmas-themed.  It's hubby, son, and me at our church's annual gingerbread decorating party for Christmas 2009.  We started decorating gingerbread houses as a newlywed couple, and this year was Jonathan's first time decorating with us.

Here's the sketch from Sassy Lil' Sketches - May 14th Reveal:

And here's my resulting page:

Cartridges Used:
Birthday Bash
Playtime
Stretch Your Imagination
Wrap It Up

I did LOTS of doodling with a white gel pen and some with red and green pens.  Inking with a brown pad on the gingerbread men give them that "baked" look.  Or -- if coming from my kitchen -- that "almost-burned-to-a-crisp" look! :)

Working on a Christmas page sure made the hot Texas temperatures seem a little less oppressive -- hope you enjoy this latest project!

Optometry Graduation Card

Have you ever lost something to eventually find it in the place you first looked...?

Yep, it happened to me tonight.  I couldn't find my camera to take a photo of tonight's project, and I went crazy trying to locate it.  My hubby searched all the nooks and crannies of the car.  We looked in all my son's known hiding places.  But -- surprise! --  it was in the front pocket of my purse all along.

Tonight's project -- before The Great Camera Search -- was a graduation card for one of our Bible study friends.  He graduated from optometry school this weekend, so I made the sentiment an "eye chart" of sorts and included a pair of glasses.  Here's the result:

Cartridges Used:
Create a Critter
Wrap It Up

It's hard to see, but the teal stripe behind the eye chart is embossed with my newest Cuttlebug embossing folder, Distressed Stripes.  And I colored in the shades by hand -- really making a case for me to get the Nifty Fifties cartridge with the cute glasses cut.  (It's my first choice on my Provocraft/Michaels rebate promotion.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.)

I had fun making something a little out of the ordinary.  I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

BBTB2: Forever Young Sunglasses Challenge
Paper Cutz Challenge #91 - Graduation

Mothers Day Gift Box

My second creation tonight is a Mothers Day gift box.

You might be thinking, Isn't this a little belated?, and I'd answer...well, maybe.  USPS didn't deliver my mom's gift, and I'm so perturbed!!   Especially after sending it by priority mail!  She leaves early tomorrow morning to drive here for a visit, so she may not receive her gift until she returns home later this week.  Just in case she can't pick it up tomorrow morning, I got her a few little things for her to open when she arrives.

Which means I needed a box to wrap it in -- a perfect item for The Pink Stamper's 3D challenge!

Cartridges Used:
Wrap It Up

This box was probably meant to be a gift card holder, but it's cut at 11.5" (fit to page) so it could hold larger items.  It did fairly well, but I think the simple design would look more better at the smaller size.  Oh well, you experiment and learn.  :)

I'm entering this project in the following challenge:


The Pink Stamper:  NSD Challenge #5 - Any 3D Item

Apple Teacher Appreciation Card

With the school year coming to a close, I made two cards (both alike) for my son's preschool teachers.  He goes to Mothers Day Out three days a week and just loves his teachers.  I also worked at his MDO this year, so I often saw these two fabulous ladies in action with my son's class.  I love these women for loving on my son, so I hope they'll like their cards.

Inspiration was from CPS Card Sketch #216:

My resulting card adds a ribbon and keeps the main image round:

Cartridges Used:
Birthday Bash
Opposites Attract
Wrap It Up

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

Bitten By the Bug 2:  Apple Core
CPS Card Sketch #216

Mothers Day Card for Gran

Mothers Day is fast approaching, so I needed to make progress on cards for the mothers in my life.  I made the card below for my husband's grandmother:

Cartridges Used:
Cricut Classic Font
Lovely Floral
Wrap It Up

The body of the card is from Wrap It Up, and I like the result of putting cardstock with a little glitter behind the cut.  When I tried to cut the tag on glitter cardstock, I discovered the thickly-glittered areas don't play well with the regular Cricut blade.  I had to snip a bit with scissors by hand, but it's not terribly noticeable.  Oh well...lesson learned.  Inking makes the "Gran" title tag stand out nicely.

I'm entering this card in Cricut Cardz Challenge #72 - Mothers Day Card using a Card Feature.

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

Easter Bunny and Egg Treat Holder

I made my first 3D, non-card creation tonight!  It's a treat holder -- big enough for a cupcake -- but holding plastic eggs for the photo.  It turned out so cute, I just might give it to my co-teacher with chocolates in the eggs.

Cartridges Used:
Birthday Bash
Doodlecharms
Stretch Your Imagination
Wrap It Up

I really like the flourishes from Stretch Your Imagination used as running vines on the fence.  I repeated the look on all four sides, with eggs where the corners meet.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

BBTB2 - Easter Solutions 2010 or Any Egg
Cricut Cardz Challenge #70 - Easter Cupcake Holder or Wrapper
Fantabulous Cricut - Spring Fling Project (using pink, yellow, and green)
My Sheri Crafts Challenge #53 - Bunnies