Find Your Style - January SOTM Blog Hop

Happy New Year and welcome to our first Stamp of the Month blog hop for 2011!  Our first stamp set this year is a beautiful set of 9 stamps with all kinds of possibilities.  This month we have over 50 consultants participating to give you lots of ideas.  If you're coming here from Melissa Robinson's blog, you're in the right place.  When you're done here, you'll hop over to Krista Ritske's blog.

Also, just as an FYI, the Stamp of the Month program is working a little differently this month as an extra incentive while we switch over to our new catalog schedule.  If you haven't yet seen our Inspirations brochure with the full details, you can view it in PDF form here.  Now, on to the pretty artwork!

I chose to make some pictures for our powder room.  I've been struggling with decorating this room, and as soon as I saw these stamps I knew they'd be perfect!  I even know what color I'll be painting the room later (a lighter shade of that Juniper, in case you're interested).  My colors come straight from the new Wings kit, although I did add the Juniper cardstock since that is not one of the cardstock colors in the kit.

I started with a couple of 5x7 frames that match our cabinets.  (The glass is behind everything else, in case I ever want it since this is a 3-D project.)  I stamped my images with Black ink on Juniper cardstock, and cut out around them.  With our micro-tip scissors, this is really faster than you might think!  I adhered a Black base with Vineyard Berry mat onto the pattern paper from the Wings kit.  Then I used foam adhesive tape to pop my stamped images off the Black base.  I added a tactile border using our new pleated ribbon in the Wings Level 2 Assortment (I LOVE this stuff!), then I added a little bling with some Clear Sparkles and some Opaques Pearl Adhesive Gems.  I put the entire thing in the frames, then moved the design onto the frame as well.  I created some flowers using 6 sections of the pleated ribbon - I overlapped 2 sections and adhered them with Liquid Glass.  Once dry, I flattened it into a flower shape added a black corduroy brad from the Black Mini-Medley (included in the Wings Workshop Kit), and added some loops (or leaves) using the ribbon in the same mini-medley (also using Liquid Glass).  I attached the flowers to the frames using Liquid Glass to be sure they will stay put!

Here are a couple of close-ups if you want to see things better.  Just click the pictures to make them bigger!  I hope you've enjoyed my Inspiration; now hop on over to Krista's blog!

More Uses for the Cricut Imagine

I have a last couple of Christmas projects to share using my Imagine and the Best Friends cartridge.  The first is a simple t-shirt decal.

I think this saying would be even cuter for a baby girl, lol; it just tickles me to no end!  I made this using the Cut Color Wear product from www.printonit.com - of course they have just now started carrying printable t-shirt vinyl, which is a thinner product.  But this thicker product not only works well with HP inks, but can also be colored with markers; makes it great for letting kids color their own artwork for a t-shirt.

My second project is a set of magnetic paper dolls in a box.  I decorated the outside of the box using printable Cricut vinyl.  I've recently been told that this is now available at Hobby Lobby - glad to hear it because after this experience I NEED some more ASAP!  Check out this cute label:

The main image is taken right from the Best Friends cartridge - SO cute!  Then I cut letters using the Hello Kitty font cartridge and a pattern from the Best Friends cartridge.  (This is one minor complaint I currently have - do you notice that the pattern is slightly different sizes in some of the letters?  The pattern resizes based on the size of the item you are cutting, but because letters are different relative heights, the pattern does not size uniformly.  I really hope this is fixed soon!)

Finally, the paper dolls:

There is a huge variety of little girls on this cartridge.  I chose several and print/cut the versions in their underwear on printable magnet material.  I then selected several outfits and accessories to print/cut as well.  Unfortunately, there is no option for the pants only, so in addition to cutting the entire outfit, I cut some of the shirts separately so they can be layered if desired.  The first picture is the outfit and the second picture has another shirt added over the top.  There are also a ton of cute little accessories you just know you'll need to cut as well!

My printable magnet material also came from www.printonit.com - to save money, I signed up for their newsletter to get coupon codes and notice of sales.  I try to buy multiple products at once to save on shipping.  I also always use the cheapest base shipping cost, and it always gets to me very quickly!  Of course, they are in North Dakota, and I am in Illinois, so if you are ordering from either coast you may want to find out more shipping details before you finalize your order.  They do have live help available during business hours, and I have asked questions while they are offline and gotten an answer right away the next day.

Hope you enjoyed these project ideas and can Imagine more possibilities!  Oh, just to point out - these images are a bit distressed looking, the magnets are not scratched up or anything.  However, this magnet material is rather thin, to make it easily cuttable, so the top layer WILL crack if you bend it too far.  Also, my "test" (using my fridge) indicates that this material isn't really meant to hold much of anything except its own weight.  I had it holding one standard piece of paper to the fridge, but that was all.

Winter Tag/Gift Card Holder

Well, have to head off to work soon (the price I pay for getting other time off to spend with DH while he's on vaca this week), but I wanted to share this tag I made.  Just presented it to my SIL this afternoon with a B&N gift card attached, as she's a book worm like me!  She likes to reuse card fronts, tags, etc. for the following year, so I thought this would be cute.  Or, she can keep it and use it as an ornament!  Overall size is less than 4x6 (not including the ribbon.  Here are some pictures with and without the gift card attached:

My tag and snowman were cut from Lettering Delights SVG files using Make The Cut software with my Cricut.   The Snowman is from the Merriment collection (FREE!!) and the Tag is from the Basic Tags collection.

The tag is cut from plastic packaging, then embossed with a Cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder.  On the back side, I filled in parts of some of the snowflakes using various shades of blue Stickles.

My snowman layers are cut from (bottom to top) orange CS, pearly cream colored CS (I think it was Club Scrap), blue Bazzil textured CS, and dark pink velvet paper from my stash (I believe I purchased it at Michael's before Valentine's day a few years ago).

I added an I-rock gem on top of my pink velvet button for a little more bling.  I attached the snowman to the tag using Liquid Glass to be sure he stays put.  I then added the gift card using Glue Dots.

December's Monthly Cricut Circle Challenge

This month's CC challenge is to make a gift item. Here are the details:

"The theme for this month’s challenge is geared towards helping you cross off one of the names on your holiday gift list! Please create a Holiday Gift Item. Project must be newly created for this challenge and should include the following elements to qualify: use a tag made with a cartridge (there are so many great tags on so many cartridges), use the color red somewhere, use ribbon, and use the Phrase Feature from one of the cartridges

* Use atleast 2 Cricut Cuts
* Use a tag made with a cartridge (there are so many great tags on so many cartridges!)
* Use the color red somewhere.
* Use ribbon.
* Use a phrase from one of the cartridges.

This challenge is open to Cricut Circle Members only. Your entry must meet the requirements above in order for your name to be entered into a random drawing for the PRIZE. You must submit a project to be entered into the drawing. Submit your entry using the InLinkz tool found at the bottom of this post. Entries are due by 11:59 pm MST on Thursday, December 30th, 2010."

For my entry, I finally made the shrink plastic charm bracelets I've been planning for my girls.

My phrase came from Preserves and I can't for the life of me remember where I just cut that tag from about 20 minutes ago, but it MIGHT have been Joys of the Season...  The tags are tied to the bracelets using red ribbon with green edges.  The charms themselves are all from the Cricut Imagine cartridge Best Friends.  Here's a closer view of a few:



I personalized the charms for each girl, so the hair color matches and the older one has a computer and the younger one has a tiara.  They are all made using Shrinky Dink shrink plastic for ink jet printers.  (Mine was purchased in the stamping section of a large Michael's store.)  All of the charms were cut at 1" TRUE SIZE, except the tiara, which was cut at 1/2" TRUE SIZE.  I punched them with a 1/8" hole punch before shrinking them in the toaster oven.  I sealed the charms using a matte Krylon spray sealer.  The bracelets were made using Plaid's "Flavor" Loop Chain and Metal Findings in a reddish color.  (I got mine from the jewelry making section at JoAnn's.)

More Imaginisce-ing

I'm finally getting around to sharing another of my DT submission items for Imaginisce.  Twitterpated is one of my favorite collections of theirs EVER!  My only regret is not buying more of it, lol.  I don't even have a single Snag 'em stamp from this collection!  Regardless, these papers make an awesome layout - here's an Easter LO I did using some of them:

Click on the picture to see it larger.  You know stripes are my favorite, so I had to use them for my base.  The blue is the cloud "back side" of one of the papers.  Not having any stamps, I created my little scene by cutting out images from one of the patterned papers.  And added some bunny ears to my title the same way.  Title and grass are cut with the Cricut, and coordinating cardstock is from Close To My Heart.

I used a large corner rounder for the corners of the cloud paper, and inked all the edges with coordinating stamping ink (CTMH).  I used a punch to punch out the floral photo corners and popped them up with foam adhesive.  Lastly, I added silver Rhinestuds (nail heads) with my I-Rock tool.  Here's a close-up of that bit:

Hopefully, I will be working on Christmas cards later today (finally!).  I have some very pretty older Imaginisce paper I want to use to make some one-offs if I have time.  (I usually make on kind of card, assembly-line style, but I have some singles made already from challenges & such, so I thought it made be fun to make several one-of-a-kind cards instead.)

Until next time...

Imaginisce Blog: Release Party for Garden Party: Box of Tags Tutori...

Just wanted to share this beautiful new release from Imaginisce - AND tell you they're having a fabulous giveaway!

Imaginisce Blog: Release Party for Garden Party: Box of Tags Tutori...: "Today we begin shipping our 'sPriNg' collection, Garden Party. Yes, you heard it...spring! I know it's right before winter and there's..."

We Have A Winner!

Thanks to everyone who hopped through on our Cutters Creek blog hop!  Today is winner day, and everyone who commented is entered to win.  I used www.random.org, and our winner is #14.

Sandy said: "Perfect! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and art with us
Merry Christmas
Huggles
Sandy"

Off to email Sandy with the good news!

Bring on the Bling With Red & Green - Cutters Creek Blog Hop!

Welcome to the first Cutters Creek blog hop!  We're all sharing our favorites in red & green this weekend, so you should have received your fair share of inspiration by now!  If you've arrived here from Vicki's Scrappy Leopard blog, you are in the right place!  I'm officially the "last" stop on the hop, so if you're just starting out be sure to head over to the Cutters Creek blog when you're done here and continue hopping through all 8 Design Team member's projects.  We have 8 great prizes to give away - one at each blog - so be sure to visit them all and enter to win!

The prize here is a Cuttlebug Emboss Plus Postage Alphabet - cut and emboss all at once!  Just leave me a comment to enter.  Comments left up until 11:59pm on Sunday December 12th will be eligible to win. All winners will be selected Monday and posted on each blog so make sure you check back to see if you have won! You will have 48 hours to respond before we choose another winner. To be sure I can contact you, be sure to leave me your email address if it's not listed in your profile.

Now, on to the project!  I used two of my favorite Cutters Creek products on a scrapbook layout: American Crafts Glitter Cardstock and Stickles!

 Once again, I've created a project that looks much more awesome in person than I am able to photograph!  You can click on the picture to see it larger, and see details in the additional pictures.

I have a Big Tip for this layout - you can make any paper glitter paper just by using coordinating Stickles.  I used Xmas Red, and covered the red dots on my mostly green paper, and traced the darker red lines in my striped paper.  You can see it a little better in this detail shot.  (Click to enlarge.)

I used my Cricut Gypsy along with the Elegant Cakes, Christmas, and Joys of the Season cartridges to cut my title, tree branch, and ornaments, respectively.

Here's a little detail shot of the title.  It's easy to recreate using any font you'd like; I used Elegant Cakes, but any nice script-like font will do.  Doesn't that glitter cardstock look spectacular?  The key to this awesome paper is to not overdo it.  Use it to highlight a word in your title, instead of the entire thing, and you're sure not to overdo!  Also, be sure you're balancing your layout by not clumping all of your glittery elements together.

One final little bit on the glitter cardstock: it cuts wonderfully with your Cricut!  Check out this detail shot, and take a look at that ornament on the right.  That's right, I inlaid the red cut into the gold cut - spectacular!  Also, notice the "snow" on my tree?  It's FlowerSoft Polar White.

Items Available from Cutters Creek:

• American Crafts Glitter Cardstock, Gold & Red
• Stickles, Xmas Red
• FlowerSoft, Polar White
• Joys of The Season Cricut Cartridge (and Kim can usually get you any cartridge you want!)
• Glossy Accents (Works great to adhere small pieces of glitter CS)
• Cricut Expression

 Other products used:

• Mistletoe paper pack and MyStickease cardstock stickers from Close To My Heart
• Magic sketch/pattern book for 2-page layouts from Close To My Heart

Cricut Circle Weekly Challenge

Sorry for the horrid picture; I barely squeaked this one in under the wire since my camera's card is a little bit full!  I think I need to leave that one for the link to have a picture, so I'll put up a better one too.  This week's Cricut Circle challenge is all about holiday recipes.  We had to use at least 2 Cricut cuts; mine are from Jolly Holiday and the title is the font from Robotz.

  My cardstocks are Brown Bag, Tulip, and textured White Daisy from Close To My Heart.  My pattern papers are all from Heidi Grace's Jolly & Bright line.  (Some of the papers from this line were still available at JoAnn's last time I shopped there.)  I used a white Uniball Signo pen for my recipe journaling and the written part of my title.  For the "frosting" on my Cricut cuts, I used Liquid Applique.  After letting it dry, I heated it with my embossing gun.

I am feeling the need to add a little something more to this layout.  At the very least, I need some hardware on the right page.  Those four photos all have another photo underneath, so I need something to keep the mats down.  It may have to sit for a day or two while I decide what to use, then I'll update...

Fun with Imaginisce

OK, so I recently submitted to a DT call from Imaginisce.  They haven't notified anyone yet, but the rules didn't say anything about no sharing our work, so...  Here's a fun card I made with Apple Cider papers and a coordinating stamp.

I LOVE the little stamps from Imaginisce.  The best part is that they are simple enough to paper piece - NO coloring!  I did add a little Liquid Glass to his eyes to make them shiny.  This 6x6 card was super simple; just a little paper layering for a cute background for our furry little friend.  The tab at the top was punched with a Stampin' Up! punch.  The orange-y nail heads are adhered with my I-rock tool.

I'll be back tomorrow with another item from my submission.  And make sure to come back on Saturday anytime for the first Cutters Creek blog hop - it's a red & green weekend!

Another Design Team (Fail)

I'm pretty busy this week and not getting much done, so I thought I'd share a recent Design Team submission.  I didn't make it, but I'm sure the contenders were all awesome!  I love the sketchbooks from Scrapbook Generation publishing, and Allison is starting a new blog devoted just to sketches.  That's why they were hunting for a design team.

So, let me share my interpretations of the sketches. (You can visit www.sketchsupport.com for the actual sketches, plus many more.)  First up is a card.  This was a fun sketch, and the best part is you can change Allison's design element shapes to any shape you want.  I changed mine to stars and made a card suitable for graduation or some other accomplishment.

I used recycled plastic packaging over the blue stars, gold DMC floss, iron-on stars adhered with my I-rock heat tool, and various star shapes.  The stars were a combination of punch-outs, chipboard elements, stamped & hand cut, and Cricut cuts.  The green stars are popped up on foam adhesive.  All cardstock, chipboard, stamps, and ink from Close To My Heart.

Next is a single page layout sketch.  I don't do single page layouts much, so I chose to make a title page layout for some Sea World pages.  (This was actually my least favorite item for this call.  I definitely wasn't "feeling it" on this one.)

I used some of my favorite Heidi Grace papers here from the Under the Sea line.  I really hope I'm "over" this line by the time I run out of my stash, because I can't find much from this line left anywhere anymore!

Title was cut with my Cricut.  Bubbles were cut with my Cricut from plastic packaging and highlighted with some paint.  I used the same paint to edge my photos for some definition.  I added some bling with additional smaller "bubbles", I-rock gems in crystal.  Cardstock & ink from Close To My Heart.

Finally, a two-page layout, my favorite way to work!  This was a fun sketch, and while I don't usually do strip journalling I really liked the effect here.  I really enjoyed making this layout, and finally scrapping those pics from my brother's 50th birthday a couple of years ago.

It's not often I get to scrap "adult" pictures anymore, so it was great to know I can still rock a grown-up theme.

Papers are all discontinued Close To My Heart, and all page elements were cut with my Cricut and popped up on foam adhesive (except "the big" is flat on the page).  The gold circles in the party hat pom poms are more iron-ons adhered with my I-rock, man I LOVE that tool!  The self-adhesive pearls on the ends of the striped paper are from Close To My Heart in Mocha.

I currently have one more DT submission out.  I didn't see anything about not sharing things before their decision, so I will likely post those for tomorrow.  It's all Imaginisce goodness, which means you're gonna love it!

Quick Card For the Sports Fan

So, today is hubby's birthday.  I was sick almost all weekend, so this morning I had to come up with a quick card in time for dinner & gift tonight.  He's off to the Volo Auto Museum with a friend, and I have no idea how early he'll be back so I wanted it done ASAP.

Hubs is a big Blackhawks fan; in fact, he went to the game with a couple of buddies yesterday.  (Good for me, so I could drag my sick self & the kids out shopping.)  Anyway, since I needed something quick & simple I decided to replicate the back of a hockey sweater for his card.  Here's the end result:

The front of the card was done using Make The Cut software and the Collegiate FLF font for the letters and numbers.  It's a passable copy of the Varsity Cricut cartridge.  (I have a better font somewhere, but I couldn't remember the name & I needed FAST!)  I left off the border on the name, because they're plain white on the real thing.  The stripes are cut with my trimmer.

The inside of the card was cut using the Sports Mania cartridge, background feature.  I trimmed the final cut rather than resizing so the goalie masks stayed in proportion.  The sentiment stamps are from Close To My Heart (discontinued).  If you're interested in Make The Cut, it can be purchased through Cutters Creek over at their blog.

December Cricut Circle Magazine Challenge

Every month, there is a special challenge from the Cricut Circle Magazine.  Unlike the regular challenges, this is a judged challenge, not a random drawing.  Entry is for Circle members only, and here are the rules for this month:

Contest Rules:
You must create your gift bag or box using a base from one of the many Cricut cartridges available. Embellish it to fit your style! Please use at least 4 Cricut cuts in your design and incorporate something from one of this month’s magazine sponsors. (You can see their ads in the back of the magazine.) Please… only one entry per person. Entry deadline is Friday, December 3rd at 11:59 pm.

So, here's the backstory on my entry.  I'm planning on giving my not-so-little-anymore girls (9 1/2 & 7 1/2) some shrink plastic charm bracelets for Christmas using the Best Friends cartridge for the Cricut Imagine.  So I figured it would be cool to make a personalized gift bag for each of them to match.  This one is for my younger, blonder, daughter:

I just love everything about this cartridge!  It's designed by Cosmo Cricket, and I just love their style & the color palette of this cartridge is awesome.  Everything is printed on Close To My Heart White Daisy Textured Cardstock.  I cut the purse at 10", the girl & her layers at 3", and the tag layers at 1.5".  I popped up my layers with dimensional foam adhesive, and my flower center is a pearl brad from American Crafts.

On the back side, just in case they can't tell who each one belongs to, I made a tag with her initial (H for Holly):

Using the built-in shapes on the Imagine, I cut a 2" square filled with one of the patterns from the cartridge.  Then I adhered a cardstock sticker from a Just Your Type book from Cosmo Cricket (Nursery Palette).  For my bag liner, I printed the same pattern on a piece of linen fabric.  I cut it to 6" x 6" to fit the bag.  Finally, I punched a hole to make a tag, and tied the purse closed and the tag to the purse using American Crafts ribbon.

I love the way this turned out & I'll be making the other one ASAP.  I can't wait to see their faces when they see these bags, then when they see what's inside!  I'll be sure to post again when I have the bracelets finished.

Lettering Delights Now Offers SVG Files!

I just received an email from Lettering Delights with the best news!  They now carry SVG files to use with your Make The Cut or SCAL software.  They even have two free samples available right now.  One is a neat alphabet design, and the other is coordinating images with a fun Winter-y theme.  Just click on the image below to go check them out, and download your free files now!

Cricut Circle Weekly Challenge #9 - Black Friday Challenge

For Black Friday, the Circle team has issued a special weekly challenge theme.  Here’s what we want you to do this week . . . Include the color black in your project AND recycle or repurpose something.
Project must be newly created for this challenge and must include atleast 2 different cuts from any Cricut cartridge to qualify. This challenge is open to Cricut Circle Members only.

This one was pretty easy for me.  I love to use black in my projects, and I LOVE to recycle the plastic packaging from my Cricut carts & other items.  This week, I decided to make a New Year's themed card.  And I've decided I really need to buy another cartridge or two so I can have the exact elements I wanted to use for this card, but didn't have!

I created a 4.25" x 5.5" card, using textured black CS as my card base.  Next, I cut a 3.75" x 5" piece of plastic packaging, then embossed it using a Cuttlebug Stars embossing folder.  I painted the back side using some Create-A-Shade pearl paint from CTMH, and added metallic gold stamping ink to the front using a direct-to-paper technique.  Once dry, I adhered the panel to my card front.  The top hat is cut at 6" from American Crafts Glitter Cardstock, using the Paper Doll Dress Up cartridge.  I cut it once from black, then started cutting a second one from white.  I stopped it once it had made the hatband cuts and completed the cut by hand.  Happy New Year is cut from foil paper from my stash, using the Wild Card cartridge at about 1" real size.

Easy Enough For a Beginner - December SOTM Blog Hop

Welcome to our monthly blog hop!  We have about 60 consultants participating again this month, so you're sure to find plenty of great ideas.  If you've arrived here from Kristie Herdener's Goofy Scrapper blog (or if you're just starting out), you're in the right place.  When you're done here, you'll hop along over to the talented Michelle Nist's blog.

You may still be thinking Christmas, but the craft world moves ahead, so this month's stamp set is all about love.  Of course, there are many opportunities besides Valentine's Day for love, so be sure to think of the possibilities for these 13 elegant stamps!  This month, I chose to create an elegant card that is simple enough for a beginner (and uses minimal supplies).  What a great way to get started with card making!

I apologize in advance for the photos - black cardstock may look beautiful in person, but is very difficult to photograph!

This is a simple gate-fold card.  Cut your black CS to 7" x 10", and score at 2.5" and 7.5" for your base.  I used only black stamping ink, and the clear stamps make it super easy to fit that "Love" sentiment right inside the heart shape.  I cut out my elements with a thin border around my stamped images.  This is actually much faster than you might think!  The green heart is attached to the berry heart, then the left side only of the berry heart is attached to the left front of the card.  Finally, I added the simple embellishments of the self adhesive pearls.

Inside the card, I added a simple 4" x 6" panel which I had stamped with some of the smaller stamps in the set.

Note: I used Vineyard Berry and New England Ivy for my colors, but if you need to save a little more money and buy only one combo pack, you can substitute Olive for the New England Ivy, or choose two colors for yourself from any one combo pack.

Supplies Used:

• Black Cardstock                      $9.50
• Autumn Garden CS Combo     $9.95
• Autumn Harvest CS Combo     $9.95
• Archival Black Stamp Pad        $5.95
• Opaques Pearl Adhesive Gems $2.95
• Micro Tip Scissors                    $9.95
• Tombow Mono Adhesive          $8.95

The subtotal for the above items is  $57.20, which saves you 50% off the stamp of the month!  And you'll have a great selection of versatile paper colors to use on other projects. If you're totally new to clear stamping, you'll also want at least a 4x4 block ($10.50).  Visit the Stamp of the Month page to see all of the stamp images, recommended stamping block sizes, and how to get your stamp at a great discount or even free.  Also, don't forget, any $20 purchase on my website this month gets you a free D-size stamp set of our choice (see my previous post for details).

Now, hop on over to Michelle Nist's blog!

Plenty for Twenty

Close To My Heart has an awesome deal for the month of December!

 PLACE AN ORDER OF $20 OR MORE* ON MY MyCTMH website from December 1 (9am MST) – 31, 2010, and we’ll reward you with a popular, retired D-size stamp set for FREE! Talk about getting more for your money - the free stamp set is valued at $22.95! We’re sure you’ll be thrilled with the set we pick out for you. We’re also giving you FREE shipping/handling and tax on your free stamp set. That’s a lot of Plenty for your Twenty!

*Excluding tax and shipping/handing. Qualifying purchases must include shippable products (Studio J® layout purchases excluded, Studio J memberships and 5-packs will count toward a qualifying order only if shippable items are also ordered). Limit one free stamp set per qualifying order.  Please be sure to wait until at least 9am MST on 12/1 to order!  There should be some kind of notice about the special on the main page of the website.  I don't want anyone to miss out because they order too early, lol.

There's no need to enter a code or add anything to your cart.  Your free stamp set will automatically be added to your order when it is shipped!

Cricut Circle Monthly Challenge - November

I am finally getting around to finishing my project for this month's challenge on the Cricut Circle blog.  This month's challenge is Home Sweet Home.  Here are the rules:

The theme for this month’s challenge is all about cozying up your home with Handmade Home Decor! Please create a home decor project. Project must be newly created for this challenge and should include the following elements to qualify:

• Use at least one Cricut Cartridge Cut
• Use the Cuttlebug in some way (embossing folder, Cuttlebug die, Quilling kit, etc.)
• Use Felt in some way
• Use the color GREEN somewhere on your project

This challenge is open to Cricut Circle Members only. 

I decided to get a little start on my Christmas decor, and I found the perfect starting image on my new Snow Angel Cricut Imagine Cartridge.  The mittens on page 8 of the handbook were just calling my name for this, so I started there.  I pulled out a 5x7 picture frame I got on clearance a while ago and got to work.  I took the glass out, since I knew I wanted to go 3-D.  Here is the finished product:

I cut my mittens image, layered, at 5 inches with a white border.  Using the Joys of the Season cartridge in my Imagine, I added the Merry Christmas to my mat at 3 inches.  Then I colored it in using the darker green from the Snow Angel color palette.  My final image was cut with my Expression using stiffened felt.  I chose the Holly image from the Stretch Your Imagination cartridge.  I cut a 5x7 mat from Close To My Heart textured cardstock in Sweet Leaf (discontinued, but smooth is still available).  Next I cut a 4x6 mat from Close To My Heart cardstock in Holiday red.  I embossed this mat with the Cuttlebug embossing folder Swiss Dots.  After embossing, I used my sanding block to reveal the white core of the cardstock.

I adhered my mats together, then inserted them in the frame.  I assembled my mittens, using foam adhesive tape and adhered them to the mats.  I tied some hemp twine in a bow and attached it to the frame with a mini Glue Dot.  I cut the strings to the proper length, then attached those under the mittens with mini Glue Dots.  I glued my red felt to my green felt using Liquid Glass, then attached it to the frame with a Glue Dot.  Lastly, I adhered my phrase to the frame using Liquid Glass and propped up the end of "Merry" with some foam adhesive tape.

Now to find the perfect spot for this little gem!  The colors actually match my kitchen almost perfectly, so it will probably go there...

Blog Candy Winner from Imagine Blog Hop

Well, I hope I haven't kept everyone in suspense for too long! My weekend has been full of shopping, eating, relaxing, and today, working. But for one lucky winner, the wait was worthwhile. Thanks to the folks at www.random.org our winner is #30.  Creative Patti said, "I love these, wish I had a small baby!! LOL!!"

Now, off to email Patti, then I'll be back with another fun Cricut Imagine project post!

Cricut Imagine Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Cricut Imagine blog hop!  We have 11 bloggers ready to share our ideas with you for using your Cricut Imagine (or to entice you into buying one).  You can start at any blog in the hop, then visit each one until you complete the circle and wind up back where you started.  If you get lost at any time, I have a list at the bottom of this post with all of the participants.  Several of us are offering blog candy giveaways, so make sure you enter each one separately.

So, if you're starting here, or coming from Mandie's blog, you're on the right track!  And when you're done here, you'll move along to Robin's blog and see what ideas she has for us.  Now, on to my Imagine creations:

On Friday, I teased my regular readers with a couple of hints.  I told you that I wasn't using any paper and that I was using the Nursery Tails cartridge.  So, are you ready to see what I made??  Here it is...

As soon as I got this cartridge in the mail last week, I thought of a girl from work expecting a little boy on January 1st.  (I really wanted long-sleeved onesies, but of course they were sold out, so I settled for short-sleeved.)  For the onesies, I chose some of my favorite images on the cartridge.  I sized them at 4.5", flipped the images, and printed/cut them from HP iron-on sheets then ironed them on following the directions.

My other project was that cute bib - I have some printable fabric in my stash so I pulled out a sheet.  I determined the size I wanted by measuring a similar bib in a store.  I printed & cut just the patterned layer of the bib image on page 14 of the handbook directly on this fabric.  I then layered it on some terry cloth and bound the edges with some 1/4" double-fold bias tape.  Here's a great TIP for any unusual Imagine project you're thinking of making: if a product says it's for inkjet printers, it can be printed on with your Imagine.  This is especially important for items that are generally non-porous, such as magnetic sheets, shrink plastic, and transparencies.

I am just loving all of the possibilities for creating with the Imagine.  I have so many ideas, just because of all of the great printable items available in the marketplace!  One of my favorite places to buy printables is over at PrintOnIt.com - my next order will include the printable magnet sheets for sure.  I'm also planning to buy some Cut, Color, & Wear to test out; they tell me they are pretty sure it is printable with the Imagine because it uses HP inks, but I want to test it to be sure before I start recommending it!

Before you leave, be sure you enter to win my blog candy giveaway!  I'm giving away a beautiful Level 1 "Olivia" scrapbook kit from Close To My Heart plus 25 sheets of CTMH smooth white cardstock, great for use in your Imagine!  Enter to win by just leaving a comment here on this post.  Deadline to enter is Friday, November 26, 2010.  Sorry, due to postage costs, only US residents (or APO/FPO) are eligible to win.

Now that you're done here, hop on over to Robin's blog and see what ideas she has for us today.  It will open in a new tab or window, so if you get lost along the way just pop back over here and check this list of participants:

• Lori Brown
• Robin Jones
• Tina at The Crippled Cricut
• Linda Panattoni
• Angela Urell
• Tisha Grindley
• Telina's Paper Mania
• Mindy Rapp
• Sarah Haddock
• Jeannie Horton
• Mandie Wade

November Will Be Over Soon...

and so will Close To My Heart's month of Gratitude.  Visit my website before the end of the month to take advantage of this offer!  It's a great time to grab some supplies to make your holiday cards, or some presents for that crafty someone on your gift list.

DURING NOVEMBER WE’RE EXPRESSING OUR GRATITUDE TO YOU BY helping you earn two fabulous My Acrylix® stamp sets for FREE! When you place a minimum order of $100, you will not only receive the November Stamp of the Month set, A Little Thanks, for FREE, you will also receive one stamp set of your choosing from the 2010 Autumn/Winter Idea Book for FREE*! This means you can increase the value of your purchase by up to $45.90—that’s almost 50 percent more in value! It’s just our way of imparting A Little MORE Thanks to you for being a great customer.

*Free stamp sets include A-D size sets. Stamps that are not available as the free set include Workshops
on the Go,™ Stamp of the Month retail, E-size, and customizable K-size. Tax and shipping/handling may apply. Offer good November 1–30, 2010.

I'm so excited!

I've been creating some fun things for our first Cricut Imagine blog hop, and I am getting SO excited!  I had a great idea for a project, just in time for a sweet little gift for a special someone.  My only hint as to what's coming?  I'm not using paper, and I'm using the Nursery Tails cartridge.

So, if you want to see what I'm making, along with what several others are making with their Imagines, come back Monday night/Tuesday morning after midnight and check us out!  There will be lots of ideas, and several blog candy giveaways on the hop.

Frugal Seasonal Decor

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted.  I'm currently creating for two different Design Team auditions, and of course I can't share anything I'm making!  But I do have a "saving" post today.  So, I hate to spend a lot of money on seasonal items that are only up for a few weeks every year.  Last week, I was in Michael's and they have all of their Fall floral at 80% off.  Perfect!

I grabbed a floral garland marked $9.99, so only $2 for me.  However, I hate how sparse those garlands always are, so I went and found two leaf bushes in different sizes.  They were marked $6.99 each, so another $2.80 for me!  At home, I cut apart the leaf bushes, then used floral tape to add the leaves in along the length of the garland.  Voila!  Fall decor for my stair rail for less than $6. 

Quick Update

I didn't get a chance to post earlier today, but I do have a post on the Cutters Creek blog today.  Go check it out for some easy & pretty cards!

Just under the wire - Cricut Circle Blog Weekly Challenge #4

Our requirements this week were a layout, card, or altered item with a birthday theme and buttons, and at least two Cricut Cuts.  My numbers and sentiment are from Celebrations, and the circle from George.  I chose to make a card because, basically, I waited until the absolute last minute to do this challenge.

Gratitude: November Stamp of the Month blog hop

Welcome to November's Stamp of the Month blog hop!  This month we have over 60 consultants partricipating, so there are lots of ideas for you.  If you're here from Doreen Guilfoyle's blog, you're in the right place.  If you're just starting out, you can continue on from here and circle around until you wind up back here again.  When you're done here, you can hop on over to Jody Gustafson's blog to see what she has created.

Our stamp set this month is A Little Thanks, 16 stamps with just the right words for cards and scrapbook layouts for all occasions.  I chose a Fall color palette for my card of Gratitude, using the Olivia paper packet.

I chose to make an assortment of fan-fold rosettes for my card since they are so popular currently.  I even used my corner rounder punch with the guide removed to scalloped the edge of the largest rosette.  For my centers, I used a large brad from my Pear Mini-Medley, a corduroy brad from my Sunset Mini-Medley, and a stamped image in Smoothie ink.  I ran my shaped Smoothie CS panel through an embossing folder, and inked the raised edges with my Smoothie stamp pad.  Finally, I stamped my "Gratitude" image on Colonial White CS using Barn Red ink, cut it out, and popped it up using 3-D Foam Tape.

If you'd like to see the rest of this fabulous stamp set, including how you can get your set at a great discount or even free, just click here!  When you're ready, hop on over to Jody Gustafson's blog and continue checking out the artwork.

Cricut Circle - Weekly Challenge #4

I'm really having fun with these challenges on the Cricut Circle blog, and I'm actually using my cartridges more lately!  This week is the BOO! Challenge - we are to create a Halloween project using a clear element and at least two Cricut cuts.

I absolutely adore the Clear Cards from Close To My Heart, so I chose to start with one of those.  My current thought is to add this entire card to a scrapbook page, adding a photo behind the clear front and then journaling on the purple paper behind the photo.  We'll see if it turns out the way I imagine, lol.  But for now, I have this really cute card:

My cuts are all from the Mini Monsters cartridge.  The alien is on page 51, the large monster is on page 28, and "trick or treat" is on page 77.  All of my papers and the little felt monster are from Close To My Heart.  The googly eyes were purchased at Michael's.

Private Sale

Hello, scrappy friends!  Would you like to get a great deal on some great paper crafting supplies?  I have a special private sale going on now through October 31st.  Per Close To My Heart policy, I am unable to publicly advertise this sale.  However, if you'd like to get in on this, just drop me an email.  I'll be happy to forward the details to you.  Offer ends October 31st!

CREATE: Monthly Cricut Circle Challenge

This month's Circle Challenge is Celebrating Creativity, and any Circle Member who plays along is eligible to win - get this - a Workbox from The Original Scrapbox!  I hope the prize for every monthly challenge is this awesome, LOL.  So, here are the rules we had to follow this month:

"The theme for this month’s challenge is all about celebrating the reasons why you love to create! Please create a scrapbook page or home decor project CELEBRATING CREATIVITY. Project must be newly created for this challenge and should include at least 2 cuts to qualify. You must also:

• Use the Shadow Feature
• Use Patterned Paper (purchased, printed, or created with stamps, etc.)
• Use Embellishments to Enhance One of the Cuts (pearls, buttons, gems, glitter, etc.)

This challenge is open to Cricut Circle Members only. Your entry must meet the requirements above in order for your name to be entered into a random drawing for the Original Scrapbox WorkBox. You must submit a project to be entered into the drawing."

I chose to make a home decor piece for my studio, if I can find a blank piece of wall to put it on.  My walls are still builder-neutral, but most items in my room are black, pink, and aqua, ao those are the colors I stick with.  I had a 16x20 canvas leftover from my Canvas Cricut Clock project a while back, so I started with that.  Here is my final result:

Using some blue craft paint (and a drop of green) and some Create-A-Shade Pearl  Paint from Close To My Heart, I painted the entire canvas with a foam brush.  Then I painted around the sides with black craft paint.  Now, I just love the contrast between distress and bling, so I chose papers with a distressed/messy feel, then I added to it by swiping the edges of my cuts with a Desert Sand ink pad.  It doesn't show in the picture, but I also sprayed my "whitish" cuts with some Pearl Glimmer Mist.  I adhered all of my cuts (except the blossoms) to my canvas using my Xyron and a little Tacky Glue in a couple of spots.  The blossoms were manipulated to mimic real tree blossoms and added  using Glue Dots.  After the paper was all adhered, I added my embellishements: rhinestone swirls, single self-adhesive rhinestones and pearls, and a couple of metal flowers. 

I LOVE how this turned out, and I can't wait to find the perfect place for it where it will sparkle and shine in the light, and hopefully help spark my creativity!

Supplies used for this project:

• 16"x20" canvas 
• Create-A-Shade Pearl Paint
• Blue and Green acrylic craft paint
• Paper from my stash (discontinued Close To My Heart)
• Cricut Expression
• Cricut Gypsy
• French Manor cartridge - bird, p.39 (flipped); half-shield, p. 54 (Layer feature, outer cut line only, slid halfway off the virtual mat on the gypsy)
• Gypsy Wanderings (on Gypsy) - branch & blossoms, p. 59
• George and Basic Shapes cartridge - M and Y
• Home Decor cartridge -  "create" (phrase and Shadow)
• Stand and Salute cartridge- "pursuit of happiness", p.71 (regular cut and Shadow feature)
• Rhinestone Flourishes (these are from Michael's Recollections brand, and are currently on clearance with the Halloween items!)
• Glimmer Mist from Tattered Angels in Pearl
• Xyron 1200 adhesive machine
• Clear Sparkles from Close to My Heart
• Opaques Pearl Adhesive Gems from Close To My Heart
• Foundry Flourishes Assortment from Close To My Heart
• Glue Dots
• Alene's Tacky Glue