Cricky Across the 50 Blog Hop

Welcome to the Cricky Across the 50 Blog Hop hosted by K Andrew of Getting Cricky! If you are here from Brenda Haskin of Simply Bren is Having too much fun then you are in the right spot. If you just arrived here and would like to start from the beginning please go to KAndrew's Getting Cricky. For this blog hop,  K Andrew is celebrating her big move across the country with a big road trip, and of course this hop across the 50 states.  She has asked us all to post a little bit about the state we are representing, and then to post our Favorite Craft Project. I am representing the great state of Illinois!

 

When you say Illinois, most people immediately think of Chicago, or maybe even the "Land of Lincoln", but there is so much more to this beautiful (but currently stinkin' cold & snow-covered) agricultural state.   Illinois is generally 2nd in corn production (right behind Iowa, of course), with a single county in Central Illinois (McLean County, where we used to live) producing more than most other states.  There are plenty of places to visit outside of Chicago as well, if you like a little different type of attraction.  There's Bishop Hill, an early Swedish settlement, which I always found interesting, probably because I'm partly Swedish.  Also, there is Dickson Mounds, a major on-site archaeological museum where you can study 12,000 years of life in the Illinois River Valley.  And one of my personal favorites, Starved Rock State Park (photo above).  

According to the legend, a band of Illiniwek, under attack by a band of Potawatomi (allies of the Ottawa), sought refuge atop a 125-foot sandstone butte. The Ottawa and Potawatomi surrounded the bluff and held their ground until the hapless Illiniwek died of starvation- giving rise to the name "Starved Rock."  But the reason most people go is for the hiking trails, canyons, and waterfalls.  Bet you didn't know we had those in Illinois!

Now, on to the project! (Click on the photo to see it larger.)

My favorite project is generally whatever I have just finished, so that's what I've decided to share today.  I just love these pictures of my now not-so-little girls!  When they were little they did EVERYTHING together, so I included journaling to that effect.  I used a sketch pattern from the Magic interactive layout pattern book (it includes directions for various ways to make your layouts really MOVE!)  I used papers from the new Sweetheart paper pack, and added some Gypsy and Baby Pink cardstock to match.  For my main title, I used my Cricut and Gypsy with the included Gypsy Wanderings cartridge.  I cut off a decorative element by hand because I liked it better plain, then I sponged the white CS cut with Baby Pink ink.  My subtitle is some Irresistibles Lots of Dots letter stickers sponged with Black ink.  I added some pink ribbon from my stash, and some groupings of embellishments.  They include White Daisy mini-medley, pink & purple brads, heart shaped brads, and some glitter brads.  One quick tip to note:  this sketch called for a 5x5 main photo, but the quality of my photo just wasn't there (this was from film), so I just cropped my 4x6 photo to 4x5, and filled the remaining area with the embellishments.

Finally, time for some blog candy!

I have some great blog candy for you this weekend!  Items include a Perfect Day Level 1 scrapbook kit, a Miracle limited edition kit (complete with pattern sketches), and a You've Got Flair stamp set (which can go from funky to fancy).  Total retail value is over $50!  The rules to win are simple:

• You must be a follower
• Leave a comment by midnight (Central time) on Sunday, February 13.
• THAT'S IT!  I'll have random.org pick a winner on Monday.

Good luck to all!

Please make sure to leave comments on all of the blogs for a chance to win a ton of different Grand Prizes on Getting Cricky's blog, from these great companies:Scrap N Tote, Scrap N Easel, Cri-Kits, Creative Charms, Memory Miser, Scrappy Chic Cafe, Loralie Designs, My Pink Stamper, Peachy Keen Stamps, Cricut Town, The Scrappin' Table, Piktails, and Pink by Design

Please make sure to visit ALL the blogs, as EVERY single blog will have fabulous giveaways (cricut cartridges, paper packs, copic markers, yourstory bundle, clear stamp sets, and tons more). Each blogger was extremely generous with their own personal giveaways

Next stop on the hop is Angela Urell of Creative Crafting.

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