Back on Track - Creations by AR September Blog Hop

Wow!  Who knew it had been so long since I posted?!  We've been very busy here with Dad out of town for a week, and DD #1 suddenly deciding to join the basketball team.  And we all know what happens when the rest of the family gets busy: Mom gets even busier!  So, today's post should have me back on track (in more ways than one), although I do leave later this morning for Close To My Heart Regional Celebration in St. Louis which will keep me busy for a few days.  (And should also be giving Dad a little payback for a couple of weeks ago!)

So, on to why we're all REALLY here today!  Adela at Creations by AR has created this totally fun Party Train template, and we're sharing our variations with you.  (She also has a Frame It Train Card template to match!)  I have to admit that my first thought for this template was Christmas Train, but since I didn't have "just the right papers", my mind immediately jumped to Circus Train!

So, who else wants to talk their kid into a circus birthday party just so they can make this train? (I do!!)  Can you just see a long line of those little train cars full of bags of treats?!  I'm so in love with this I wish I could have a circus party for myself! Check it out:

I used papers from Imaginisce's Animal Crackers line, and my train engineer is a chipboard Koala Ringmaster.  Since he was self-adhesive, and a bit short, I stuck him to a strip of cardstock that I adhered to the bottom to raise him up a bit. (It's a booster seat, lol!)

I used Versamark ink and the Buttons, Bits, and Bobs stamp set from Close To My Heart to make the designs on the wheels.  Red brads make the centers, then they are adhered with adhesive foam tape.

I added another chipboard sticker to the car, this time a box of popcorn.  Then I popped a bag of popcorn flavored Jelly Belly jelly beans in and tied it closed with coordinating ribbon.  All ready for the circus to come to town! I hope you enjoyed my version of this cute little train.  Be sure to leave a comment by midnight central time on SUNDAY, and you can win your choice of either the party train or 3-D train card template!  Now, be sure to check out all the other designers' projects, and you can have a chance to win on each blog!

Adela Rossol:   http://cbyar.blogspot.com/

Amy Park:   http://tethered2home.com/ 

Julia Aston:  http://www.createwithjulia.blogspot.com

Lisa Somerville:   http://www.lisasomerville.com/

Lori Brown:  YOU ARE HERE!!

Lyn Bernatovich: http://lynspaperpetunia.blogspot.com/

Magdalena Cortez:   http://axesdesigns.blogspot.com/

Patti J. Gilliam: http://www.cherisheachpreciousday.blogspot.com/

Sue Kment:   http://suesstampingstuff.blogspot.com/

Party Favors AND Crafts with the Cricut and Vinyl

These were actually made last March, but I never got around to sharing them.  My daughter wanted a Mermaid party for her birthday, and NO ARIEL!  As luck would have it, the Life Is A Beach cartridge for the Cricut had just come out and I ordered it.  It arrived just in time for the party (I don't know what we would have done if it hadn't shown up!), and here are the fun/easy/cheap party favors/crafts we made.

I picked up the buckets & shovels for cheap at the drugstore, and the vinyl is from a sampler pack of vinyl available at printonit.  All of the party guests made the design on the center bucket; the other two are what my other kids got.  We let the girls pick their hair color, and I cut the hair out on the fly.  With a couple of grown-up helpers, the girls layered the vinyl onto their buckets and added their names.

The best part of the vinyl is that it's easy to lift & move, but holds up great.  We still have these buckets over a year later, and if you know me you know that my kids beat the heck out of their stuff!

Here's a closeup of the mermaid (just click on the photo to enlarge).  We used a fine tip permanent marker to draw over the cuts for the facial features.

As an additional idea, my older daughter decorated her hula girl bucket using a Sharpie marker.  She just drew on the extra details she wanted.  You can go a step further using colored permanent markers instead of just the black that she used.