Just doin' what I LOVE

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T16:59:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone is enjoying their day today!! I have been super busy with making cakes, valentine treats, cupcakes and cake pops!! My newest venture is the cake pops. I have been wanting to make them and today I did! They were super easy and so fun to do! I didn't get all fancy, just chocolate and sprinkles! The kids love them.... And so do I!!
My kids and my husband surprised me this morning with the Kindle Fire, which I am loving!! I am tech challenged so I am learning a little at a time!
Have a wonderful day!!
Hugs, Jeannine

Fall Fabric Banner!!

2011-11-09T10:12:00.000-05:00

Hello there! I have been MIA for a while.....a long while ( I feel like I start every entry that way...lol). Today I want to share a fall banner that I made using fabric. I made this for the cricut circle monthly challenge and it is a gift for my SIL birthday...along with some of her favorite tea!

I cut the acorn template from the B is for Boys cartridge and then just cut the acorns out of fabric....I was too lazy to do heat n bond. I used some large letter stamps and brown paint to put the letters on before I stuffed them. I stitched along the edge and filled with cotton stuffing (just a small amount) just so it was a little puffy. I cut the leaves out using the same cartridge ( I think...sorry). Then I embossed them with swiss dots using the cuttlebug and inked the edges.

I used the Imagine and B is for Boys cartridge and printed and cut the acorns on shrink plastic, using a regular 1/4 inch punch I punched holes to make it into a button and then using a heat emboss gun I shrunk them. I added the acorn buttons and leaves onto the fabric acorns. I braided some pretty green yarn and using the cropodile I punches holes in the sides of the acorn and strung them on to the yarn.
I am pleased with how this turned out and it was such a fun and simple way to make a banner.
Thanks for checking it out!

Jeannine

Back 2 School Photos!!!

2011-09-08T13:00:00.000-04:00

Hey there!!! I am sure by now all the kiddos are back in school.....mine just started yesterday!
I wanted to share some of their pictures...it has become a tradition on my blog to post their first day of school pics!!!!
My son is in the 5th grade and he just started in the Intermediate School...with grades 5, 6, 7 & 8....kind of scary I think. I can't believe the day has come for middle school...I remember just dropping him off at pre school and he was crying...so was I!!! Lol!
My daughter is in 2nd grade and is in the Elementary School....no more big brother with her...boo hoo!!!

The hardest thing to adjust to is getting up early and a new schedule.....with my son in middle school he has to be in school by 7:30 and my daughter doesn't go until 8:30. Then my son gets picked up at 2:45 and my daughter at 3:25..... we are not morning people so that is a HUGE adjustment for us!!!!
So here is Christopher:

Here he is inside the school holding his binder that was just purchased in the main office!! he was very nervous...can you tell??

Here is Samantha outside of the Elementary School in her snazzy school girl outfit!!!

So, the kids are glad to be back in school....my DH and I are a little lost without them home all day, but I have been busy cleaning and trying to get some scrapping done!!!
Hope you have a fantastic day!

Cousins Layout

2011-09-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

Good morning! I have had phone and internet problems forever now and I can't take it anymore....I can never get on the computer when I need to. So here is another layout that I whipped up recently! I love this picture so much. My kiddos are # 2and 3 and then there are my triplet nieces and nephew and my niece Ava...their baby sister! Isn't it sweet????

So I created it using a sketch from page maps...gotta love a good sketch. I used a paper pad from Me &My Big Ideas...it is the Activity Pad and it has papers, projects, letter die cuts and other die cuts...it is such a fun set for kids crafts.

So I kept this one simple and can you believe there is no CRICUT on here...gotta be a first..lol! Honestly, I took the picture off my fridge and told myself to pick a sketch and just get the pic on paper, so that is just what I did! Lol!!
Well, I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday weekend! We are finally having our summer yard sale...a little late, but better than nothing! So wish me luck...my daughter is hoping we can earn enough money for a big trampoline for the fall, so we will see!!!!!

I'm Back!

2011-08-29T22:38:00.000-04:00

Hello friends!! Just wanted to let you all know that I am still around! My Gram is doing better and we don't need to be her 24/7 right now and with the kids starting school in a week, we needed to get home and get things in order! I am so glad to be back for now and maybe when the kids get back to school I will have more time to craft!

I was eager to participate in a cricut challenge after being gone for so long. Here it is. I chose to do a school layout because 'tis the season....lol!!! The challenge is an ABC 123 challenge....we had to use a bright pop of color and 1,2 and 3 of something (each different) so I chose the orange tab as my pop of color, 1 button, 2 photos and 3 stars!

Cricut: Preserves: apple, Plantin Schoolbook: large scallop border, Lacy Labels: scallop circle

This was a meaningful layout for me because it is their school pictures of their last year in the same school....my son will be going to fifth grade this year in the Intermediate school. I really can't believe it. I don't know where the time goes!

So there you have it....my first layout all summer! Hope you like it! I have another layout for tomorrow hopefully and then I am not sure what will be coming....lol!

Thanks girls for your concern and your comments, I really do appreciate it!

Hugs~~ Jeannine

A mini break from scrapping!

2011-07-10T23:51:00.000-04:00

Hi there!
I have been away from the computer for a bit while I help to take care of my sick Grandmother! I had started some projects but never got to finish them, so hopefuuly I will be able to finish them up soon and post them! I haven't been scrapping for a couple weeks and I miss it terribly, but I am happy to be spending so much time with my family and my Grandmother.
While I stay with my Gram I have been reading quite a bit and now I am working on crocheting a baby blankie for my niece who is due to arrive in October. I work on it a little at a time while Gram is napping....lol!!! I will post pics when it is all done!
I miss you all so much and will be back on soon!
~Jeannine

CONGRATS banner!

2011-06-24T16:19:00.001-04:00

Hi all, well it has been super busy here. My kiddos are finally done with school and my son graduated 'moved up' to the middle school for 5th grade....seriously I can't believe I have a 5th grader!!!
We had a family graduation party for him and my parents and my DH and I bought him a blow up water slide...so fun! My DD got an end of the school year gift, too, we couldn't leave her out, she finally got a snow cone maker and it works like a dream!!!

So here is the banner that I made my son

I used my Gypsy and cricut E2. I used Cricut Alphabet for the 'you did it' with shadow and the letters on the banner. I used Locker Talk for the award shaped and Everyday Pop Up Cards for the graduation caps.

I ruffled some white crepe paper around the circle and glittered the edges in black glitter. I used primary colors for him as it was an elementary school graduation.

Here is my handsome little 4th grader.....

Not the best pic of my son....but we interupted his fun on the water slide so that we could have cake!!! Lol!

We are so proud of the kids and stunned that the school year is over already! Now, we look foward to a wonderful and playful summer!!

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

~Jeannine

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T12:47:00.000-04:00

Happy Dad's day to all the Daddy's out there!!

I just wanted to jump on real quick before we go out to play on our new water slide and share this adorable project that the kids and I made for their Daddy!
A while ago my good friend Liz sent my kids this Dad clock from Kaiser Craft (thanks Liz) and I thought it would be perfect for the kids to alter for their Daddy! We used the new Imaginisce line Happy Camper and we think it is adorable! Daddy hasn't opened any of his gifts yet because he is working, but we are sure he will just love it!

Here is a peek at the matching gift bag that we made using a kraft bag and Camping Critters papers and just added some green curling ribbon!

Supplies used:
naked DAD clock: Kaiser Craft
Papers: Imaginisce; Happy Camper collection: Gone Fishing, Fireside Fun, Thermal Jammies, Don't Feed The Bears
Stickers: Imaginisce Happy Camper canvas stickers, Imaginisce Roughing It stickers
Die Cuts: Imaginisce camp critter
Other: ink, twine

I have to say that the Imaginisce Happy Camper collection is absolutely adorable....I have made numerous projects with it already and I love the patterns...not to mention the names of the papers!!! I also love the naked clock, decorating it was super easy and the kids had fun inking the cuts and adding stickers...thanks so much Liz! I will be looking for more of these in the future...super quick and easy!

I hope you all have a great day with your families!!!
~Jeannine

Thank You Imaginisce!!!!

2011-06-13T11:12:00.001-04:00

Last month I won a set of the new Roly Rosie/ Posie flowers from the Imaginisce blog! I was super excited to receive them, but not only did I get all the new flowers I also got a bunch of other flower packages!!! So, thank you Imaginisce!!!!! The first thing I did with the new Roly Rosies is make my DD a headband! Here is the big box of goodies that Imaginisce sent me:

I found the zebra stripe headband at Target for $1 and added some pink and text fabric flowers! These are so much fun to make! I added a little white bow and used my i rock to add some bling!

I had a ton of fun making these flowers and I can't wait to make some more!

Well, it doesn't end there......................................

I recently won the new Happy Camper line from Imaginisce on the Cricut Circle blog! I was thrilled because my DH is taking my son camping this summer and we do a bunch of outdoor activities in the summer! This is just such a cute line, love the papers...some are embossed and glossy....love the cute stamps and all of the diecuts and stickers!

Here is the whole Happy Camper set that Imaginisce kindly sent me:

Here is the Father's Day card that I made for my Dad with the set: I used a sketch from Sassy Lil' Card Sketches!

Supplies used for card:

Imaginisce Happy Camper

Fresh Air - reverse side
Tree Hugger - wood circles
Fireside Fun - strip of canoes
Roughing it Sticker Stackers (gone fishing)

twine

Amazing Dad stamp by Studio g

Thank you Imaginisce for not only sending me such wonderful goodies, but for making such fun prodects and having a blog with an amazing Design Team that constantly creates amazing projects!!!

Ok I am off to make some more fun projects with my new goodies!

Have a great day!

~Jeannine

Thinking of you!

2011-06-10T15:58:00.000-04:00

Good afternoon! It is a very hot day here today and it has been hectic....my kids needed new shorts again...I just bought some last month...talk about a growth spurt!!!! My DH took me shopping, we had lunch, got a call from the school nurse that son had an ear infection....went to Dr. and no ear infection. Then we went strawberry picking, picked up cookies for son's school dance tonight, got son's haircut and I am getting ready to go to M's to teach a glitter class tonight!!!

So, with all that said....I want to share a card that I made...originally it was for a sketch challenge, but with being so busy I never made the deadline. Oh well, maybe next time!
Here is the card:

I had so much fun putting this card together....after the card base was cut I added glitter using a fine tip glue to the edge and MS glitter. I couldn't find any ribbon to match to make the bow, so I made a paper bow. I think it came out so cute and is a great touch to the card. The sentiment is a bit hard to see because the paper is light, but it says 'thinking of you'.

Paper: KandCo. Hopscotch
glitter: Martha Stewart
Cricut cartridges: Birthday Bash (card base) and Lacy Labels ( oval and sentiment)
Gypsy: resized images

Thanks for stopping by my blog, I promise to have some more projects coming soon. My son is graduating (moving up from 4th grade) and I made a banner and some goodies for the party that I will post soon!

Have a wonderful day and stay cool!!
~Jeannine

Memorial Day!

2011-05-27T14:05:00.001-04:00

Happy Memorial Day weekend! My kids are off today and Monday so we have a few days of fun! We will be going to the beach...weather permitting!!! Fingers crossed!
Here is a quick card that I made for the family!
I used Just Because Cards cartridge for the scalloped card base and welded two together to make the base and the front of the card. I used Independance Day cartridge for the circle with the cut out stars and stripes and placed some blue paper behind it to pop the colors! I also used Independance Day to cut the title Memorial Day! I added some twine and a charm that I have had in my stash from the $1 bin at Target! I kept it super simple and kind of rustic looking!

I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!
Edited to add: I entered this card in a Memorial Day contest on this blog

http://scrapalicioususa.blogspot.com/

Cute Country Girl!!

2011-05-24T17:05:00.000-04:00

I have finally made another layout....it has been too long...lol!! I have been making cards alot lately, so it was nice to do a layout. This was made for the cricut circle blog challenge...we followed a sketch and this is what I came up with!

I have had the pictures and the title laying on my desk for a while and when I saw the sketch, I knew it was time to scrap them! The scallop background was cut from the Elegant Edges cartridge which I absolutely love!! I made the denim flower on the layout with a strip of my DH's jeans....I frayed the edges by pulling the threads out and then gathered the inner side with thread to form the flower. The brad is an i top using the same background paper. You will notice the hair clips in my DD's hair...the same denim flower!
The title was cut from Country Life cartridge and the boots I made myself....before I owned the Old West Cartridge, but I thought they turned out so cute that I chose to use them. I used Paisley and cut the rain boots and then welded a rectangle to the top to form the boot loop. I embossed them and inked them!
The butterfly border was cut using the Elegant Edges and I welded two borders together and stretched them on my Gypsy....I used pop dots to raise the top layer from the bottom layer.
I think that about does it.....oh, I also added some stitching to the layout around the border just for more texture!
Ok, well, I am off to make some dinner....have a great night!!
~Jeannine

Launch of the new Cricut Blog!!!!

2011-05-18T20:50:00.004-04:00

If you love the cricut world as much as I do then you will be thrilled to know that they just launched a new blog. Make sure you go check it out HERE to become a follower and leave a comment for your chance to win an awesome prize..... $100 store credit to cricut.com!!! I am so excited for this blog as I know it will be a great source of inspiration and the latest news!

The Official Cricut Blog sponsored by the Cricut Circle will feature the following:

- Inspirational projects using your favorite Cricut machines. The Imagine, Expression, Cricut Cake, Cuttlebug, Yudu and more
- Hello Thursday Cartridge announcements.
- Educational videos and tutorials directly from Provo Craft.
- Occasional sneak peeks into the exclusive Cricut Circle Community.
- Access to the latest Cricut.com deals.- And much, much more!

Sparkly Birdie Card!

2011-05-13T15:52:00.003-04:00

Good Afternoon!
Well, my post got a little mixed up while blogger was down, so I am starting from scratch!!
Here is a pretty card that I made for the cricut circle blog challenge. We had to play tic tac toe and get three in a row! The three in a row that I chose are...use ric rac (check), use a ruffle (check) and use a cut of a bird (check)! I also added a few more tic tac toe boxes as well....I used the Gypsy and welded an image ( the circle card) and I also used a button on my card!

I absolutely love how this card turned out and I had fun playing with MS glitters again! I just love her glitter and glues!
Supplies:
Gypsy: welded circle
Cricut expression 2 (E2)
Just A Note Cartridge: bird image cut at 2.5" and flipped
Lacy Labels Cartridge: fancy circles
Plantin Schoolbook cartridge: circles welded to form card
crepe paper for ruffle border
Martha Stewart glitter and glue
foam dots
ribbon
ric rac
button
twine
*honestly, I am not sure what paper line I used, sorry* It is from my scraps

School Posters!

2011-05-11T21:08:00.000-04:00

Good morning!
I wanted to share these posters that I made for my sons school! I almost forgot to take pictures of it and snapped these quick before we jumped in the car to go to school!!
We are doing a 4th grade moving up ceremony in June and we have been doing fundraisers to help earn money for the big party day! We did a plant sale for Mother's Day that went really well and now we are doing raffle baskets, kind of like a chinese auction. We had parents donate items and we put together baskets! So, I made these signs to hang in the school and I love how they turned out!
I used the Cricut American Alphabet between 1.75 and 2.5 inches for the letters and used alternating pattern paper and colorful cardstock. I added some tickets with the information as well.
I sure hope these colorful posters will be a help to our fundraiser!

Oh Baby!!

2011-05-11T07:00:00.000-04:00

Good morning everyone!!!

I had such a lazy day yesterday and really didn't get much done. All of the running around really caught up to me!

So, I made this quick card using the Just A Note cartridge that is built into the new E2....I love the tri fold cards on that cartridge!

I used the fit to page and cosmo cricket papers!

These cards are just super quick and easy! I think this card turned out cute! Thanks for looking and enjoy your day!!

~Jeannine

With Sympathy Card!

2011-05-09T21:07:00.004-04:00

Good evening!
Yet another post today from me!!! I found out today that my Uncle lost his father yesterday so I made up this card to send to him and his family! I used the Cricut American Alphabet cartridge that came built into the E2 and cut this beautiful tree. It is cut at 4" using the shift key and then again in brown using the blackout key. I added pop dots to add dimension. The tag is from Cricut Essentials and cut at 1.5 inches (I think) lol and tied to the tree with twine. I hand wrote the sentiment....oh the papers are all Cosmo Cricket! I also cut a brown tree a bit smaller to use on the envelope!

I am going to enter this card into the My Pink Stamper NSD challenges....that is only two challenges done for me, but that is better than none!!!!!

Have a great night and good luck if you were able to enter some of Robyn's challenges!!!

My Scrap Space!

2011-05-09T11:43:00.004-04:00

Well, a portion of it anyway. My scrap space is downstairs and it is not finished, but I have lots of space and storage! I have been crafting at the kitchen table lately only because the kids have so much going on so I feel like if I can just get a little something done in between doing a million other things than I am good!

So, I took this pic late last night and I was so tired, but I wanted to enter the pic into the contest on the cricut circle blog, so I dragged my DH down to snap it!

Behind me is my shelf with my cartridges! I still have some cleaning up to do and more organizing, but it is good for now, it functions!

A Happy Mother's Day!!!

2011-05-09T11:23:00.005-04:00

A belated Happy Mother's Day to all the women out there!! I hope you all had a fabulous day!

I was super busy with the family yesterday, so I didn't get a chance to post! The kids gave me all of their beautiful projects that they made in school and it just melted my heart, they also got me a MD balloon (I think my DD wanted it for her...lol)! I took the kids to Church while DH was at work and it was a beautiful Mass...some kids were making there First Holy Communion and my DD was so excited to see all the girls, she will be making hers next year! Then we went to the beach and a BBQ!

Here is the flower pot card that I made for my mother, she is a pinky tropical girl so those are the colors that I chose! You can find the directions HERE for the adorable flower pot! I cut the flowers from Paisley and used the directions from Capadia Designs blog. I am not quite sure what sizes I cut them, but I think the largest is 2" and the smallest was 3/4 ". They make a cute dimensional flower! I added some jewels to jazz it up or as my DD would say, "to add some PPIIIIZZZAAAAZZZZZZ!!!" I tied it up with a tulle bow and stamped the sentiment inside using a pink ink pad! I am entering this card into Robyn's National Scrapbook Day challenge....we have until midnight tonight to enter, go check it out HERE!!!!

Here are some pictures of the kids at the beach...when we got there it was super sunny and hot, then the couds hid the sun and it got chilly!!!

This is a picture of my kids with my two nieces in the middle, they had so much fun playing together!!!

Happy National Scrapbook Day!!!

2011-05-07T22:41:00.004-04:00

Hello friends!
Today is National Scrapbook Day! There are fun challenges going on all over the internet! I hope some of you all got to play along a bit!
I had a super busy day with the kids and family....we were going and going and going for over 12 hours! We got home exhausted and just wanted to jump on to wish you all a happy NSD! I wish I had time to participate today! If you still want to do some NSD challenges and a chance to win some fun prizes then go check out one of my favorite sites.........My Pink Stamper, Robyn has some great stuff going on and the challenges are open until Monday night....so there is still time to play along! I hope to maybe get my NSD done on Monday when the kiddos are in school! I need to play with my E2 and get some challenges done!
Well, I hope you all had a great day today and a Happy Mother's Day tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gift Card Holders!

2011-05-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

Good morning! Yay it's finally Friday!!!
I have made a few gift card holders for the weekly cricut circle challenge that I would like to share!
I decided to get a jump start on my end of the year teachers gifts, so I made these! The holder was cut in kraft cardstock on the gypsy using the Cindy Loo cartridge. The gingham pp was printed using the Imagine and Imagine More Cards cartridge. The apples were cut using Doodlecharms cartridge and cutting it twice, inked the edges in brown ink and used faom dimensionals. The small apple was made using the gypsy...same apple only smaller and I used the hide contour feature to hide the cut outs. The leaves are from the Give A Hoot cartridge and I added some twine! The stamp is a snag 'em stamp from Imaginisce! These came together so fast and easy!

The second gift card holder I made is for my son....he is having a moving up ceremony (aka graduation) so I will add a gift card to a game store! I cut the gift card using blue cardstock. The graduation cap is from the Everyday Pop Up Cards cartridge and the diploma was cut using the A Childs Year cartridge! The sentiment is computer generated and scored to add dimension to the GRAD!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I will hopefully have a Mother's Day card to share with you all tomorrow!

A few quickies with me new Cricut Expression II

2011-05-03T21:22:00.003-04:00

Hi there! It is a bit late here, but wanted to share these quick cards that I made today using my new Cricut 5th Anniversary Edition Expression II !!
I LOVE the new E2 so far, but only got to explore for a bit...my favorite thing about it is the 4 cartridges that are built right into the machine!
This card is from the Just A Note cartridge and is a tri fold card....I used fit to page and it cut it out perfectly...about an A2 size I guess and it has the card layers also!

These 2 cards were made using the Cricut Decals and OMGosh it is SOOOOOOO adorable!

I cut this little baseball girl at 3.75" in white and used a pink shadow...to cute with her pony tails!!

And here is the little baseball boy with the spiky hair just like my sons!!! I made them each a quick little card to wish them luck this week with their games!!! I plan on making them with vinyl for my car this week!!!

So there you have 3 quickies using the built in cartridges of the new E2!!! I had so much fun playing with it today and hope to find a bit more time to navigate through the machine again!!!

Have a wonderful night!

~Jeannine

Only 3 hours to go here.....

2011-04-25T21:00:00.000-04:00

for the launch of the BRAND SPANKIN NEW E2 to air on HSN!!!!!
I am excited to see the launch...hope I can stay up for it! I am still not sure if I am going to get it or not....My DH said I could get it, but I already have the baby bug, the E, the I, and the cake....I mean really how many machines can one girl have????? I really am on the fence! I want it because it is new and upgraded, love that you can change out the colors and has Imagine capabilities, just really not sure!

So, there was a contest this month to win the new E2! We had to make a birthday layout and send it into PC to be judged...no pressure there!!!!! LOL!!! So, I made two layouts and sent them in!

Here is the first one that I made...I really stepped out of the box on this one and I played with my new MS glitter set, I love how it turned out!

Cartridges Used:

Cindy Loo: scroll background and flourishes
Paisley: flowers
Doodlecharms: envelope
MS All occasions cake art: butterflies
All cuts made with my Gypsy and Cricut Expression

Supplies:
MM Sabrina papers, pink cardstock, Birthday wishes stamp; Marcella by K, MS glitter and glue, brads, rhinestones, tulle.

Here is my second layout: Baby's First Birthday:

This was all designed on my Gypsy and cut with the Expression! I think this was outside my box also....I don't usually make layouts without pictures and for a baby layout, I would normally use baby pastel colors, so this was different for me. I just love the blue, brown and orange combo!!!

Cartridges Used:
A Childs Year: baby in highchair
Birthday Bash: b-a-b-y-s letters
Don Juan: B-i-r-t-h-d-a-y letters
Storybook: scallop frame
MS All Occasion Cake Art: banner and f-i-r-s-t letters

Supplies: Assorted cardstock, pp, twine and brads

So good luck to all of the entrants and a big thank you to PC for sponsoring the contest! Can't wait to see all of the winners layouts and the launch of the new E2!!!!
Only 3 hours to go.....................................................

Easter goodies!

2011-04-25T09:52:00.006-04:00

Good morning! I hope you all had a very happy Easter!!!

We went to my parents yesterday afternoon for a ham dinner....but there was a little mishap! Mom has a new oven and she thought she turned the oven on and two hours later to take it out....the oven was ice cold...she never pushed start, so the oven was never on! My Dad just wanted to go out to eat, but we thought since the food was already there, we would just wait and have the ham! My DH and I took the kids to the beach for a while to play and they had so much fun!

Here are my two kiddos posing with their baskets before they really ripped into them! (Isn't that mean???? But they know the drill! Pictures first, then have fun....LOL)

Here is my beautiful daughter at my parents house posing in her new Easter outfit!!

Here is my son and I in their backyard before we changed into our play clothes to play some basketball and go to the beach before dinner!!!

This is the cake that my kids and I made! We had all good intentions to break out the cricut cake machine, but then we just had a vision and this is what we came up with. The bunnies on top are chocolate pops just stuck into the top of the cake!

Check out the 3 layers....isn't that cool, that is the first time that we did 3 layers with different colors!
Here are some quick cards that I made for the kids.....this one is for my son...everytime his hair grows out I call him my furry baby chick! I used Simply Charmed for this but elongated it on the Gypsy to make it look like an egg shape!

This is the card I made for my daughter...I used Doodlecharms for the bunny and basket and MS all occasion cake art for the grass! I did some criss cross embossing to make it look like a basket!These are milk cartons that I made for my husbands squad at work! I had SO MUCH fun making these! I got the directions HERE at splitcoaststampers.com....a great source of inspiration! I used PP from Echo park and cut the scallops using Lacy Labels and the bunny is from MS seasonal cake art!I filled them with malted milk eggs and wrapped them in little cello bags with a cute tag from Once Upon a Princess! What a cute little treat idea!!!So, that is all for now! We had such a great time preparing Easter treats for family and friends and we had a wonderful Easter! I hope you all did too!!!!

In Bloom Flower Pot Card!!

2011-04-21T12:40:00.002-04:00

Good morning friends!!
I had some sick kiddos home this week with strep throat and it was the first time that either of them had it! They were both just miserable! So, we did a lot of scrapping together and crafting and painting!!!

I needed something fresh to create, so I jumped over to splitcoaststampers.com for some much needed inspiration! There, I found directions for this adorable flower pot card with a tag that pulls out! I made the flowers using Echo Park Little Girl collection papers and the April Showers cricut cartridge! I also entered this into the cricut circle weekly challenge, where we had to create some flowers using our cricut!

I love how this card turned out and it was super simple! The border on the lip of the pot is the starburst MS punch from HSN! I think I will make a bunch of these for Mother's Day cards and to have some on hand maybe for the teachers or just a thank you! If you would like to try your hand at these adorable flower pot cards jump on over HERE to find out how to make them!!!

Have a wonderful Spring day!!

~Jeannine

Easter Goody Bags

2011-04-14T21:42:00.003-04:00

Wow...where did the day go today, I can't believe it is already 9:48 at night! Anyway, just wanted to share the cute little treat bags that we made for the kids classes! We filled some clear plastic lollipop bags and made simple little toppers....now I wish I had some cute stamps, but I didn't and I didn't like my handwriting on them, so the kids just put their names on the back so kids would know who they are from.

We used MS fringe scissors for the grass and Doodlecharms (an oldie but goodie) for the eggs cut at 4 inches. I was able to make over 40 eggs on one sheet of pp, so it worked out well!

Here is my daughter...the good little model that she is, showing off her goodies!

Here is Sammi showing off her best bunny face...she is the best model, but she has a silly side and that is when her personality shines through....I love it!!!!And I just had to share this cute pic of her as well as we were running back inside....she was like "really????"So there you have it....we had to make 40 goody bags between the 2 kids classes...now, I say we, because we all helped out, the kids had to write on the backs and I had my DH cutting all of the grass! I love when everyone chips in and there is less work for Mommy!!!!!!!

Sweet t-shirt using the Imagine!!

2011-04-14T10:28:00.003-04:00

Good morning! Things have been a bit hectic here with all the kids activities and trying to do some Spring cleaning....no fun!!

So here is a shirt that I made for my daughter a couple of days ago. I bought the long sleeve shirt at Walmart for like $3 and I used the Imagine and Yummy cartridge for all of the images and some inkjet t shirt iron on paper and the i rock for some bling! The whole shirt from start to finish took me about an hour and a half....not too bad!

The sweet image was cut at 2 inches and the lollipops were cut at 4 inches! This was super easy to do and she just loves her Sweet shirt!!

I have to add that the Avery light fabric transfer that I used washed very well with no peeling or color fade, I am so pleased with it!

Here is my little Sammi acting like herself....doing bunny ears for the camera!

Well, that is all for right now, I have so many projects in the air and hope to get them finished! I have cleaned so many toys and have donated a ton, so things are coming along. I have to go finish stuffing 39 goody bags for Easter for the kids to take to school tomorrow before they are off for Spring Break! If I get them finished before it turns dark...lol, I will snap a quick pic!!

What I Want To Be When I Grow Up...School Project!

2011-04-10T16:50:00.000-04:00

Hi there! I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! We had a wonderful family BBQ again yesterday and I made some yummy salads and a cake! Today we have a birthday party to go to and then a relaxing evening! I just wanted to share this adorable project that my 7 year old daughter and I made together for school. It was a family project (meaning we could help)....about what you want to be when you grow up. My daughter has been talking about being a fashion designer for a long time. She loves to dress up and look pretty....unlike her Mommy who loves her jeans and t and no makeup!!!!! She has a lot of mini dressforms with fabric and she has sketch books full of fashion. She is just so passionate about being a designer. So we chose to do a book and we did the research together on the internet and then she wrote down the answers to the questions and we used the cricut and her own designs and drawings as well! I laminated the pages and used the Bind-It-All to bind the book and added some ribbon. My daughter added the gems to the laminated pages (because they can't go through) and she dressed it up! She worked so hard on this project and she did a faulous job!!

I used many different cricut cartridges and my gypsy to add some touches to her book! As you can see, she even made use of the negative and dressed it up a bit! I think this is just a wonderful book that she will have forever....be on the lookout for my little girls very own fashion label one day!!!! Designs by Sammi...I can just see it now!!

Have a wonderful day today!!!

~Jeannine

P.S. Sorry for the terrible pictures...I snapped these pictures the second that we were walking out the door...I had almost forgot to take some pics!

Let's Play Ball!

2011-04-07T10:40:00.004-04:00

Good morning! Here is a layout that I finished up yesterday for the cricut circle weekly challenge! We had to create a sketch and make a layout with it! I knew I wanted to use these adorable pics of my son from his first time playing t ball in pre k (he is now in Minor League and in 4th grade) so I started with that and then made my sketch....the good old fashion way...pencil and a ruler!! Lol! Here is my sketch............ Here is my layout.......... I couldn't find any nice pp to go with this layout, so I just stuck to some plain old cardstock! I used Sprots Mania for the baseball and the title and the grass is from MS seasonal cake cartridge. I think it came out cute, but the pic is terrible..it is yet another dark rainy day here! Sports Mania: baseball 71/4 " with shadow feature, title is stretched on gypsy MS seasonal cake: grass (stretched out on Gypsy) So there you have it! I have to go to school and volunteer to sew again today and then I HAVE to get my housework done....I have neglected it all week so that I could play. My kiddos have off tomorrow for parent/ teacher conferences, so tonight is like our Friday night. We are watching our little 2 year old niece tomorrow, so the house has to be all cleaned up so that I can just play with her. That's all for now, have a wonderful day!!!

Rain Rain Go Away.....

2011-04-05T17:16:00.014-04:00

It is an aweful rainy, dark, windy and chilly day here in New York! I received a package from Fed Ex this afternoon with all of my cricut plushies and new cartridges.....so instead of doing housework, I got to play! I mean I really had to play, I couldn't just look at them! So, with the April Showers cartridge I created this card...............

Paper: Sei Chick-a-dee collection "tiny bubbles"

umbrella: 3"
rain boots: 2"
cloud (for puddle): 2.5"
squirrel: 2.25 "
worm: 1.75 "
sentiment: 1.75"
other: foam dots, brown ink, glossy accents, white gel pen
I added glossy accents to some of the dots on the paper to look like rain and around the cloud that I used for the puddle to add some shine for a water effect! I also added some white dots just for fun!! I love how quick this card was for me....a half hour from start to finish!

I think I will enter this into the FCCB challenge this week....the challenge is to use an umbrella, so I think this fits the bill!

In the box were also our cricut friends....I got a big one for me and two little fellows for my kiddos. Here is my daughter holding all three cricut friends....she already had a barrette in her cricut's hair and I overheard her talking to it...too cute!!!! That's all for tonight! Have a good one! ~Jeannine

Up Up and Away!

2011-04-05T06:30:00.001-04:00

Good morning! Here is a card that I made yesterday using the Everyday Pop Up Cards cricut cartridge! I couldn't post it yesterday because my son had his first baseball practice and we had to get homework done. So.......here is the card! I made this for my SIL and BIL's anniversary.....they got engaged in a hot air balloon, so that always seems to be their anniversary theme! I thought that the card came together great...however, sizing could be a challenge. I cut the card that was on the same page as the hot air balloon at 7 inches ( the finished card measures 5.5 x 7 inches). The balloon on the front of the card was cut at 4 inches and the actual pop up balloon inside was cut at 7 inches. The clouds were cut from the same page at 5.5 and 6 inches only using the first cloud. The paper is from My Minds Eye Love Me Do collection. I inked all the edges in brown and added pop dots to the balloon on the front of the card. I also used a MS punch for the strip on the front and the inside of the card, the sentiment is a rub on!

There are tiny marks on the cuts to tell you where to fold and on the image in the handbook there are markings to tell you where to fold to make sure that the image will fold flat when the card is closed.

Here is a birds eye view to see where I placed the tabs on the inside and you can see where it is scored to make sure that it lays flat when closed.

I hope that they like this card as much as I enjoyed making it. My DH and I are going to watch our niece so that they can go to a nice lunch together while their big kids are in school. I am going to put some cash in the card to help with lunch. I can't wait to spend the day with my niece on Friday!!

I hope to make a short video soon on how to assemble these cards, so be on the look out!! If you didn't see my cute little bunny purses yet, scroll down and take a peek, they are adorable!

Adorable Bunny Purses!!!

2011-04-04T09:10:00.004-04:00

Good morning and Happy Monday! I can't believe it is the beginning of another week. This weekend flew by. I had my Mother and my niece sleepover, we had an ice cream party, a family BBQ and I had to work yesterday! I am glad to be home to start some new projects!

I have to share these adorable bunny pocketbooks with you all....I couldn't imagine them turning out any cuter! I think they are adorable....if I do say so myself!!

I found the directions for this purse here. I used the knifty knitter and followed the directions. It was very simple and only took me a few hours to make one and a few minutes to dress it up!

I made four purses so far for Easter...I will fill them with yummy treats. I made one for my 7 year old daughter, my 6 year old niece and my two nieces that are 2 years old!!

This is the first one that I made for my 2 year old niece...I followed the directions, however, I made the strap much smaller so that it is easy for little ones to hold! I kept this one simple and used hot glue for the eyes and the pom-poms.

This is the one that I made for my 6 year old niece....well, it started out to be for my daughter, but she didn't want the fur...I was a bit disappointed because I love it so much! I made this one with fun fur according to the directions and I added some pipe cleaner whiskers and some hair (or ear) bows and a little pink stickles for the pink cheeks!This is my daughter's purse....she wanted a longer strap so that she could wear it as a saddle bag! She did not want the fur and she picked the google eyes with the pink eyelashes, so I added some hot pink tulle to the bow!I think they all turned out adorable and I can't wait to fill them for Easter....my daughter is using hers now for the Easter Season!!!

I hope you all have a fabulous week!

A home filled with LOVE!!!

2011-03-31T20:56:00.004-04:00

Hello friends! I know this is a late post, but I just finished it up! I have been working on this for days and then today when I was going to finish it up, I found out that I was a victim of identity theft....someone used my d/c at a walmart in SC and my account was frozen. To say that I am upset is an understatement! So, I finally finished it up and here it is................

I made this for the cricut circle weekly challenge...we had to create a layout about an everyday topic. I chose to focus on my kids and their pets (no Sammi is not choking the cat...she just wanted him to look at the camera...lol).

Everything was designed on my gypsy.... the house was cut using My Community cartridge, the letters w/ shadow using Birthday Bash cartridge, the hearts using Plantin Schoolbook and the grass using Sports Mania! I used Echo Park 'Life is Good' paper line and some of the letters and flowers. I stitched around the layout and the photo mat with pink and the house in white.

I had fun putting it all together and it felt good to do another layout....lately I have been making cards, so this was great to get back into the groove. I, also, love a good challenge!!

Pucker Up!

2011-03-28T13:06:00.003-04:00

Good afternoon!

Just poppin' in to share this quick card that I made! When I saw this lemon face on the Simply Charmed cricut cartridge I knew that I had to use it with the new Berrylicious papers from Imaginisce.

I added some diamond glaze and glitter to the lemon to sweeten it up and I pleated a strip of paper just to add some dimension!

Have a wonderful Monday!!

Supplies used:
Simply Charmed cricut cartridge: lemon cut at 3"
Paper: Imaginisce; cherry lemonade (berrylicious) and come one!come all! (animal crackers) I also used the green cardstock packaging from the pack of stickers.
Miscellanious: diamond glaze, MS chunky glitter, pop dots, atg, pre cut card, fiskars border punch, Imaginisce berrylicious die cut and canvas sticker.

Celebrate with Birthday Bash!

2011-03-26T18:35:00.003-04:00

Hi there! Today was a chilly Saturday here, but we had fun riding bikes outside and playing on the swing set! We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our nieces and my brother and SIL!!! They are moving back from NC and we haven't seen them in months. My kids have been asking all day "are they here yet?" "are they here yet?", they are super excited!!

So here is a birthday card that I made for the FCCB to help celebrate their first birthday! I recently came across this blog and have loved all of the inspiration and the challenges!

I used the Birthday Bash papers from Imaginisce and the Birthday Bash cricut cartridge!

I made an easel card (which I just love making) and sized it to be a vertical 4x6 card. The directions to make an easel card can be found here. I added some diamond glaze to his nose, eyes, buttons and juggling balls!

Spring Is In The Air!

2011-03-22T10:46:00.003-04:00

Good morning! It is definately a beautiful Spring day here today, the sun is shining bright! Here are two cards that I made yesterday using the Imagine and the Imagine More cartridge. I printed the Images the way that they were and I love how they coordinate so nicely! I am still learning about the Imagine and how to really pull everything together!

For this card, I cut the frame, kite corners and the little chick. The chick printed with a rooster, but I just wanted the little chick, so I cut the rooster out...lol! The words are computer generated and cut up and then I lightly inked the edges! I also used pop dots and popped up the photo corners and the chick!

ImagineMore Cartridge:
frame (pg. 23) 4.5 "
corners (pg. 23) 4"
rooster/duck icons (pg. 33) 3.2"
kite icon (pg. 33) 3.5"

For this card everything was printed and cut using the Imagine and Imagine More cartridge. I used some pop dots and tulle and the card was done in about 5 minutes!

Imagine More Cartridge:
card base {bonus (pg. 29)} 8.8"
music sheet (pg. 18) 6" {I deleted the rest of the extra images on that cut}
music notes (pg. 9) 5.1"
piano (pg. 9) 5"
phrase (pg. 9) 5.1"

Thanks for stopping by I hope you have a beautiful Spring day!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-16T18:20:00.005-04:00

Good afternoon and Happy St. Patrick's day!

My son volunteered me to help at school with some sewing projects that theyare doing, so I was at school all morning. I was helping the 3rd and 4th graders sew some clothe napkins so they can use them in their lunch boxes and GO GREEN!! I am sad to say that I am not making corned beef and cabbage tonight...not enough time and my DH has to work. I called Mom in hopes that she was making some, but no luck there. Maybe this weekend!

So, here are some tube scarves that I made with the inspiration from Kristen Swain using the knifty knitter circle looms. For these scarves, I used the flower loom and just kept knitting all around in a circle until it was the length that I wanted. I made the flowers using the flower loom as well and added a circle gem and some hair clips from Michaels.

For my scarf, I used a moss green chunky yarn in only a single strand and used a grey for the flower.

Sorry, I never got a pic of my DD's scarf, will have to update that later....ooops!

Here is a treat that I made for the kids! I wish I could claim it as my own, but I found this adorable idea from greenbean on the cricut messageboard and she had found the project here. I used the clouds that are built into the Imagine and cut four of them out and just taped one to one side of the bag and one to the other side just using some atg tape. I cut the pot from Simply Charmed cartridge at 2" and used glue dots to adhere the gold coins! The kids just loved these this morning, what a great idea, so thank you girls!

Here is a cute little card that I made for the Fatnabulous Cricut challenge blog! We had to use green and gold or bright yellow in my case and it had to be square! I used the Spring Holiday Cards cartridge for this and it was done. I added some google eyes and some black dots using a glaze pen just for some added detail!
I hope you all have a wonderful day today and don't forget to wear your green or you just might get pinched!!!

Imaginisce Honey Card!

2011-03-16T14:57:00.003-04:00

I was so inspired by the DT's projects over on the Imaginisce blog when they were showcasing the Berryliscious collection....drool! So, I ordered the Berryliscious collection along with some animal crackers papers, too cute. I couldn't wait to work on some projects using these awesome papers and embellishments!

This card that I created for my husband is for the Imaginisce sketch challenge this month. I kept it very simple and he appreciated it so much! I hand wrote the 'for my honey' and the extra doodles on the bee hive!

For the challenge, we had to incorporate 3 pattern papers (check), 3 colors (check) and 3 embellishments (check).

Supplies: Imaginisce berrylicious sunshine seeds and sweet summer garden paper, green cardstock insert in package (green polka dot paper), brown shoelace, pop dots, atg tape and brown ink.

Shaped Cards....Boy Style!!!

2011-03-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

I just got the Boys Will Be Boys cricut cartridge in the mail last week and I immediately ripped it open! Now, with my son being 9 and growing up so fast, I wasn't so sure that I wanted this cartridge, but seeing the images made me think otherwise!! When I saw the fire truck image I knew I wanted to make it into a shaped card so I immediately started welding and sizing the fire truck using my Gypsy! I made it quite large ( about 7x4.5 inches)....it came out so cute and my son just loved it!!!

But.......it didn't stop there!!!! I kept on welding and sizing and cutting!

I made the police car..............

and the tractor..............
and the monster truck...........I just had so much fun with these shaped cards!!! Not only are these perfect for my son and my daughters friends (birthday parties seem like every other week around here....lol) , but they are great career cards for adults, too!!!

I hope you have enjoyed this mini series of truck shaped cards as much as I have enjoyed creating them!! Stay tuned for some sports shaped cards to come in the near future...lol!!

Enjoy your day!!!!

Altered Paint Can....CRICUT style!!

2011-03-11T23:13:00.004-05:00

Hello friends!

Here is a project that I have been working on for well, honestly, over a week!!! LOL!

I altered a clear paint can to hold my calling cards from cricut meet ups! I used the new Everyday Cricut Cartridge to decorate it!

I had so much fun creating this. There are some cute images on the Everyday Cricut cartridge! I used Echo Park paper, the i rock for some bling on all my little cricut critters and I used shrinky dinks in the Imagine to add a little charm!

Here is the front of the can....see the bling on the bug heads!

For the top of the can I used a fiskars treading water punch and made two fan fold flowers using the Martha Stewart score board and adhered a bug head in the center!

This is the side of the can....on the handle I used some white and pink tulle and some ribbon. The cricut circle charm is a shrinky dink that I made in the Imagine....when it printed it was a lime green and then as it shrunk it turned darker. I used bakers twine to attatch the charm.

This is the other side of the can....the circle washer is to take the lid off!

Here is The back of the can. I used the Gypsy symbol, some cartridges and the cricut cake symbol....my favorite things to use!

Here are all of the cut sizes:

Cricut Circle charm: colored and cut using Imagine (blade 5, pressure 5 cut 2x) 7.5 inches

Gone Buggy phrase: 4 inches using the shadow feature in brown....I cut one out in pink and again in green and then cut the green circle out and placed on top of the pink.

Bug Heads: 2", 3", 3.5" and 4"

Cricut Cake Symbol: 2.5 "

Mini Cartridges: 1.25", 1.5" and 2"

Cricut Cartridge Case: 2.5 "

Expression: 2.5"

Gypsy Symbol: 2.5"

So there you have it....an altered paint can....gone CRICUT CRAZY!!!!!! I can't wait to put my calling cards in there from the last meet up that I went to!!

P.S. Yay....I just hit 100 followers, so thank you all for all of your support, I am very grateful for all of your sweet comments!!!

Baby Onesies!

2011-03-10T09:32:00.004-05:00

Good morning!

Well, my new sink is finally in and I just love it!! Now, if I accidentally broke the refridgerator...that would need to be replaced right????? LOL!!!

So, I have been busy with so many things going on and so many projects. Here is a little gift that I made for my DH's friends who just had a baby boy! I made these two little onesies using my cricut!

The first one:

For this onesie, I used my cricut Expression and cut the sail boat using the New Arrival cartridge and used the freezer paper method. I cut the image with freezer paper....I didn't have to flip the image because it was a basic image.....then I ironed it onto the onesie and used it as a template. I used fabric paint in two colors, blue and green. Simple and adorable!!

Onesie #2:

For this onesie, I used my Imagine with the Mickey Font and some iron on transfer paper! I had to flip the image so that the letters will print the right way. I used the Hopscotch Imagine cartridge for the patterns in the letters. The letters are sized at 1.8 inches! I just love the I with the clouds! Using the Imagine was super simple and the transfer paper was printed and cut perfectly. This came out so nice and it was so easy using the Imagine!!

I will definately have fun making more of these baby onesies!

Hope you all have a great day, I am off to shop for some birthday gifts for my Triplet nieces and nephew who are turning 11 in a couple days....I can totally remember when they were born weighing less than 2 pounds each....they are truly amazing!

Kids in the Spotlight!

2011-03-08T13:54:00.003-05:00

Good afternoon! It has been a hectic couple days here as we have been running all over trying to find a new kitchen sink and faucet and trying to get it installed...nothing is ever easy...lol!!!

So, my kids created these little pieces of artwork this weekend and asked me to put them in the spotlight on my blog! They are so proud of themselves and the work that I do and they feel special (as they should) when they actually get posted on "Mommy's Blog!"

I had a girl and a boy gnome left over from my last project and they asked if they could have them....of course I had to say yes!!

Here is what my daughter Samantha created.....she loved using the stickles to 'glitz' it up (her words) and I just love the way that she punched holes and did paper lacing with baker's twine!

And here is what my son Christopher created....he was feeling a bit more rushed than Samantha and he doesn't usually work in colors.....he is more of a sketch artist!!

Thanks so much for looking and any and all comments would be much appreciated by myself and my little scrapbook artists, thank you!!!!

Hopefully I will be back later with another project that I have been working on....if I can get my camera to take a decent picture!

Birthday Bash!!

2011-03-04T05:00:00.000-05:00

Goodmorning friends!! Just poppin' in to share these 2 cute cards that I made yesterday while I was fighting an upset stomache....seems to be the only thing that really helped...lol!!!

I used the B-Day Bash papers from Imaginisce and the cricut Birthday Bash cartridge!!

I think these papers are so much fun and I just love the Birthday Bash cartridge, I think the images are great!!!

I hope you all have a Fabulous Friday!!! My hubby and I are going to do some shopping around....we need a new faucet for our sink...since he broke our kitchen sprayer by tying a rubber band around it so that I would get soaked when I turned the water on.....funny?? NOT!!! So, now it is payback and he has to go shopping with me for a new one...anyone that I want...lol!!! We are also going to go to TGIFridays for some lunch!!! Enjoy your day!!

Gnomeo & Juliet

2011-03-02T21:19:00.005-05:00

Hi there! It has already been a busy week so I took a little break today to create this layout! I took my DD to see the movie 'Gnomeo & Juliet' last weekend and I must say it was adorable...Sammi was so excited to see it, just us girls!

So when this weeks challenge came out using fairytales and folklore on the cricut circle blog, I was so excited!! I actually (shhhhh, don't tell) bought this cartridge for the gnomes just to make this layout!!! Really, I did! I passed this cartridge up at the M's $10 deal and then had to pay more just to get it! Well, what can you do. I think that this layout justifies my parchase...don't you???

Here are some close ups: sorry for the glare...the frame around the picture is an acetate overlay!

The background cloud paper is from the Imagine Hopscotch cartridge...I love it! I used my E for most of the cuts, but also brought in the Gypsy to weld the grass together from Sports Mania and also for the frog and the castle (because I was too lazy to go get the cartridge OUAP). The rainbow, sun and flowers are diecuts from the Me and My Big Ideas childrens activivty pad ( so cute with lots of activities for kids and some great pp and die cuts). The flower frame is from Deja Views: transparent frame, garden. Oh and I used plenty of pop dots, too!!

Freshly picked: gnomes 3 1/2", mushrooms 1 1/2" 2" and 2 1/2" , sign post sized using Gypsy, garden

Alpalicious: letters red using Gypsy

Sports Mania: grass welded on Gypsy

Once Upon A Princess (ouap): castle top cut with Gypsy and using the hide contour feature, frog

I sketched it out and knew which materials I would use and then just started cutting and pasting and it finally just all came together!

Have a great rest of the week!

A Good Deed Layout!

2011-02-23T01:21:00.004-05:00

Hello and Good morning!!!

I made this layout for the cricut circle weekly challenge! We had to use animals, 2 cricut cuts and animal print paper! Now, the animal print paper is where I had a challenge in itself! I went to 3 different stores and couldn't find anything. I ran to Joanns today and no animal paper so I resorted to fabric. I found the cutest fabric to incorporate into my layout and a cute little puppy print stamp!

Here it is:

I used CAC for the puppy and the kitty, Printing Press for the title, Mickey Font for the dog bone and George for the hearts. I added a paw print stamp on the background, I stitched around the page and I added that adorable paw print fabric by pleating it and adding ribbon and stitching it right onto the page. The dog bone above the picture is a pull out tag with journaling. I used pop dots on the photos and the animals to add dimension and also added some diamond glaze on the animals noses and the dog tag.....just for fun!!!

Then I couldn't help myself! While I had the sewing machine running I thought I would make a cute little bag to hold dog bones for when my children visit their Aunt and Uncle and their dog who just adores them! I added some twine and a cute little dog bone tag!!

So here is the story on "Good Deed"......my Mother heard on the radio that a local animal shelter was in need of donations of food and blankets. We thought it would be a great thing for the kids to do, so we gathered up some old towels and blankets and we went to the store and bought dog food and bones and cat food and treats! My niece from NC was visiting and we had her for the day, so we used it as an opportunity for the kids to do a "good deed" over the weekend. They were so proud of themselves and had so much fun visiting with the kittens and the puppies! It was a wonderful experience for all of us and this will be a layout that I will cherish forever!

Have a wonderful day!

~Jeannine

Welcome Aboard!

2011-02-21T20:29:00.003-05:00

Hello! What a day....we had about 4 inches of snow and it put a damper on our plans, but we had fun crafting, baking and cooking and of course snow play!! We had a problem with the heat when we came in from the cold and had to call the company to come take a look....cost a small fortune because of the Holiday, but we have to be toasty warm!!! So, I finished up a card for a friend that just had a baby boy. I am making some onesies to go along, but have to get some more blue paint. The couple are into sailing so I thought this card was appropriate!

New Arrival: sailboat 3 1/2 "

Life is a Beach: waves 1 3/4", anchor 1 1/2"

The sentiment on the front and inside the card were computer generated! Sorry for the bad lighting, but I am too lazy to drag out the light box!

This is one of my son's creations that he made today!

He crinkled the paper to give it texture and he cut the anchor, treasure box, submarine and coral from LAB cartridge. It was a quick project and he just had so much fun with the images!!

Thats all for tonight! I have been working on a few projects for the cricut circle challenges, but need some more time to put it all together!

My Little "Buggers"!!

2011-02-17T21:58:00.003-05:00

Cricut "buggers" that is!!!

I was super excited to get the new cricut circle cartridge in the mail......Everyday Cricut! It has some great cuts, an adorable cricut font and best of all some great scrappy phrases!! I knew that my first cut had to be the cricut glasses for my kiddos....my biggest fans!!! I cut the green pair at 3 3/4 inches, which was a bit big and I cut the pink pair at 3 1/4 inches which were perfect for a child!! Of course I had to add some i rock bling on my daughter's!! Oh my gosh, they were so excited when they came home from school and saw them!!!

I have to admit that at first I was a bit disappointed in the cartridge, but after seeing some of the cuts and the phrases, I think it is cute. I know I won't use it all the time and some of the images I won't ever use, but all in all, I think it is cute and a great addition to my cartridge library!!!

Have a Happy Scrappy day!!!!

Valentine...Valentine...will you be my Valentine???

2011-02-16T19:27:00.003-05:00

Hello and happy Valentine's day....a little late I know!!! Things have been hectic here. We were at the kids classes all day between the two parties! My DH had to work, so I thought it would be fun to make some heart shaped pizzas and boy was that fun!! The kids were so happy to make their own pizza and decorate them with yummy veggies and pepperoni! I made them a shirley temple and some chocolate dipped strawberries and we had a little celebration!!

So, here are the kids Valentines that I made for them to go along with their treats!!!

The bee is from Paisley and the puppy is from Doodlecharms!!!

Here is the card that I made for my Husband.....I used Shall We Dance cartridge and Storybook for the scallop square and MS seasonal cake for the scallop heart!

That's all for now! Have a good rest of the week!

~Jeannine

Colorful Valentine's Treats!!

2011-02-09T13:53:00.003-05:00

Hello friends!!! Happy hump day....yay!!! I wanted to post these treats that I made last week. This one is for my SIL, who we just found out is pregnant with baby #3!!! We are so excited, we are hoping for a boy this time, but we will of course be happy with either!!! So, her favorite chocolate is M&M's, so I thought I would buy her a big bag and make it pretty. I wrapped some brown paper around the front and cut the pregnant & fashionable lady from New Arrival! The scallop oval is from the Imagine and the heart is from MS all occasions cake cartridge. I added some swirls and the lettering using a white gel pen! I added some tulle and there we have a sweet treat for the Mommy to be!!

I had some time to whip up a few more of the popcorn treats for my husbands co workers and they came out so cute! I used some scraps of pp and some colorful cardstock for the frogs. These are super simple and so fun to make.....and it is a nice somewhat helathy treat! So, here they are....don't mind the cement in the pics, I had to go outside while it was freezing, just to get a good shot!Hope you all have a fabulous rest of the week....I am so looking foward to this week being over and enjoying our weekend!!!!

Hoppy Valentine's Day!!!

2011-02-04T07:00:00.001-05:00

Good morning! Valentine's day is 10 days away and I always give special little treats for my kids and my nieces and nephews and family!

I wanted to send my niece a little treat for Valentine's Day that was not candy because she had her tooth pulled! I was making my DD popcorn so I decided to send her some microwavable popcorn, but wanted to dress it up! I wrapped paper around the popcorn bag and cut and printed the frog using the Imagine and Paisley at 3.5 inches with the shadow. I used pop dots to adhere the frog and added some ribbon. I think it came out cute and so does my DH....he asked me to make some for his co workers as a little treat!!!

Supplies:

Imagine, Paisley cartridge, Sakura glaze pen, ribbon, bakers twine, tag, My Mind Eye "be loved" paper.

I Love A Good Challenge!!!

2011-02-03T12:06:00.004-05:00

Don't you???? I really love to be challenged, it puts my mind to good use and makes me think. This layout was created for the Cricut Circle weekly challenge. We had to use three cuts from a cartridge that either came with our cricut machine or Gypsy. I chose to use George and Basic Shapes....honestly this is a cartridge that I rarely use, but has a great font and shapes!!! My three cuts were the title, stars of different sizes and the rectangle mat behind the photo and the circle behind the journaling!
Here is the layout..........
And here is what the journaling reads.....I know, I spelled speech wrong....ooops!!
We are so proud of our son, Christopher for being chosen to be the Leader of the Week! We follow the 7 Habits in our school and when these words came out of his mouth, we both had tears in our eyes! Needless to say that he got a huge round of applause and a standing ovation!!!! I used Glitz design papers and cardstock sticker for the journaling spot. I added a star banner using some eyelets and bakers twine!

Now onto the next challenge:
I created this card for a weekly challenge at Fantabulous Cricut......we had to make a project to Support the Cause, something that is near and dear to you!
My MIL was diagnosed with breast cancer last month and is having surgery next week. I knew right away when I saw this challenge that I was going to participate and make my MIL a card!

I made a matching envelope too..........

The pink ribbon was cut using my cricut and Stand and Salute cartridge and then embossed! I used "tickled pink" paper from My Minds Eye, MS loops border punch, MS butterfly punch, divine swirls embossing plate, tulle, pink rhinestones and a tag!

I love this card and the meaning behind it. I truly admire my MIL's courage and strength!!

Ok...that is all for now! Off to work on some more Valentine's projects! Have a wonderful afternoon!

~Jeannine

Yudu Card Shop....sweet little bird card!!!

2011-02-02T12:56:00.003-05:00

Good afternoon! We had a late arrival to school this morning due to bad ice storms....the kids were thrilled, but I am behind on my chores!! So, before I get back to my housework, I thought I would share I card that I made using the Yudu Card Shop! I bought it on HSN when it made it's debut.....right now I am having mixed emotions about it. It was very simple to use, but you can't burn your own screens at this time. I thought I would be able to when I bought it, but you need the larger Yudu to actually burn your own screens.

So, for this quick card, I used the screen that came with the Card Shop....the bird cages. I used Peacock blue Yudu paint and screen printed on some cute cardstock from My Minds Eye "tickled pink" collection. The image came out crisp and clean and was so easy to do......it also leaves a raised image! The background paper and the bird was from Echo Park "little girl" collection. I cut the bird from Create A Critter at 2 1/2 inches and added some ribbon and bling for the eye!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Jeannine

Valentines Day Wreath!!

2011-01-28T15:05:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone! Happy TGIF...what a week, I am looking foward to relaxing and spending time with the kids this weekend! We are all so into lego's right now, so that is what we will do!!

Here is a Valentines Day wreath that I made for the monthly cricut circle challenge. We had to scraplift a blog project, put our own twist on it, use 2 cuts and use 2 products from cricut sponsors!

I was inspired by Sarah's winter wonderland wreath and decided to make a Valentines Day wreath!

I started with a brown heart shaped twig wreath and spray painted it white, while it was wet I added some clear glitter. I wrapped some multi colored facet beads around with some clear beading wire.

I cut the Happy Valentines Day sentiment from Martha Stewart Seasonal cart with the shadow and used a MS heart punch and some i rock bling. I added a bow and cut the heart from MS Seasonal cart used some bling and cut the letters with the cuttlebug slobbery kisses die. The bee was cut with WIMG and added to the wreath with some silver wire that I coiled a bit! The flowers were made with the cuttlebug quilling kits. I used the daisy and the rose. I used Echo Park Little Girl paper and added some clear and pink glitter. The large leaves are cut from Gypsy Wanderings and glittered up a little, I also used some smaller leaves from the daisy quilling set.

I think it came out cute...I had a great time with all the glitter and the quilled flowers!! This will hang on my front door when I can get some suction cups!!

Cricut: Walk In My Garden, MS seasonal cartridge and the daisy and rose quilling kit

Sponsors: bazzil, Echo Park and Imaginisce Irock

Thanks for looking and have a great weekend!!

Imagine Cards!

2011-01-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

I forgot to share these cards that I made a couple of weeks ago! I was lucky enough to snag the last Wild Card cartridge from the clearance sale at M's for only $9.99.....I am so happy that I got this cart, it has some great cards, envelopes with liners and shapes!

So, I was able to play with the Imagine a bit and used the Imagine More cart that came with it. I chose the owl card and printed and cut using the Imagine. I added some twine and the sentiment is a stamp. How cute is the envelope with the tree??? I just love this cartridge! This card was for my FIL's birthday!

This is another card from Wild Card! I cut it using the Imagine, but chose my own papers. This card was for my Husbands Aunt who broke her knee! I used the band-aid card and the medical bag and the Rx for the envelope!

This card is my favorite of all the card cuts on Wild Card....I love the argyle and thought it was a perfect card for a man. The sentiment is a stamp. Look how cute the envelope is with the argyle cuts and the envelope liner with the distressed edge, just love it!! This card was for my BIL!
So, those are my cards made with Wild Card and the Imagine! I love how they all turned out and can't wait for some more time to play with the Imagine!
Thanks for stopping by!
~Jeannine

Animal Wobbler Cards!

2011-01-26T15:28:00.004-05:00

I couldn't resist ordering these adorable animal cards from HSN last week! When I bought them, I thought they were going to be the wobble springs, but they aren't....by wobble they mean rocking, where the base of the card is curved which makes it rock back and forth. I am so pleased with these cards and seeing them in person, they are so much cuter than on tv. The cardstock is heavy weight, the shapes punch out so easily and the details on the animals is amazing. Some of the animals have a bit of foil detail on them and just make the cards pop. I used pop dots with some of the pieces to add dimension. Another thing I was pleased with was the size of the finished cards and the envelopes....although these will require additional postage if mailed, it is well worth it. The kit came with 20 different animals and with shipping and tax, it works out to be about a $1.80 a card!

So here is the kit spread out on my kitchen table:

And here is the giraffe card assembled:

I used some of the green cardstock for the base of the card to add color to the card, this card measures 8 1/2 x 7 inches.

Here is the sheep card assembled...this card measures 7 x 7 inches!

Here are some details in case you wanted to order these adorable cards for yourslef:

Hsn.com, Kanban wobblers card kit item # 111969, I got them for $26.95 plus tx and shipping,

the envelopes measure 8 x 8 and will require additional postage, each animal is die cut and pre printed.......these adorable cards assemble in minutes with some adhesive and pop dots!

LETS GO JETS BANNER!

2011-01-23T12:38:00.004-05:00

J-E-T-S.........JETS JETS JETS!!!!! We are Jets fans here, with the exception of my son...lol!! The principal at the kids elementarty school reminded kids to wear green on Friday to support the Jets game tonight! My 7 year old daughter came home and wanted to know what she had that was green.....not much, so we went into her brothers room and found a Jets jersey. He said she could wear it and she was just so excited!! She wore it to school and had her picture taken for the year book! She came home and asked me to make a JETS banner, so of course, I got to work on one. I designed it on my Gypsy......the flag shapes are from Stand and Salute (not really meant to be a flag I know, but I thought the shape was sporty looking. The font is from MS all occasion and the font is the smart cookie, perfect for the banner. Honestly, I am not sure where the oval was from, but I thought it was the perfect shape...lol!! This came together so fast and was so easy. My daughter's smile from ear to ear let me know that I did good! I used a white embossing pen for the faux stitch border. I also made her a little flag to wave as she watches the game (some of the game) and just added some ribbon to make it girly!!! I had fun with these quick little projects. We are looking foward to watching the game together tonight! Lets go JETS!!!

Edited to add:

Here is a picture of my little JETS fan with her flag and her little football.....how cute is she!!!!!

Get Whale Soon!

2011-01-22T16:11:00.004-05:00

Hello! Hopefully everyone is staying warm...it is starting to get quite chilly here for us and may be going down to single digits tonight! We had a busy morning with the kids....Christopher plays basketball for 2 hours on Saturday's and he loves it! Samantha goes to a gymnastics program and learned how to do a cartwheel and a tumble on the balance beam....she is so cute!
So, we are glad to be in the house in our jammies and just playing around!
I made this card for my 6 year old niece who had her tooth pulled the other day, poor thing! She was so brave and did well! I think she will be excited to get this colorful card in the mail!!

The whale is from CAC (Create a Critter) cut at 4 inches on the Imagine....the two base cuts were cut and colored on the Imagine and the yellow scallop base was cut using the images preloaded onto the Imagine. The papers are Love Me Do from My Minds Eye...such cute colorful paper! I stamped the get whale soon, cut apart and added some MM velvet brads. I also added some blue bling to add some wavy water and I couldn't resist adding a little bow!
I hope she smiles when she gets this card in the mail!!!

The Polar Express!!

2011-01-20T16:39:00.002-05:00

Good afternoon all!!! In between trying to clean the house today, I was able to pice together this layout using my Gypsy and Imagine!!! This is for the cricut circle weekly challenge....we used a sketch (witch I stuck to just to get my mojo back), 2 cuts, buttons and some stamping! The pictures are from a trip we took to the "North Pole" to go on the Polar Express! I was able to layout my page on my Gypsy and then made the cuts on the Imagine! I added buttons in the center of the snowflakes and stamped the ticket and cut it out and added some bakers twine tied to the snowflake! After all was said and done, I am pleased with this layout!

Hope you all have a wonderful night! We are in for some snow again tonight so the kids fingers are crossed that there will be no school or a delayed opening!!!

The Magic of Winter!!

2011-01-13T22:15:00.003-05:00

Hello friends!! It has been a very very long time since my last post in early December....wow!! All I can say is one four letter word...............BUSY!!!!! I will post an update and some recent pictures of our Holiday and adventures, but for now, I have a cute project to share! I am back into the scrapbooking mojo a bit...a little here and a little there!
I made this winter magic bag for the weekly challenge on the cricut circle blog! We had to use white paint, metal and a snowflake cut....simple!! I planned all of the cuts on my Gypsy, so forgive me, I don't know the sizes. The bag is from TBBM stretched to fit a 12x12 mat....it is a rather small bag, but just perfect for some mini chocolate treats!

I cut different snowflakes out and placed them on the bag (while the bag was unassembled) using some repositionable adhesive and then used white spray paint. I took off the snowflakes and VOILA!!!! I have to say that I absolutely love this technique and my children were in awe over it...lol!!!! Then for the metal, I used a siver glitter tag using the tag maker. I cut the snowflake and used mod podge and some chunky clear glitter.........here is a close up!!

I added some sheer blue ribbon and had an adorable winter magic mini bag!!!!

So, before I go into my long update over this weekend..............I want to share.....................

I got the Imagine for Christmas!!!!!!! I had a chance to play with it a bit...and by bit, I mean like for half an hour....lol!! I am in love! I also got a flip, so I hope to be sharing a video or two soon, I need to practice a bit before I post!!!!!

See you soon!!!

Jeannine

Our Christmas Anniversary!!!

2010-12-06T10:29:00.002-05:00

Good morning!! Today is our 13th wedding Anniversary....Happy Anniversary Chris!! I can't believe we have been married for 13 years already....feels like just yesterday! We had a beautiful December wedding with our reception in a beautiful place right on the ocean! We just had a wonderful day with family and friends!
Today has been flurrying on and off, just like it did on our wedding day....I love it!!! My husband and I are going to go to lunch at a nice restaurant in town today while the kids are in school and then I am making Chris' favorite dinner tonight....stuffed peppers....I also got a little ice cream cake because my son asked me to pick one up for him as his gift.....how cute is that!!!

This is me on my wedding day at my parents house!

Here is my husband and I outside of the Church....officially married!!!

I love my husband more today than I ever thought possible. He is a hard working, supportive, loving husband and he is truly my "girlfriend"....we laugh all the time when I tell him that. I can tell him anything at any time and he just listens and gabs right back to me....like we are "girlfriends"....I love it!!! I love you Chris!!!

Well, sorry the pics aren't the best...they are pictures of pics because my scanner isn't working...but I just wanted to "post to my on line diary"!!!

I hope you all have a wonderful day...and stay warm no matter where you are, because it is a bit chilly willy here!!!

"JOLLY" gift tags!

2010-11-27T23:06:00.007-05:00

I was lucky enough to grab the Jolly Holidays cartridge at Walmart on black Friday!! I don't have any other cartridges that feature all Christmas/winter images, so I was thrilled to get my hands on this Jolly cartridge!

I took my 6 year old daughter to see the movie Tangled this afternoon....what a cute movie, we both really loved it!

I made these cute tags after we got home from the movie! The girls gifts are going to be wrapped in pink and green this year, so I made the tags to coordinate!

The tags were cut using DCWV Secret Santa paper stack and I used tulle and of course a little bling using the i rock! The mittens were cut at 1 1/2" with the tag at 2 1/4", the snowgirl was cut at 2" with the tag at 3" and the stocking was cut at 2 1/2" with the tag at 2 1/4"! I probably could go a bit larger on the tags, but this was my first attempt! This cartridge is just so cute and I think the kids will get such a kick out of some of the "jolly" images!

Gobble Gobble!!

2010-11-24T23:26:00.003-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!! I hope you all have a blessed day with family and friends!!

I am thankful for so many things that I wouldn't want to bore you with, so I will just say this: I am truly thankful for a supportive, caring and loving husband who is my best friend, my beautiful children who are healthy and bring joy to my life every day, having a hobby that brings myself and my family joy........and might I add, my Mom for cooking this Thanksgiving...lol!!!!

I want to share with you my creations for today....not only did I make the sparkling cider look pretty, but I also made a cornucopia and decorated a pie!! Thanks to the cricut circle blog for sharing such wonderful creations that we (I) can scraplift!!!

Here is a pumpkin pie that i decorated:

I bought the pie and used pie crust for the pumpkins and leaves....I used MS seasonal for the pumpkin and DC for the leaves!

Might I add that I have not been successful with the cake machine up until this point....I was feeling a bit guilty that I bought it, couldn't get it to cut and didn't have the patience to figure it out. Well, today all of those thoughts disappeared....I am in love!!! Yes, it is a lot of work, but so well worth it....I even got the whole family to pitch in willingly. They cut, colored and sugared!!! I am truly blessed!!

Here is the cornucopia!

Well, it was fairly easy to do, but I had a problem getting the foil out of the cornucopia, so it is still in there....lol!!! I didn't want to destroy such a beautiful creation....we will just eat around the foil....lol!!! I had so much fun with this project, thanks to Kristen from the CC blog! I used vines, pumpkins and leaves, colored them with wilton cake colors and sprinkled with chunky sugar! My family loved helping with this and we were all so proud of our beautiful creation! Can't wait for my Mom and Dad to see it tomorrow.....and even more..dig into it, yummy!!!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

Spruced Up Sparkling Cider!!

2010-11-24T16:15:00.004-05:00

Hi there!

Just wanted to jump on real quick today to share this project with you! I made it today for the kids for Thanksgiving. We are going to my Parents house for dinner tomorrow and we are bringing this, a pumpkin pie and we are in the process of making a cornucopia....fingers crossed it will turn out ok!!!! I got this idea from Kristen on the cricut circle blog and just made it into a simple version!!! So, thank you Kristen for the idea!

So, here is a bottle of sparkling cider that I spruced up with some cricut cuts and ribbon! I used Designer's Calendar for the leaves cut out at 3", the tag is from Plantin Schoolbook cut at 3", the Harvest blessings was cut from the Thanksgiving cartridge at 2"...I forget where I cut the acorn from because I cut a bunch for the kids last week...lol!!!

I embossed the leaves with divine swirls and then used chunky glitter on them! I also quilled a flower with the cuttlebug quilling daisy kit. I added glitter to one of the flowers, also!

I just love how this turned out and will make these as gifts next year for Thanksgiving!!!

I hope to jump on again later to share my cornucopia that I am making out of pie crust with the cricut cake machine! Another idea that I got of the cricut circle blog.....my home away from home!!! I hope you all have a fun, safe and delicious Thanksgiving with your Families!!!

SNOW much fun!!!

2010-11-17T13:41:00.003-05:00

Good afternoon friends!! I have had a lazy day around here today, but wanted to jump on and share these adorable ornaments! I had a vision of these one night and jumped out of bed to sketch it out! I know, I know....but it's not like any of you have never done that before...LOL!!! I am so pleased with how these adorable snowman and snowgirl ornaments turned out! I am entering the snowgirl into a cricut circle ornament challenge! The challenge was what got my wheels turning and the snowman was the first one to be complete, but I couldn't just make a snowman....I had to make a snowgirl version for my daughter. I changed the hat and loved working with pinks and blue for hers! I used the cuttlebug polka dots embossing folder...to make it look "snowy" of course! The snowman was cut from Doodle Charms and cut at 5 1/2 inches using the blackout feature...cut twice! The presents were also cut from DC at 1 1/4 inches. The snowgirl hat and the snowflakes were cut using Winter Woodland cartridge. The hat was cut at 6 1/4 inches and the snowflake at 2 inches! I cut a circle out of the belly and adhered a photo to the back of the top layer, then used pop dots to adhere the two snowmen together and give it a little dimension! I punched a hole and added some white elastic cord to hang from the tree! The kids just absolutely love them and can't wait to decorate the tree this year!!

Give Thanks Card!

2010-11-08T16:02:00.002-05:00

Here is a card that I made for the Cricut Circle weekly challenge....the challenge was to use a bird, at least 2 cricut cuts and stitching! I cut the turkey from Celebrate with Flourish and the thanks from Storybook, I hand stitched the X's, embossed the background with Seeing Spots and I made the pleated flower! I had originally planned on making some cuttlebug quilled flowers, but I didn't have one of the plates...I had them sent Fed Ex on Firday and would you believe....they came today about an hour after I finished this card!!!!! So, tonight I will be quilling in my jammies watching tv...yay!!! Hope you like this card and have a good night!
~Jeannine

Sprinkled With Fun!

2010-11-04T19:56:00.004-04:00

This has to be my all time favorite layout!! I love how this turned out! This is for the weekly challenge over on the cricut circle blog. This is the first challenge that I have participated in so far because I have been so busy and I am glad that I made time to enter! It was a sketch challenge this week so that made it much easier for me! I used the Sweet Treats cartridge for all 3 cuts....the ice cream cone is 5 1/2", the title is 3 1/4" and the crown is 2". I embossed the cone with diamonds and added some i rock gems to make it look like sprinkles and I couldn't resist using bling on this layout!! I also used a Martha Stewart punch called cherish and it is a punch around the page! Every time I walk past this layout, it just makes me smile!!!

Harvest Blessings Layout!

2010-11-03T13:07:00.004-04:00

Good afternoon! I have been busy all morning with Dr. appointments and am glad to be home! My daughter is home today, she had a Dr. appointment this morning after mine and we found out that she has allergies, so we are just sitting on the couch watching cartoons! She also has been complaining of her eye getting blurry at school, so she is going for an eye exam on Monday night!
So here is a quick layout that I made last night using the Thanskgiving seasonal cartridge that I recently won! I was getting a little frustrated with some of the cuts....I was cutting them at 1 or 2 inches and they were tiny and not cutting nice at all. I have found that it is easier (with this cartrdidge) to cut most of the images larger than 3 inches! Anyway, it is just a simple layout for our Thanksgiving dinner picture! I cut the pilgrim silhoutte at 3 inches, the harvest blessings at 3" and the indian corn at 3 1/2 ". I used some Bazzill cardstock and some of the apple cider paper and ribbon. I used pop dots for the photo, the corn and the pilgrim. How cute is that pumpkin border???? I love it...it is a EK punch that my friend sent me called pumpkin chain. I just love it, it was the perfect accent for this layout! As simple as this layout is, I was happy to be scrapping again! I may go start another quick layout while my daughter is resting!

A SPOOKTACULAR HALLOWEEN!!!!

2010-10-31T17:53:00.008-04:00

Happy Halloweeeeeeennnn!!!! BOO!!

Here is a "Spooky" Halloween banner that my son and I made! I cut the banner using my cricut and Country Life cartridge and added a drippy goo border to the tops using the MS punch. I added some eyelets to make it sturdy and used ribbons (from the $ bin at target) to tie them together! We made the pleated flowers using the MS scoreboard and some hot glue....my son loved the hot glue gun and was very careful with it! I cut the cauldron, the potion bottle and the skeleton using the cricut October 31st cartridge. We just used some odds and ends spooky things that we had in our Halloween bucket. The acetate cuts are from recolections and were a great touch to our Spooky banner! We love how it turned out and it looks great in our living room!!

Here are my "SPOOKY" children this year at the Halloween parade and trick or treating in town!

This is Christopher's pumpkin that he carved by himself using a template......I think it turned out great....and looks just as spooky as he does in his costume!!

This is Samantha's pumpkin that we did together, we chose a not so scary pumpkin face and I think it looks great!!!

As we were carving the pumpkins this year....I remembered why we didn't do it last year....what a gooey mess! It really is fun though!

Here is an owl that Christopher made at his class halloween party....the cutest owl ever! The parent who chose this craft deserves so much credit...she hand cut all the pieces for this and had to cut enough for 22 kids! I think it is just adorable!!

I hope everyone had a fabulous day full of tricks and treats.....maybe not so much on the tricks, but I for one will be enjoying a treat or two when the kids go to bed.....lol!!!

Gone For So Long!!!

2010-10-25T14:23:00.004-04:00

I feel like I have been MIA....well I guess I have, I can't believe it has been over 3 weeks since my last post and Halloween is almost here!

I have been busy decluttering my house and trying to go through so much stuff and donate what we don't use! It is a HUGE task! I have been going to bed at 8 pm with the kids....lol!

We just went to Pennsylvania with the kids for the Cricut Circle Meet up in Valley Forge! It was so nice to meet so many familiar faces. We traded calling cards and ribbons and flowers, so much fun! After the meet up we went to the National Park and the kids got to walk and make friends and then we went to eat lunch! It was a great day! Oh, and I won at the meet up!! I won a set of the 3 Seasonal Cartridges.....Thanksgiving, Christmas Cards and Christmas Village! I was super excited and can't wait to play with them!

Here is my calling card that I made using the Cindy Loo Cartridge!

Here we are in the Valley Forge National Park....it was such a beautiful day!

I have a few more pictures to share from a Halloween Party that the kids went to at a local pumpkin patch...My daughter is a witch..who didn't like her eye makeup, but I thought it was cute and my 9 year old son didn't dress up, but wore a skeleton sweatshirt!

I hope to be able to get back into crafting soon and play with those new cartridges! Have a wonderful day!

Happy Birthday Tiger!!

2010-10-01T18:41:00.006-04:00

Well, I know it is late in the day to post this, but I promise I have a good reason! I want to wish my wonderful Husband Chris a very Happy Birthday!!!!! He is 39 today....just so you know I am a lot younger...heehee!! I keep teasing him that this is his last year in his 30's!!

I made him a cute card...I wanted to keep it cute and silly, so I made him a Tiger shaped card using CAC and my Gypsy...the inside says Happy Birthday Tiger!!!!

I have been adding googlie eyes to almost everything lately, I think they are a cute touch! So, this card started my whole shaped card craze. I spent a late night on my Gypsy, just designing some shaped cards....I still have not cut them all out, but I have 2 others to share with you!

So, my reason for posting so late is that our new washer and dryer were delivered today with my hubby was out...I hate being alone for deliveries. So, it was terrential rain the minute that they pulled into the driveway....I opened the garage door and they took the old and I mean old washer and dryer out...they were dragging it on the floor and I was starting to get irritated. Then in came the new washer and dryer...the man told me to stay back ( I wanted to be in there to make sure that they were ok, but I moved and all I heard was banging and clashing. I gritted my teeth and went back in. I was wiping the side of the washer because it was soaked from the rain and it was going to be up against the dryer....the man said, " Maam, I don't have time for you to be doing that, I have a lot of stops to make in a short time!" I said, well, surely you have 5 seconds to spare so I can wipe this down and I did. I was not happy with them. The w& d stick so far out from the wall and I was disappointed, they were not flush with the wall because of the dryer vent!

My laundry room is small and they took up the whole room with very little space. So the men leave and I was ticked off and then I continued to mop the floor and vac again. I wiped down the other side of the washer and there was a 3 inch gash with metal showing and I wanted to be sick. The dryer also had a gash and the pedestools that they are on were banged up. I was pissed!!!!! Then the school nurse calls and tells me that my son had to picked up because he had a sore throat.....please. So I run down to the school and pick him up, he didn't feel well, he is getting a cold. When we get home, my son notices that the washer box was thrown on the gutter and came disconnected and the rain was running into the driveway.....I was again not happy! So, when my Dh came home I showed him while I was in tears and he called the store and we are getting a new washer and dryer within 2 weeks. It was just unacceptable, if I had caused the scratches then I would live with it, but these guys were careless and in a rush!

So that is my excuse....we are now at my parents house and my Mommy cooked Chris' favorite meal, pot roast and mashed potatoes, yummy!!!!!

So with all of that being said.....here is my new huge washer and dryer.....

As you can see, they are almost as big as my 9 year old son.......does he look sick to you?????? He was quite fine when he came home!

Here is a simple shaped card, using the pumpkin from CAC, this is for my little 1 year old niece...inside says...lil punkin!!

And...here is my turkey card also for my nieces...now that they live in North Carolina, I send them cards all the time and they just love them!!! This turkey is also from CAC, just a perfect cartridge for making shaped cards with your gypsy!! I love how this turned out, I used polka dots for the hat and divine swirls for the feathers and of course added some googlie eyes! The front says gobble and the inside says gobble! I think my nieces will just love this card for Thanksgiving!!!

Tweet as Pie!

2010-09-24T16:04:00.003-04:00

Here is a card that I made for one of Robyn's challenges over at My Pink Stamper...she is ussuing challenges and giveaways for reaching over one million visitors...congratulations Robyn!! So, for this challenge we had to use a bird! I thought this would be a cute idea for a thank you card, which I need to send to a friend!
The bird is from Serenade, the pie is from Country Life and the label is from Lacy Labels. All of the papers are from Basic Grey nook and pantry line! I used a black thin calligraphy pen to write the Tweet as Pie!

Happy Birthday Christopher!!!

2010-09-23T09:18:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was my little or should I say big boy's Birthday!!! Happy Birthday Buddy!! I can't believe he is 9 years old already, seriously, doesn't it just fly by!?!?! I had such a busy day that I couldn't post yesterday. I asked him what he wanted to eat for his birthday dinner and he made the menu....chicken cutlets, garlic mashed potatoes, butter noodles and asparagus!! So that is what I made him and the family for dinner. We had my parents over for dinner and cake! Christopher opened his presents in the morning before school and loved them...he got a few lego streetz racing sets. I felt bad because he didn't have time to play, but these things have to be built and between the two of us it will probably take days to assemble...lol!!

So we dropped off cupcakes for school, I was going to make little gum paste geckos for the top of the cupcakes, but it was getting late and the gum paste was not cooperating and it was not cutting nice. Finally at 11:15, I gave up and decided to just make some gecko cupcake toppers. My son wanted geckos...he was going to get geckos. I ran down and started punching the scallops and cut out 25 geckos using the auto fill feature on the E and the LAB cartridge. Then got out my glue gun and started gluing it all together! I think they turned out adorable and the kids loved them at school!!

Christopher's cake was another story....we had a debate in the store. I was going to cheat and use chocolate frosting in a can, but he kept saying that that isn't what he wanted. He said he wanted icing....well, isn't it the same thing? Apparently not....frosting is what you buy and icing is what Mommy makes....according to Christopher. So, I whipped up a batch of chocolate icing....chocolate buttercream frosting (recipe posted at bottom of post)!! He said it was the best cake he's ever had....gosh I love that little boy!!! I used the gumpaste to make 2 gecko cuts and I was pleased this time with how it turned out....I still need a ton of practice, but altogether pretty pleased!! We put some special cupcake sparklers in his cake, but only lit one at a time because I didn't want the house to burn down....Christopher was so excited, it was pretty cool. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTOPHER....MY BIG 9 YEAR OLD!!!!!

Here is the recipe for the chocolate buttercream frosting...it is delicious and is enough to fill and frost an 8 or 10 inch cake!

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

2 lbs. confectioners sugar

2 cups white vegetable shortening (crisco)

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tbsp meringue powder

5-7 tbsp. water

1 1/2 cups cocoa powder

American Girl!

2010-09-18T10:36:00.003-04:00

Here is a layout that I made using a sketch from sketchabilities....unfortunately I was too late to enter it, but that is ok....I still love the sketch and the layout!!! It seems with the kids back to school and trying to get back itno routine, it is so hard to remember everything! So here is the layout that I made:

The first picture came out terrible...the colors are so off, so I am glad that I didn't enter it...lol!! I love how the heart looks like the heart on the outfits and their were buttons on the outfit too, so I put some buttons in the shape of the heart! I love these pictures of my daughter with her American Girl Kit....and looking at these pictures...I love my daughters toothless smile!!! I am glad that I got to play along and hope to continue playing at sketchabilities.....I love their sketches and it is a great way to get your mojo going!!!

She Adores Paris!!

2010-09-16T21:39:00.004-04:00

The 'She' in the title would be my six year old daughter Samantha, who loves the Eiffel Tower and Paris and has learned some phrases in French. She has asked me to take her to Paris, but for now the answer is no...she won't fly anyway...lol!! I have bought her a few Paris t shirts and dresses, but I wanted to make her a t shirt! So, I designed this t shirt using the Gypsy the French Manor cartridge and some freezer paper. I love making these, they are so easy and come together so fast....I even went out and bought myself a new pink iron...lol!!! I used tulip fabric paints and the i rock to glam it up! I made a matching hair bow using tulle, ribbon, i rock and I used shrinky dink paper for the Eiffel Tower charm....I love it if I do say so myself, but most important Samantha loves it!!! I entered it into a contest, but was not a winner...but that is just A-Ok, because I was a winner in Samantha's book and that is what counts!!!

Back to School Smiles, Pictures and Projects!!

2010-09-13T11:50:00.006-04:00

Today was the first day back to school for my kids...Samantha is a first grader and Christopher is a fourth grader!! Where does the time go, my goodness! We had an exciting morning of picking out the perfect outfit and brand new shoes, making lunches and talking! I could tell that Samantha was starting to get real nervous. We got some great pictures on the steps of the school and went in to find their class rooms! We brought Christopher up to meet his teacher and I kissed him and sent him to find his desk...he turned around, looked at me and started to cry....yes my BIG fourth grader is a mush, he said he was scared, poor baby. I kissed him and assured him that he was going to have a great day! Then we went back down to drop Samantha off and she wouldn't go in, then her friend looked up at me and he started to cry....so I brought them both in to meet their teacher! Samantha was so excited once she saw that she had her own desk with her name tag and a coloring work sheet in front of her. We kissed her goodbye and she seemed to be doing fine! Mom on the other hand left in tears with such an upset stomache..lol!! After a long summer of fun, it is time to get back into a routine and we are all looking foward to that! So here is a layout that I created to just stick their pictures in....I used Imaginisce apple cider paper and my cricut. Mickey font for the letters and Country Life for the apples!Here is my big first grader.....BTW...she is wearing her American Girl Kit outfit..she picked it out all by herself!
Here is my big fourth grader!! His taste is changing and he is gaining his own sense of style...he is not so much into polo shirts anymore, but he wanted to look nice for his first day of school!
The kids are so good to eachother and I know they will take care of eachother and smile when they pass by in the hall!My big first grader sitting at her very own desk with her work ready to go!

Smell the Fall air!!

2010-09-13T00:02:00.001-04:00

Oooohhh it has been so chilly here the last couple of days and it is just delightful!!! I love the Fall...the cool crisp air, pumpkins and apples, fairs and festivals and most of all roasted corn at the farmstands!! So here is a Fall card that I made...I made it for a cricut contest, but didn't get it in on time. I used Imaginisce apple cider papers, jenni bowlin letters, ribbon, MS border punch and the cricut Celebrate with Flourish cricut lite cartridge!! This is an easel card and was just so much fun to put together! The card measures 4x6. Thanks for taking a peek and there will be many more Fall projects coming...including apple pie recipes, layouts and pictures!!!

In Memory of 9/11!

2010-09-11T17:30:00.003-04:00

Today marks the 9th Anniversary of September 11, 2001! We were all affected by that day and the tragedy. In memory of 9/11 My Pink Stamper was issuing a challenge to create a project for someone who serves our country or community. My Husband is a Volunteer Firefighter in our village and we are very proud of him. It takes a brave man to serve and protect and we are proud of all that he has done. I created a frame for him....Our Hero!

I used K&Co paper to cover a wood frame from Michael's and some 3d embellishments. I used my cricut to cut some images....Create A Critter for the firehat, Independence Day for the banner and Cherry Limeade for the letters! I had so much fun creating this for him and if I hadn't checked My Pink Stampers blog, I would never have thought to create a special project to thank my Husband for serving in our community, so thank you Robyn!

Lunch With Daddy!

2010-09-07T23:57:00.004-04:00

Here is a layout that I created for a cricut contest...we had to make a layout about something that we did over Labor Day weekend. Well, we did nothing!!! My husband had to work double shifts, so we made him fresh salsa and chips ....he eats his with wise chips...I think that's odd but maybe you don't. LOL!!! So we met up at the park for his lunch break and the kids got to visit with him for a little bit...as you can tell by their hugs and kisses, they were all very happy! Well, my son's expression maybe not so much, but he gets very upset when he has to leave his Daddy!! So here is the layout that I submitted:

I got this layout done in an hour with printing my pictures....so for a quickie I am pleased with how it came out. Using the DCWV green stack, the whole earthy park theme came together so easily! I used my gypsy to size the cuts....cuttlebug divine swirls for the tree....Just Because cards for the tree....and Country Life for the banner and the letters!!! That little beaver, the grass, and the clouds were alll part of the printed paper...isn't it cute!!??! I thought it worked well for the theme of the layout!! So, thank you for looking and have a great day!!!

Preparing Lunch For Back To School!!!

2010-09-04T05:00:00.000-04:00

I know most kids have already started school, but my kids don't go back until the 13th. ....so in preparation for them going back to school, I made them a cute lunch box note set....I hope this will bring a little smile to their faces while they are eating!!

During the first half of the month at Thoughts2paper, you will find many Back to School ideas so be on the look out for those! For this project I used a plastic sandwich container...it was actually lightening mcqueen which my son is not into so I immediately thought to convert it!!! I used Create A Critter cicut cartridge for the animals and shapes. This cartridge is so fun, It has really become my go to cartridge!

The notes are all 4x4 with rounded corners and I tried to stick with primary colors. You can find the Create A Critter cricut cartridge and most of the other items I used for these cards in the Thoughts2paper store...there are also some newly loaded goodies there too!

Waiting for Hurricane Earl!!

2010-09-03T19:38:00.004-04:00

We have been preparing for days for the arrival of Hurricane Earl! We put things away, cleaned up the yard, put gas in the car, got bottles of water and batteries for the flashlights!! It can be quite a process! We thought it would be here earlier, but we have waited all day and now it is 7:40 pm and still only rain...no heavy winds as predicted....yet!!! So we took the kids down to the beach and I went to take a picture of the water and the camera read.....'no more memory'...oh poop, I left the camera card in the computer...lol!!! I was so upset, but I wanted pictures and there were local camera crews from the news there all set up, etc. So I ran home for the card....good thing we are only 5 minutes from the beach. I got some great pictures and we were caught in a terrential downpour for a few minutes. I have to say it was exciting to be down there at the beach with the news stations and lots of people!! My DH was taking a picture of the kids and I and a lady from a local news station came and asked to speak with the kids, I said "sure!!" They loved it and sure enough they were on the NEWS!! They were so excited. My Mother called and asked if Sammi was wearing a pink jacket and if Christopher was wearing blue shorts.....yes, yes, and yes....she saw them on the news!!! She was a little upset that we took the kids out, but it was only a little rain, not bad winds and it wasn't like we were going swimming! We came home just in time to see them both on the 6:00 news and they were so excited to see themselves.....did anyone see them on T.V.????

Interested in joining the CRICUT CIRCLE family???

2010-09-02T19:11:00.003-04:00

Hello friends!!! I just got word that the Cricut Circle...an online forum for cricut enthusiasts...is OPEN for new members! There is a fee to join, but with that fee comes rewards....there is an exclusive cricut cartridge every three months, an online magazine filled with inspiration, a wonderful forum of the most supportive friends, Cricut swarms galas and meet ups and special perks here and there!!
If you join now, you will be all set for the big IMAGINE reveal on HSN on September 14th and the special deal that is being offered to those who are in the Cricut Circle!! This invitation is only open until September 13!!
So, If you missed out on the first round of ivites and are now ready to become part of the circle, please contact me at J9CJ@optonline.net and I will get you the information that you need!!!

Madness with Martha Stewart Products!!

2010-09-01T14:31:00.006-04:00

I hope everyone is having a wonderful afternoon!!! Today I have some projects that I made using some wonderful Martha Stewart products!! I guess you can say that I am an enabler....lol!!! Here is the Martha Stewart scoring board, now I have nothing to compare it to because I do not own the Scor Pal, but I have to say that I love this new board and it is so simple to use!! I used this score board for some of the following projects!

Here is a box that I made using the score board and the instructions...the box is a good size at 4x4x2 inches. I made this for my Daughter to keep some of her little trinkets in!

I used the Sweet stack by DCWV for the box and the ice cream cone was cut using my cricut and the Sweet Treats cartridge. I added some clear glze to the ice cream and the strawberry and then sprinkled some clear micro beads to look like sprinkles ( I wish I had a different color) but I love the texture.

Here is the little box that I made for my son and all of his 'doodads'...all those tiny little peices that are all over his dresser...it drives me nuts, so here is what I made for him.

I used the My Minds Eye 'Lil Robots' paper kit and I embossed the robot and the tag and inked the edges! I think it is just adorable!!

Now to change it up a bit.....here is a A2 gatefold card that I created using the score board, some Halloween paper and some MS punches!The adorable double sided paper is from DCWV Spook~tacular paper pad. I used the spooky fence and spider web corner punch from MS and a littel $1 stamp. The candy corn girl was cut using the cricut and Mini Monsters cartridge, I think she is adorable!

Here is a card and matching envelope with liner that was made using the ever so handy MS score board....yes, I had so much fun with this handy tool!

For this card and envelope, I used some Basic Grey scraps and the new MS punch around the page 'Laurel Leaf' to make this card! The envelopes are so easy to make using the score board...isn't it nice to have a matching envelope for a beautiful card?!? I think so.

So that completes my projects for now using the MS score board.....I just wanted to share how much I love this new tool and how simple it is to create with it!!

Now for some more MS enabling.....check out this new punch that I bought at Michael's called 'Laurel Leaf'........this is my all time favorite punch, I just love it and it is perfect for all of those Fall layouts soon to be made. Check this out........

I just had so much fun punching the other night....I couldn't stop. I wanted to use it on some different colored cardstock that would be perfect for some Fall layouts.....I did 4 different sizes! I can't wait to make some projects with these!

Well, that is what I have fo now, thanks for looking!! We are expecting a terrible hurricane on Friday, so we are off to the store for batteries, water and snacks!!! have a wonderful day~~

Lots of Fun Cards!!

2010-08-30T05:00:00.000-04:00

Here is a card that I designed for Thoughts2paper as part of our Christmas inspiration month! I found the directions at Splitcoaststampers and used product from the Thoughts2paper store! I love that it is a 2 in 1 card....it opens like a card to write on the inside yet, the front of the card has a pocket to hold a tag and another pocket to hold a gift card!

Supplies used from Thoughts2paper store: Bazzill cardstock, Bo Bunny St. Nick toyland and hollyberry paper, Bo Bunny St Nick buttons and bling, cream tulle (stock), Tim Holtz crushed olive distress ink and MS double loops punch. Additional supplies: ATG gun and scallop punch!

My next project is a series of cards using my absolute favorite image from the Cindy Loo cricut cartridge....the DEER!!! You can find the cartridge at the Thoughts2paper store, but get it fast before it sells out! I used some MM vintage scraps to make these cards!

I used the frame feature and the border feature (for the kissing deer) and made an assortment of cards with the different features but only used the deer image! I love how they all turned out and all the cards are a different size! The 'smile' and the 'so deer' titles were cut using the CAC cartridge...also available at Thoughts2paper!

Still time to win a new PINK ATG gun!!

2010-08-27T23:03:00.005-04:00

Hi friends, just wanted to let you know that you still have some time to create a layout based on the sketch at Thoughts2paper for your chance to win a new PINK ATG gun!!! All you need to do is create a layout based on the sketch...as is, flip it or rotate it....you can even create a card with the sketch...it's up to you! So start creating and link it up on the Thoughts2paper blog under sketch #8!!! Have fun!!

P.S. CHERYL.....you were a winner in the blog hop, so please get it touch with me to claim your prize!!!

WINNERSposted

2010-08-26T13:01:00.000-04:00

I hope you loved all of the inspiration from our Thoughts2paper blog hop and that you took advantage of the 40% off sale in the store!!

First of all, I would like to thank all of you for leaving such sweet comments, they are much appreciated and thank you to those of you who chose to follow my blog!!!

Second of all I want to thank my fellow Design Team members who took the time to comment on my blog as well!!

So, instead of using random.org to choose a winner, I decided to do it the good old fashion way....picking a name out of a hat. Well, I have two children and they both wanted to pick a name...of course...so I thought it would only be fair to let them each pick a name. Sooooo, what we did was we my son chose one winner to receive the crocheted flowers and my daughter picked one lucky winner from my Design Team members who left a comment on my blog to also receive a package of crocheted flowers!! How exciting...and might I add fair to the kids....is that?!?!?!?!

Here is Christopher to announce the winner

....................................THE WINNERS of my hand crocheted Christmas flowers are...........................

*********CHERYL ********
And here is Samantha to announce my fellow DESIGN TEAM WINNER........................

**********DELFINA *******

Congratulations girls!! Please leave me a way that I can get in touch with you, thanks!!

Thank you all for participating in the Thoughts2paper blog hop and I hope you were all as inspired as I was to start creating some beautiful Christmas cards, layouts and projects!!
Please scroll down to see my lastest and might I add adorable project for Thoughts2paper!!!

Christmas Sleigh with 3 Adorable Reindeer!!!

2010-08-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

I have to say that this is one of my favorite projects...I love the adorable reindeer cut from the Create A Critter cricut cartridge and when I was asked to decorate a die cut sleigh for Thoughts2paper, I knew immediately what I was going to do!!! I just love how this turned out!!

The die cut ships flat, so I traced both the front and back using Bo Bunny papers and cut it out. I used Helmar 450 adhesive to adhere the paper to the sleigh, I trimmed some red cardstock and added it to the runners and decorated with some MM gems. I cut out three reindeer at 3" and made the leader of the sleigh a little 'rudolph' with a red nose. I cut them twice and used pop dots, this way if it was on the coffee table, it would be double sided! I cut the light garland to use as their reigns! After I assembled the sleigh I filled it with some chocolate kisses!!

Supplies found at Thoughts2paper: sleigh die cut, Helmar 450 adhesive, Bo Bunny sugar plum paper, bazzill cardstock, AC cardstock, MM red gem collection, Create A Critter cricut cartridge, Bazzill cardstock borders (snowflake) and ribbon from stock. Additional supplies used: lollipop sticks, clay, glitter, google eyes, pop dots and chocolate kisses.

I hope you have enjoyed my Holiday project and if you are interested in any of the supplies used go check out Thoughts2paper where there is a 40% off sale now through the 28th...use coupon code CHAROOM!! Also, if you pop over to Thoughts2paper blog you will find some more fantastic ways to decorate the slegih die cut!

A CHRISTMAS BLOG HO-HO-HO HOP!!!

2010-08-25T05:00:00.000-04:00

Good morning friends and welcome to the Thoughts2paper Christmas Blog Hop, we are so excited that you are here! Can you believe Christmas is only 4 months away? We have the perfect projects to get you inspired! Along the ho-ho-ho-hop you will find an assortment of wonderful Christmas projects that will get you inspired for some Holiday decorating and gift giving!!

Liz, the owner of Thoughts2paper, will be giving one lucky winner a $40 gift certificate to the Thoughts2paper store!! To be entered in the drawing to win all you need to do is leave a comment on ALL the designers blogs and the Thoughts2paper blog as well! (International applicants are welcome to join in the fun, but must pay S&H fees if chosen as the winner!) The hop is only for today and the winner will be posted within 48 hours!

There is also a 40% off sale at Thoughts2paper that will start today and run until the 28th, so don't forget to pick up some of your favorite supplies....the coupon code is CHAROOM (must be typed with all caps to receive correct discount)!

So, let me share my Christmas project with you and then get you started on the ho-ho-ho-hop!!!

Supplies used from Thoughts2paper: Bo Bunny St. Nick line...sleigh, sugarplum, hollyberry and mistletoe and Helmar 450 quick dry adhesive.

I made this wreath to accompany my Christmas tree that I made last year. I used a flat white styrofoam ring from M's and I painted it green! I then cut several strips of paper into 3/4 x 4 inches....I folded each strip in half and used a quilters pin and some Helmar 450 adhesive and made a row of three strips of paper. I alternated the papers (the double sided paper is wonderful because you can just flip it) and just made rows of three going all around the wreath. I added a festive bow that I made using some left over ribbon and voila...a beautiful wreath!!

If you decide to follow my blog and leave me a comment, I will pick one winner to receive a bunch of handmade crochet poinsettias and flowers...the perfect touch to any Holiday gift or project! Now on to the ho-ho-ho-hop...please go hop on over to my friend Sarah's blog HERE for another wonderful Christmas project!

Be sure to leave comments along the way and on the Thoughts2paper blog for your chance to win a $40 gift certificate to the store!!!

Sketch Reveal...In The Holiday Spirit!!

2010-08-20T07:00:00.002-04:00

Good morning, we have another fun sketch for you over at Thoughts2paper, we hope you will come join us! If you complete this sketch by September 4th, you will be in a drawing to win a prize from Thoughts2paper.....do you want to know what the prize is???

THE BRAND NEW PINK ATG GUN!!!

So what are you waiting for??? Create a layout or card based on this sketch, visit the Thoughts2paper blog and share with us by linking us to your project!! Have fun creating!!

Now, here is what I did for this sketch:

Supplies used from Thoughts2paper store: BoBunny St. Nick Noel paper, Bazzill cardstock, Bazzill cardstock border strips, Bazzill paper flowers, MM red gem collection, glimmer mist and Tim Holtz ink pad!

In keeping with our Christmas theme for the end of August, I chose to do a Holiday layout using some wonderful supplies from the Thoughts2paper store! I love the simplicity of the sketch and the layout! I hope you will come join us in this sketch and just so you know, the reveal dates for the sketches are the 5th and 20th of every month!! Happy crafting!

P.S. Keep your eyes open for a fun Christmas surprise coming shortly to Thoughts2paper....you won't want to miss it!!

Spooktacular Halloween Treats!

2010-08-17T09:00:00.000-04:00

Good morning friends...lately I have been in the mood to create Halloween goodies with all of the fun product and cricut cartridges out there! Here are some treat bags that I made using the 'Mini Monsters' cartridge...the bags are about 3x4, just right to hold some small treats! I am thinking...while I am in the Halloween mood..I might create enough for my daughter's first grade class!

And here is a card that I made using the Celebrate with Flourish cartridge for the moon and witch and the Happy Halloween title....I have to say that the images are so cute for all the different seasons and occasions!

There will be plenty more projects with all of the new Halloween and lite cartridges that I haven't had a chance to play with yet!!

Go Fish...fun sketch!!

2010-08-16T19:34:00.003-04:00

Here is another great sketch from Thoughts2paper! I love playing along with a sketch, it gives me a starting point and then I can make it my own! I hope you will hop on over to Thoughts2paper and play along...be sure to check back on the 20th for a new sketch!!

And here is what I did with the sketch.....

I used the 'Sweet Summertime' kit from Echo Park (you can find it in the Thoughts2paper store). I can't tell you how much I love this kit...I have made so many layouts and cards and still have plenty left. I look foward to their future kits...keep your eyes open in the store!! I used Life's A Beach cricut cartridge for the fish bowl accent and the title! Thanks for looking and don't forget to pop on over to Thoughts2paper to play along with the sketches!!

Purple Zebra Stripes!

2010-08-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

Good morning!! I have a cute card to share today with a cute story behind it!!

My 5 year old niece recently moved to North Carolina and will be starting school in 2 weeks. My kids don't go back until September 13...I know very late, but I am happy to have them home!!

So, talking on the phone with my niece and asking her if she was excited to start school, she said yes. I asked her if she knew what she was going to wear....first day of school clothes are important...especially to little girls...lol!! So she told me that she is going to wear a purple and white zebra shirt with a matching skirt and some purlple jelly shoes. She was very excited to talk about her new outfit! She just melts my heart and I miss her so much, so I created this card for her wishing her luck on her first day of school...in a new school with a new outfit!! LOL!!!

So here is my special one of a kind card for my super special niece!!! I almost forgot to mention that the adorable zebra came from the Create a Critter cartridge and was cut at 4"!!

Farm Fresh Fruits & Veggies Cards!

2010-08-12T05:00:00.000-04:00

Today I wanted to share with you 2 fun cards that I made that were inspired by a trip to our local farmstand!!

We love to go the the farmstand with our kids (which just so happens to be where I used to work back when I was in school). The kids each get a basket and fill it up with their favorite fruits & veggies and then when we get home we see what we can make with all the fresh goodies! Last week, we had chicken kabobs with zucchini, onions, peppers and cherry tomatoes that my son picked out and we made some fruit kabobs with watermelon, apples, grapes and strawberries...that my daughter picked out. We packed them up and went down to the beach to listen to a live band play....what could be better...waves behind you, cool sand in your toes and a fresh kabob in your hand!!! We had a great time. So, being inspired by our farmstand, I couldn't resist making these summer cards! I designed them for Thoughts2paper with product that can be found in the Thoughts2paper store!

For the 'you're Rad' card I used Just Because Cards and cut the radish at 8", title at 3 1/2" and the scallop border (pg. 39) at 7" . For the pear card, I used Serenade cricut cartridge and cut the pear at 3" and computer generated the sentiment!
I hope you enjoy these cards as much as I do! I hope they will inspire you to visit your local farmstand for some fresh fruit & veggies! Have a wonderful summer afternoon!!

supplies used from Thoughts2paper store: Just Because Cards & Serenade cricut cartridges, AC primary cardstock and 'root cellar' paper by October Afternoon.

P.S. We have some new and exciting things coming to Thoughts2paper soon, so keep watching!!!

I'm Back from Vacation!!

2010-08-02T13:17:00.004-04:00

It was so nice to get away for 9 days, but it is so great to be home!! There's no place like HOME....now I know how Dorothy feels...lol!!!
We had a wonderful time relxing and swimming all day! We had two nasty storms while we were there, but they were fast passing. My SIL and hubby saw a water spout forming right out of our hotel. We were on the 9th floor overlooking the ocean and the weather changed so fast! I have never in my life heard thunder like I did in SC...wicked is all I can say!
The kids had so much fun and stayed up until midnight almost every night! We woke up and went swimming all day...pool, waterparks and ocean and then changed and went out at night!
We went to Broadway at the Beach one night for a fireworks show and when we got there the lady at the info desk said that the fireworks were last night and that the scrapbooking store was no longer there! I was so upset! So, we went and saw fireworks at the pier near our hotel while my father watched my daughter, so it all worked out!
I will have pictures posted soon, can't wait to share!
Today, I received the Martha Stewart Seasonal Cake Cartridge that I won from PC! I was so excited. I can't wait to play with my new cake machine!
That is all for now...still doing all the laundry...fun fun!

Hearts in the Sand!

2010-08-01T05:00:00.000-04:00

Here is a sweet layout that I designed for Thoughts2paper using the So Sophie line from My Minds Eye! I took this sweet picture of my kiddos in June at the beach...they were so patient with me...I have wanted a picture like this for a while and they were so willing to help out. As soon as the pictures were taken they were splashing around having fun!
I am loving all of the beautiful papers in the So Sophie line...you can order yours at Thoughts2paper.

I used some Maya Road chipboard shapes and glimmer misted them and then ran them through the cuttlebug. I misted some Bo Bunny flowers and added some Zva pearls. I love this layout....might just be my all time favorite!!
Go check out the Thoughts2paper store....Liz has it stock full of all sorts of yummy goodies and there will be plenty more coming in after CHA!!

A Ticket 2 Ride!

2010-07-30T05:00:00.000-04:00

I have a fun layout for you today using Summer Vacation cricut cartridge! I cut the ferris wheel at 11 1/2" and the tickets at 1 1/2". I added some stickles and bling to make it shine like my daughter's smile!! We took the kids to a festival and my daughter and I went on the swings over ten times...and we loved it!

I designed this for Thoughts2paper and the cricut cartridge can be found in the store!

Siblings Swimming to their hearts content!!

2010-07-25T05:00:00.000-04:00

Good morning! I designed this page for Design Team work for Thoughts2paper! I used the 'Sweet Summertime' kit from Echo Park...I love the colors in this kit! These are pictures of my kiddos last summer when we bought them a pool to teach my daughter how to swim. I would hear her say," swim with me brother!" and he would. I hope that they will always have a bond like they do now! My son loves being a big brother and protects her and my daughter loves being the little sister and loves being protected!
I used 'A Childs Year' cricut cartridge for the little girl with the tube and the pinwheel, both cut at 4". I also used the 'Sweet Summertime' kit from Echo Park. Both the cartridge and the kit can be found at the Thoughts2paper store! A sweet & simple summer fun layout!

Exciting news up the whazoo!!

2010-07-24T01:26:00.006-04:00

Good morning! I have been showered with gifts all week and had to share my excitement!!

First of all, my husband bought my kids and I a Martha Stewart Cricut Cake machine when it aired on HSN last week!! We were all so excited...well, it came today and we had to open it and see just how beautiful it really is!!

Then to top that off, through my cricut cirle message board.....I won a Martha Stewart cake cartridge!!! I was thrilled when I was notified that I was a winner and I just can't wait to make some yummy and beautiful treats with my new stuff!

Now....more good news...I know, really!! I filled out a survey through the circut circle message board and I won a gently used Cricut Expression for my children's Elementary school!!!! We were so excited to find out that they won a machine and I can't wait to show all of the teachers how to use it to decorate their classrooms!!! I am telling you....what a wonderful thing that Provocraft did...not only did I win, but there were 500 winners and each of them received a cricut E for their school!!

Now, my really, really, really good news is.............................................................

we are leaving for a week long vacation to Myrtle Beach today!!! We have a 13 1/2 hour drive ahead of us, but that is ok. Once we are there, we are soakin' up the sun, swimming and the best part for me is that I don't have to cook!!! YAY!! On that note...the only bad thing is that I won't be able to craft for a week, but I will have lots of pics to scrap when I get back. Ok, so we are off! Have a wonderful week and don't forget to look for some yummy treats being posted when I return!!!

Guess Who Loves You???

2010-07-20T07:00:00.000-04:00

I do!! It is time for another fabulous sketch from Del over at Thoughts2Paper! I decided to make a card with the sketch to show the versatility...especially for all the card makers out there!

I had fun making this card...I used Nikki Sivils~Henry's Brilliance paper and cut 8 one inch squares and used 4 Heidi Swapp photo corners...added some letter stickers, some ink and a chipboard bracket that I inked brown. I added some buttons for his eyes and added some tulle! This card is for my son...we are really into owls lately!

Supplis from Thoughts2Paper store: Nikki Sivils~henry's Brilliance paper, Helmar scrap dots, Tim Holtz brown ink, KaiserCraft mini alphas, tulle and buttons from stock.

Additional supplies used:Basic Grey naked chipboard and heidi Swapp photo corners.

I really hope that you will pop on over to Thoughts2Paper and and play along!!!

Bonjour Mon Amie!

2010-07-19T00:50:00.002-04:00

Here is a quick card that I made for my 6 yo daughter who recently told me that she wanted to go to Paris. Where did that come from...didn't see that coming!!! So I told her all about my trip to France when I was in High School and she asked me to teach her some French....well, it has been many years and I didn't remember alot. Once I started speaking to her...out flew the french words...we were all laughing...I couldn't stop. We found some books at the library and she loves them. So I made her this card...she is amazed by the Eiffel Tower and really wants to go...if she wasn't afraid to fly, I might consider it...am I nuts?

Christmas in July!

2010-07-18T23:49:00.001-04:00

Well it is Christmas in July (technically on the 25th) and I am in the spirit. On Friday, we took my Gram out for her 79th Birthday and my daughter asked if we could go to Wally World after dinner, so we did. I couldn't resist buying another Cricut Lite cartridge...I really couldn't...I guess you could say that it was a 'Christmas' present!!! I got Hoot 'n Hollar...a super cute owl cartridge! When I saw all the cute Christmas images...maybe only 5 on the cart...I knew right away that I wanted to make this card. The phrase was cut at 1 1/2 inches, the branch 2 inches and the owl 2 1/2 inches. How cute is that branch with the dangling ornament??? I used a bunch of fun colors and a blue snowflake background, I also used the cuttlebug to add some texture!
Merry Christmas!!