Cooking with Cricut Challenge #88: May Flowers

Hello crafty friends and welcome to another fun challenge over at Cooking with Cricut! This week we are celebrating those May flowers!! I decided to take a slightly non-traditional take to the spring flowers, but there are still flowers in several different places on my layout. Here it is:

I don't have as hard of a time as some people doing layouts of myself (assuming I have a decent pic, lol!), but this one was a bit of a struggle as I just wasn't sure what I was conveying about myself. I finally settled on the straightforward -This is me- right now, today. Simple, right?? The wood grain border was cut from Ribbons and Rosettes and also has a flower pattern on it. You can see it better below:

I printed my background paper and the newsprint on the Imagine Vintage Papers cart. I only recently acquired this cart and wondered why I didn't purchase it much much sooner, lol! Sometimes you discover a cart is just one of those hidden gems. I misted and dripped some blue/green ink on the background paper for a little pop of color. Also, I used my Gypsy for this cart. I purchased my Gypsy several months ago, and lets just say there has been a bit of a learning curve. Everyone raves about it, but it has taken me a while to figure out the ins and outs. I think I am finally getting the hang of it a little bit! So long story short- I used Gypsy Font for the 'me' and (FINALLY!) mastered the weld, lol!

I added some May flowers by way of a fun little banner. I printed out the newsprint pattern from the Vintage Papers cart, then cut out some flower shapes from the Mother's Day Bouquet cart. Then I inked the edges a bit, punches a hole and threaded them on some baker's twine. I threw in a few little flag stickers for fun.

Lastly I made a couple flags with some more stickers and done! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and please be sure to check out the Cooking with Cricut blog to see what the rest of the DT cooked up for you and join in the fun!!

Supply List:
Cardstock: ColorBok
Patterned Paper: Echo Park (This & That-Graceful), Imagine Vintage Papers
Cartridges: Mother's Day Bouquet, Ribbons and Rosettes, Gypsy Font, Imagine Vintage Papers
Stickers: Echo Park (This & That-Graceful)
Buttons: Dear Lizzy for American Crafts (Neapolitan), Pink Paislee (spool)
Brads: Basic Grey, SEI
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Sprinklers

Pile it On # 22: More than 2 folds

Hello friends! And welcome to another fun Pile it On challenge! This week we are making cards/projects with more than 2 folds, and our sponsor is Digi Doodle Shop! They were gracious enough to let me use this ADORABLE owl image for my project this week. You may not know this but I am a little obsessed with owls :) I just recently found out there is an Owl Garden sanctuary not far from me so I am heading there Monday-SO excited!! Expect to see some owl projects in the near future! LOL! But back to my project... cards of any kind are definitely not my forte, so I kept my multi fold project easy with a simple easel card. Here it is:

This started off with the intention of being a Father's Day card, but I ended up taking it in a different direction. All the paper is from American Crafts- their 'Chap' line. The image of course is from Digi Doodle shop. Here is a closer look at the front of the card (sorry for the off centered photo- the card just wouldn't lay down for me to take a good pic!)

The newspaper print strip- which is a little hard to see in the photo- is actually a print from the Imagine Vintage Papers cart. I then punched the edge and added some ribbon. The owl is colored with Copics, and popped up on foam dots for added dimension. The moon and stars are also popped up. I also inked all the edges with some distress ink. Here is the interior:

I hope you have enjoyed my project today- thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check out the Pile it On blog to see all the other awe-inspiring projects our Design Team has come up with and join in the fun!!

Supply List:
Kraft Paper: Oriental Trading Co.
Patterened Paper: American Crafts (Chap), Cricut Imagine (Vintage Papers)
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink
Cartridge: Paper Dolls Dress Up (Moon & Stars)
Dies: Spellbinders with Cuttlebug
Punches: American Crafts
Twine: My Craft Spot
Ribbon: American Crafts
Stamps: Digi Doodle Shop (Image, colored with Copics) Whimsical Designs (Sentiment)

My challenges:
Critter Sketch Challenge - sketch
Die Cuttin' Divas - Banners, Birthdays or Buttons (Star banner on interior of card)
Top Tip Tuesday - Dig out the Old (My old- all the paper, the cartridge and die, inkand twine)
Little Darlings - card for a boy
Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Father's day/Masculine
Digi Doodle Shop - Spotty
Really Reasonable Ribbon - Father's Day/Masculine with Ribbon
Card Makin' Mamas - punches
Totally Papercrafts - Animals
Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Moon and Stars

Practical Scrappers Frugal Finds

Hello crafty friends! I am not sure if you are aware, but Practical Scrappers has a cool installment on their blog every month called Frugal Finds. It shows you how to take everyday objects and transform them into cool embellishments for your projects! This installment we are using produce mesh- like the kind your onions or oranges come in! I decided to use the mesh and some paint as a way to add texture to my background paper! I used the new Echo Park Note to Self line- once I laid my eyes on that view finder paper I did not waste a second getting my paws on it! lol! Here is my layout:

I was so LUCKY to get these HILARIOUS photos of my nephew Sevyn crawling through the doggy door! How can you not smile at that face peeking through the flap?? haha! As far as the mesh, I cut out a square, smeared some acrylic paint on (yes, this was a little bit of a messy project!) and then I layed it down on my background paper in random places. Here are some close-ups:

I used the letter stickers from the Note to Self sticker sheet for my title. It's fitting, right? ;)

I cut some border pieces from the cork patterned paper with my Ribbons and Rosettes cart. I just recently re-discovered this cart for it's border cuts and I have used it like 3 times in one week already, lol!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope I have inspired you to take a second look at some of those household items that you might usually throw away! Make sure you stop by the Practical Scrappers blog for some additional ideas on how to use those mesh bags in your projects!!

Supply List:

Kraft: Bazzill Basics

Patterned Paper/stickers: Echo Park (Note to Self)

Acrylic Paint: Apple Barrel

Cartridge: Ribbons and Rosettes (borders)

Blog Candy Winner!!

Hello everyone! Sorry it took me so long to get to this, it's been a pretty busy week! First of all I want to thank all of you who have left lovely and encouraging comments on my projects- it means so much!! And welcome to my new followers- I love that y'all were so willing to help me reach my goal. Only 19 more to go!! So that being said, the winner of the Cricut Imagine cartridge is.....MARLA!!!
Your card is so pretty. Love the colors and the simplicity of all the components. I am already a follower! Would love to win the fabulous candy you are giving away!!! marla@lagoski.com
Congratulations Marla! I will send you an email to get your address! See you all soon!!

Cooking with Cricut Blogaversary Celebration Week Day 4

Hello and welcome back to Day 4 of Cooking with Cricut's weeklong blogaversary celebration!! Today we have a fun theme- Tiaras! For all those girlie-girl projects tiaras are such a fun embellishment. I had the perfect idea for a layout with my beautiful niece Emma who is about as girly-girl as you can get, lol!! Here is her layout:

I'm not usually a big bling-y girl, but it was appropriate for this layout so I brought out the bling! Here are some close-ups:

This image is cut from the Hannah Montana cart, and of course I had to bling it up a bit, lol! I think this is just a darling cut! Also added some fun polka dotted washi tape!

The font from Ribbons and Rosettes has holes cut in the letters that are just asking for a little bling to be added! Also, you can't see it really well here, but the 3" strip across the layout has a bunch of little tiaras! Thought it was too perfect not to use! All the paper is from American Crafts Ever After line.

One last bit of bling with the flower centers! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and be sure to come visit the Cooking with Cricut blog to see all the other amazing projects our Design Team has cooked up for you!!

Supply List:

Cardstock: Colorbok

Patterned Paper: American Crafts (Ever After)

Gems: recollections, Close to my Heart

Cartridges: Hannah Montana (princess), Ribbons and Rosettes (in, borders) Gypsy Font (training), Elegant Edges (Scalloped squares)

Flowers: Prima

Washi Tape: Queen & co.

Flyboy

Hello everyone! Today I am posting another project for ScrapbookPal.com! I have some really AWESOME photos of my grandfather who recently passed. They are from his time in WWII. I am really excited to be able to commemorate him with this project. Here it is:

   

Most of the paper was printed with my Imagine, but I also used some scraps from Bo Bunny's etc. collection. I printed all the patterns on Kraft paper to give it a more vintage look. My design was inspired by a Sketches in Thyme sketch.

Have you seen the *BRAND new* Art Deco cartridge? I loved it the minute I saw it and was SO excited that ScrapbookPal was carrying it- pretty much right after it was released on the Hello Thursday announcement. This cartridge is loaded with vintage/20's era images which I LOVE. When I saw these vintage plane images I thought they would be perfect for a page about my Grandpa!

I inked all the cuts with Tim Holtz distress ink in Vintage Photo to give it more of a vintage/aged look. I also used Tim Holtz tissue tape- I thought it provided a nice touch to the overall vintage look I was going for.

The flags/Pennants were cut with a Spellbinders die. My complete ScrapbookPal supply list is below. This die set is awesome, and has several different banner/pennant shapes.

For a final touch I added this tag from the Bo Bunny. I thought the sentiment was perfect :)
Thank you for stopping by today, and make sure to stop by ScrapbookPal.com to pick up some supplies to make some great projects of your own! Also be sure to visit their blog to see what the rest of the talented designers have cooked up for you!

ScrapbookPal supply list:

Tim Holtz DISTRESS INK PAD - Vintage Photo	Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Ink Applicator	Ranger Liquid Pearls-Platinum Pearl	Cricut Cartridge: Art Deco
Cricut Cartridge: Songbird	Cricut Imagine Cartridge: Snapshot Texture	Cricut Imagine Mat	Nestabilities Mega Die Nesting Pennants
Sew Easy Fancy Floss Bakers Twine - Neutrals	MS Paper Trimmer	Zig 2 way glue pen	Scotch ATG
We R Memory Keepers Brad Setter and Piercer tool	Cuttlebug

InLinkz.com

Cooking with Cricut Blogaversary Celebration Week: Day 1

Hello friends and welcome back to our continuing celebration of the 2 year Blogaversary at Cooking with Cricut! We are having a week long celebration with lots of inspiration, giveaways and freebies! Today's theme is All things Girlie! We want to see pink, and add some satin- either flowers, ribbon or fabric!! I decided to do a layout of one of my adorable girlie-girl nieces Evie. Here it is:

I decided not to go real heavy handed with the pink, but there is definitely plenty of pink in there! And the little music note ribbon is my satin. All of the papers are from the Dear Lizzy Neapolitan line. I was a little late to the party on this line, but so glad I discovered it because I am now in LOVE. Wish I had some more, lol!! Here are some details:

The title is cut from Rock Princess, and is so appropriate for this sweet girl! I layered some border strips underneath the title for some added interest.

The clouds are cut with Serenade. I loved the flourishes that are cut into them. I also cut a circular swirl from Paper Lace (don't have a better way to describe that, lol!). I layered that under the photos.

I honestly did not even realize I had this adorable loopy border on my Ribbon's and Rosettes cart, but I am so glad I discovered it as there are tons of cute border images. Who needs border punches now, lol! Here is also a better look at the cute satin ribbon.

This jar is the reason I bought the Dear Lizzy papers, could they be any cuter?! Also, a new fave embellishment: spool buttons! Yay!
Thanks so much for joining in our celebration, and be sure to check back at the Cooking with Cricut blog throughout the week as there is PLENTY of inspiration to go around!!

Supply List:

Cardstock: DCWV

Patterned Paper: Dear Lizzy for American Crafts (Neapolitan)

Cartridges: Serenade (clouds) Rock Princess (title), Ribbons & Rosettes (loop border) Paper Lace (swirl)

Spool Buttons: Pink Paislee

Banner Flags: American Crafts

Pile It On # 21: Mix Your Scales

Hello bloggy friends! It's time for another fun Pile it On challenge! This week we are challenging you to mix your scales. This week our sponsor is Jelly Park and one lucky winner will get 3 digis! Awesome!! So if you are not familiar with what 'mix your scales' means, you basically are mixing a large scale pattern (like a large floral print) with a small scale pattern (like polka dots). Here is my card:

My card was inspired by this week's sketch challenge at The City Crafter.  For my large scale I used the large floral pattern on the circle, and my small scale are the polka dot background paper and washi tape.I used an adorable Jelly Park image and added some color with copics, and then enhanced with glitter. I used Spellbinders dies to cut the rectangle image mats and the sentiment pennant. Here is a closer look at the image:

For the sentiment I added some flowers, and used some washi tape to make another pleated flower for the center and then topped with a button. I stamped my sentiment on a pennant that I cut from a Spellbinders die. All of the paper I used is from American Crafts.

I hope you have enjoyed my project today and thanks so much for stopping by! Be sure to stop by and see all the other inspiring projects our talented design team has made up for you!

Supply List:
Cardstock: Bazzill (Yellow)
Patterned Paper: American Crafts
Flowers: Fancy Pants Designs
Buttons: Stash
Stamps: Jelly Park (Image, colored with Copics) Hero Arts (Sentiment)
Ribbon: American Crafts
Washi Tape: Queen & Co.
Cartridge: George & Basic Shapes (Circle)
Dies: Spellbinders (Rectanges, Pennants) Cut with Cuttlebug
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink
Glitter Glue: Stickles by Ranger

My challenges:
Critter Sketch Challenge - Flowers
The City Crafter - sketch
Die Cutting Divas - Flowers
For Fun Challenges - Flowers
Card Makin' Mamas - Flowers
Crafty Catz - Girlie
Friday Mash-up - Decorative Edge with Ribbon
Jelly Park Challenges - Washi Tape
Wags n' Whiskers - 1 Image, 2 Ribbons, 3 Designer Papers (FYI- the green paper is also designer paper)
Sweet Stampin' challenge - Fairies and Angels
Totally Gorjuss - Pink and green

Cooking with Cricut 2nd Blogaversary Blog Hop!

Hello my friends and welcome to Day 1 of the Paper Crafting World and Cooking with Cricut's Blogaversary Blog hop! Our Design Teams are so excited to bring you a two-day hop that focuses on projects honoring a second anniversary: cloth, crystal or glass.

We think you will be blown away by some of the super creative inspiration and interpretation of our designers. So be sure to come back both days as each day will be a different set of designers and projects!

PLUS, this hop is the kick off of our week long celebration! Each day for a whole week we will be bringing you fabulous projects made by our designers and each day we will be giving away free vintage graphics, digital printables and/or electronic cutting files! So you will want to make CWC-PCW a daily stop for the next week!

You should have arrived here from the lovely and talented Natt from Awesomeness of Crafting. If you've joined us in mid-hop and would like to check out all the other fantastic projects head on over to PCW-CWC and start at the beginning. There are several prizes to be won so be sure to head over and join the fun at CWC-PCW. There is also a "cloth, crystal or glass" challenge you can enter to win as well as other super blog candy just for being a follower and commenting, so don't miss out!

For my project I decided to make a card, and add some glossy accents for a crystal like look. I apologize that it is a little hard to see the crystal in the picture, so you will just have to trust me ;)

For the card I used scraps from the beautiful My Mind's Eye Follow Your Dreams collection. It was a very quick and easy card (I'm a big fan of CAS). I used an MS lace border punch, and the butterfly is from the Hannah Montana cart. Here is a close-up of the butterfly:

If you can't see the glossy accents very well, you can probably at least see where I went outside the lines with it, lol!

I also have a little bit of blog candy to give away today. My one year blogaversery is August 3rd, and I made a goal to reach 200 followers by then. I am just 32 away! So if you could help me out and become a follower and leave me a message that you did, or that you already are, I will pick one random person to win a Cricut Imagine cartridge: Vintage Papers!! I am simply in LOVE with this cart and so I wanted to share it with one of you! Here is what you could get:

Thanks for stopping by! Head on over to Marji at Tiggerscraps to see what she has cooked up for you!