A Lovely Blog Hop!!

Hello and welcome to A Lovely Blog Hop! If you have just stumbled upon this blog hop you can follow along by starting at Everyday is an Occasion. If you have been following along you should have come from Missy over at Quick Chick Designs.

The idea behind this blog hop is to make a Valentine's day project, card, etc.. . I decided to make (drumroll please......) a LAYOUT!! You all must be falling over in shock!! I know, so outrageous for me! haha!

For the LIFE of me I can not get my layout photos to come out straight. They are square! It should not be this hard!! Ugh! Anyway, I did the best I could ;)

This project was really a comedy of errors. Should have been very quick and simple, but pretty much everything that could go wrong DID go wrong, but somehow I managed to get it done!

This is a Valentine's Day blog hop and I do not have a Valentine this year, but I DO have a new love: my brand new DSLR camera. I think this is going to be a forever thing... I decided to do a page about my new love rather than a silly boy. Ha!

I am once again using MME's Lucky in Love collection. I have gotten a lot of mileage out of this kit!! I love that it is sweet and romantic, but doesn't scream Valentine's Day. So if you are doing a layout about, say, your love for your camera instead of a husband or boyfriend it still works!!

I did something fun with the title. I love the look of those block letters (not sure the exact font title or style name, but I've been seeing it alot lately- particularly with Elizabeth Kartchner's work). This was the best I could do using the Boys will be Boys cart. I designed the lettering on my gypsy (this is where my night of errors began) and then cut it out on my Cricut on throwaway paper. I then laid my template over my page and used spray ink to 'color in' the title. 

Thanks so much for hopping with us today! I hope you have been inspired by all the amazing talent exhibited here today. Big thanks to Jill for organizing this! Mwah!

Your next stop is Lisa from A Mermaid's Crafts.

Whether you have an awesome Valentine to shower with affection, or you're paying tribute to inanimate objects like me I hope you have an AMAZING Valentine's day! Until next time!!

Supply List:

Paper, stickers: MME Lucky in Love

Cartridge: Boys will be Boys

Spray Ink: Mr Huey's, Smooch Spritz

Washi: Bella Blvd.

Puppy Love for Scrapbook USA Expo

Hello friends! I am back with another fun Valentine's Project with the totally awesome 'Lucky in Love' collection from My Mind's Eye. I am once again highlighting a 'different' type of love than the romantic love you usually see with Valentine's Day projects. This is great for those of us who don't currently have a romantic relationship, but want to make a fun Valentine's project, or utilize all of the adorable Valentine's product out there. And Lucky in Love is no exception- I just adore the themes in this collection- especially the hot air balloons! Without further adieu- here is my layout:

This is me and my big boy Cash.  He's a big sweetheart, and he is going to be my valentine this year. I used my Cricut Elegant Edges cart to cut out the big white center mat with the cute heart cut-out, as well as the photo frame. I then layered some fun stickers, and created a title with thickers. Here are some details:

I am a really big fan of utilizing the little border strips that many manufacturers add to the edge of their 12x12 sheets that show a preview of the pattern on the reverse side. They make great border accents, and I feel like I am getting more out of my product.

Arrows are very popular right now, and with this being a Valentine's page, I felt it necessary to add some :)

There's my project- I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for stopping by, and be sure to visit My Mind's Eye to pick up some of their amazing product for yourself!

Patches of Pink Design Team Member!!

For 4 Crafty Chicks Guest Designer post please click HERE (or see below :)

Hello again! I have another exciting announcement to make- I have been chosen to be a design team member for Patches of Pink! If you are not familiar with this blog then you must check it out- Jalisa is uber talented, as are all the design team members, so really great inspiration as well as fun linky parties and challenges! Our theme for this week is Valentine's, so please come link up your awesome Valentine's projects with us!
For my project I am showing a Valentine's Box I made for work. They decided to have a team building activity where everyone would bring in homemade Valentine's boxes (like we did in Elementary School!) and pass out Valentine's to each other, it was fun to take that trip down memory lane :) This box was surprisingly hard to photograph, so please forgive the photos:

 Almost all the cuts were made with Love Struck 2010, except for the rosettes that were cut with Ribbons and Rosettes. 

 I added some glossy accents to the rose to give it a little glisten.

 I accented a few of the hearts with some diamond stickles and added some bakers twine to a clear button.

 All the paper is from Echo Park Yours Truly.

I hope you enjoyed my 'old school' Valentine's Box. Please head over to Patches of Pink to check out what the rest of our amazingly talented design team has created, and be sure to link up with our linky party!!

Pile It On Challenge # 07 - Heartfelt Thanks

Happy Sunday, and welcome to another challenge at Pile it On! This week our theme is 'Heartfelt Thanks' and our sponsor is Stampotique. One lucky winner will get a $30 gift certificate! Stampotique very generously provided the design team members with some awesome stamps, and I love their creepy/cute style. Here is my creation:

This week my sketch was inspired by the challenge over at Die Cuttin' Divas. I think it is really versatile, but I opted to keep it more clean and simple.

To keep with the 'heartfelt' theme, I added this cute felt heart accent from American Crafts- perfect, right? My mat shape is cut from Elegant Edges. Here are some more closeups:

Here is the awesome Stampotique stamp, she can be found HERE.

I thought this sentiment from Whimsical Designs was perfect for this image. I then added another sentiment on the interior:

I hope you enjoyed my project and have inspired you to join in our Hearfelt Thanks challenge, and pile it on!!

Supply List:
Cardstock: Colorbok
Patterned Paper: Bo Bunny
Stamps: Stampotique and Whimsical Designs
Felt Heart: American Crafts
Die cut mat: Elegant Edges
Border Punch: American Crafts

And here are my challenges:
My Craft Spot- Valentine's Day
Victorine Stamps - Love/Valentine's
Die Cuttin' Divas - sketch
Party Time Tuesdays - Valentine
Shopping Our Stash - Hearts, Valentine's and Lace
Top Tip Tuesday - Valentine
Crafts and Me - Use a new image
My Mum's Craft Shop - Love
4 Crafty Chicks - Valentine's/Love
Card Makin' Mamas - Valentine
Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Clean and Simple
Totally Gorjuss - Love
Fantabulous Cricut - Include a heart

Valentine Topiary

If you are looking for the Cooking with Cricut Love Song Blog Hop please go HERE

I wanted to share a project with you that I actually made for Valentine's last year, but I didn't have a blog back then so I am sharing it with you now! This is a heart shaped topiary with paper rosettes:

This project was really very simple, but I'm not going to lie- it is very time consuming! To start with you need a heart shaped piece of foam. I wasn't able to find one in a heart shape so I got a big piece of styrofoam, probably 3 inches thick, and then cut a heart from George and Basic Shapes to use as a stencil and I cut it out with a craft knife.

 When I made this topiary Cricut's Flower Shoppe cartridge had not been released yet, and if I had had it this might have been quicker and easier, but you don't need that cart (or Art Philosophy for that matter) in order to make this. I cut a whole bunch of circles in different sizes from George (2"-4") from different Valentine's themed patterned papers (they need to be double sided as both sides will show). Then I cut a spiral and rolled them up into rosettes and secured with a hot glue gun. I used a petal roller tool which made it much easier. Because my heart shape was relatively flat I could have opted to cover only the front with the flowers, and place patterned paper on the back. I actually covered the whole thing with the flowers, but either way would have been fine. I think in the end there were around 100 flowers. 

I then hot glued a pearl in the center of each flower and hot glued them to the Styrofoam base. **Here is my tip for Top Tip Tuesday: One way to make this step a LOT easier would have been to use a pearl topped pin to secure each flower to the foam, but for me buying the pearls and gluing them was MUCH more cost effective, if not more time consuming. 

In the meantime I got a regular Terra cotta pot and painted it pink with acrylic paint. I painted a dowel in the same color and bought some moss. I secured the dowel to the heart and then to a styrofoam base. I filled in the gaps with the moss and added 3 rosettes at the bottom for decoration. I tied a ribbon up the dowel and added some additional pearls. I haven't yet, but you could also add some ribbon, vinyl or other decoration to the pot to make it more decorative. 

So there is my project! I hope you have enjoyed it! I am entering my topiary in the following challenges:

Top Tip Tuesday - Valentine

For Fun Challenges - Love

Crafty Catz - Pink and white

Wags N Whiskers - home decor 

Totally Gorjuss - Love

Really Reasonable Ribbon - Red and pink with ribbon

Cooking with Cricut Love Song Blog Hop- Day 1

Welcome to PaperCraftingWorld & CookingWithCricut's Love Song Blog Hop! Love is
in the air and our Designers have come up with some great Valentine's Day projects inspired by
our favorite love songs.
If you arrived here from visiting the talented Melin at Cooking with Cricut you're in the right
place. If you're joining us mid-hop and would like to start at the beginning click here to go to
Paper Crafting World’s Cooking With Cricut blog and check out what Melin has made!
I created a layout for my project today, and I have to say, this is probably one of my most favorite layouts that I've done in a long time. Maybe it was the subject matter :) I was inspired by Reba's Keep On Lovin' You. I was tempted to do a REALLY lovey dovey song, but then I realized it just wasn't realistic for OUR marriage. This song pretty much describes our relationship perfectly! :)

I used kraft cardstock by Bazill, American Crafts patterned paper and embellies, and Crate Paper brads. I used George to cut the circles, and one of my favorite font carts-Makin the Grade- for the title. I typed out the song lyrics that I wanted to highlight on my computer, and printed them on matching cardstock. Here is a better look:

I hope you’ll join us and link up your favorite love song inspired project at CookingWithCricut.
One lucky entry will be chosen by random.org to win a $10.00 gift certificate provided by
PaperCraftingWorld!  And make sure you leave a comment, too!  One lucky commenter will also
receive a $10.00 PaperCraftingWorld gift certificate!
I have some blog candy to offer up today as well! One lucky commenter will win TWO Cricut idea books. Even if you don't have a Cricut, these books are fabulous, filled with TONS of ideas and projects to inspire. You do not need to be a follower to win, but if you do, just comment a second time stating that you are a new follower for a second chance to win! Your support means the WORLD to me!
Thanks so much for hopping with us today.  Now head on over and visit Felicia at Scrapper in the Making and see what she has created!


Melin @ Cooking With Cricut
Heather @ The Hunny Pot ------->You are HERE
Felicia @ Scrapper in the Making ------>Go here NEXT
Yolie @ Just Yolie
Michelle @ Michelle’s Crafty Creations
Holly @ Ribbons and Glue
Elizabeth @ Broken Treasures
Celeste @ Touched by a Butterfly
Larelyn @ Handmade from the Heart
Linda @ Linda’s Creativity
Debbie @ Workin’ Scrappin’ Mom of 4

Jen @ Musings of a Crafty Mom

4 Crafty Chicks Challenge # 76: Valentine's (Love)

Hello everyone and welcome to my second post as guest designer for 4 Crafty Chicks! This week the theme is Valentines/Love. I don’t know about you, but this is one theme I just never get tired of! There are so many ways you can incorporate ‘Love’ into your projects, and I personally love red and pink so I am loving all these love-y projects! :)

For my project this week I decided to create a card. I used this awesome image from Tiddly Inks. It’s a little hard to see in the picture, but the boy is a VAMPIRE, lol! I thought it was cute and romantic so I created the “I love you forever” sentiment on my computer to go with the image. Here is a better look:

 I created a border with an MS lace border punch and tied the ribbon with my bow easy. Ever since I got this tool I have been trying to find ways to add ribbon to everything, lol! I actually didn’t use ribbon all that oftern before I got this tool! I do realize that the sentiment is a little lopsided. I’m not very good at cutting in a straight line apparently, lol! I considered ripping the card apart to fix it, but I am of the school of thought that it’s the little imperfections that make a homemade card ‘homemade’.

I hope you have enjoyed my project, and please come join us at 4 Crafty Chicks with your Valentine and Love themed projects!

Supply List:

Cardstock: Colorbok

Patterned Paper: Bo Bunny

Digital Image: Tiddly Inks (colored with Copics)

Ribbon: American Crafts

Border Punch: Martha Stewart

Sending Love...

Happy Saturday! Here is a card that I made today, I used a sketch provided for the challenge this week at Totally Gorjuss. I like how the sketch is so versatile. I am more of a Clean and Simple gal, though, so that is how I kept it :)

 I created this Valentine's/Thinking of You card with a sweet image from Meljens. I thought this little girl hugging her kitty was the perfect image to go with this sentiment from Whimsical Designs stamps. I colored her with copics, and added some stickles to the hearts.

Supply list:
Cardstock: Colorbok
Patterned Paper: DCWV
Image stamp: Meljens
Sentiment Stamp: Whimsical Designs
Border punch, ribbon: American Crafts
Sentiment mat cut from Elegant Edges

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

Stamp n Doodle - love/romance
Digi Doodles - love is in air
Meljens - loving you
Pixie Dust Studio - girlie girl
Really Reasonable Ribbon - pink and red and ribbon
Card Makin Mamas - Valentine
Crafty Catz - red, pink and white
Frosted Designs - Ribbon and/or twine
Poodles Parlour - Anything goes
The Secret Crafter - hugs and kisses
Sweet Stampin Challenge- the one I love
Totally Gorjuss - sketch

2012 Scrapbook Trend #3: Baker's Twine

Hi and welcome to another project showcasing the top 10 scrapbook trends for 2012. Number 3 is Baker's Twine. This one is also not a 'new' trend for me, but it is always fun to try new and different ways to use Baker's twine.

I used the sketch from the challenge over at The Friday Mashup this week.

This cute little guy is from Bugaboo: Dino Heart. I thought he was perfect for a card I had been wanting to make for awhile: "RAWR means I love you in dinosaur." I always say 'Rawr' to my hubby, and to be honest, I don't think he even knows what it means. He thinks I'm just being silly and so he humors me, lol. So I have been wanting to make a card to let him know exactly what it means! Here is the interior of the card:

I didn't have a stamp that said "means I love you in dinosaur", lol. I thought about typing something up on the computer, but decided to use some stickers from MME instead. They are meant to be a little skee-wompus. The Valentine's stamp is from Whimsical Designs (With Love)

I have a tip for Top Tip Tuesday this week: In order to get the edges of my banner in that nice little pattern I actually took my Zig glue pin and drew a swirly line with the glue, then laid the twine over it. It laid perfectly!

These little beauties were some blog candy I won from Debbie Bakk at Debbie's Scrappin Corner. She MAKES these! Aren't they adorable?? As soon as I received them from her I had to make something! Thank you Debbie, I LOVE them!!

Supply list:
Cardstock: Colorbok, DCWV
Patterned paper: DCWV
Stamp: Bugaboo colored with copics
Mat: Elegant Edges
Stickers: My Mind's Eye
Stamp (interior): Whimsical Designs
Baker's Twine: My Craft Spot
Embroidered Flowers: Debbie's Scrappin' Corner
Stickles

Thanks for stopping by today, and make sure you come back later this week for my FIRST post as a Guest Designer for 4 Crafty Chicks! And stay tuned for 2012 Scrapbook Trend # 4: Nautical Motifs!!

I am entering this card in the following challenges:
Friday Mashup - Sketch + something new (the stamps are my 'new')
Die Cuttin' Divas - Anything goes
Party Time Tuesdays - Anything goes
Top Tip Tuesday - Valentines
Paper Sundaes -Valentine

Will you be my Valentine?

Here is another Valentine's card with a cute image from Meljen's:

This was a really quick and simple card once I got the image colored. The kraft paper is from Oriental Trading Co. (who knew they had scrapbook supplies! Some of their patterned paper is a little on the thin side for my taste, but this kraft paper is actually pretty good and I got 60 pieces for 6 or 7 bucks!). The other patterned paper is from Bo Bunny. I colored the image with copics:

Here are the other supplies used:
Copics
Stamp from Pink by Design
Crinkle Ribbon from Prairie Bird Boutique
Stickles (diamond)

I am entering this guy in the following challenges:
Meljen's - hearts
HeartSong Inspirations - red, white and/or ribbon
Kraft Journal - tie it up
Really Reasonable ribbon - Valentine's day
Poodle's Parlour - Valentine's Day
Wags n' Whiskers - Valentine's Day
The Secret crafter - Ribbons