Happy Birthday, with Cricut and CTMH

Good Morning Friends!  How are you all today?  I'm spending a few quiet minutes with my coffee and computer before everyone is up and about for thee craziness of the day :)

A good friend of mine's daughter has a birthday coming up next month.  She's turning 10 and I wanted to make something special for her.  I have the card done, but still brainstorming some gift ideas.

The card base is 5" square and is cut from Cricut Art Philosophy with slate cardstock.  I cut 2 square mats, one from twilight sized 4 1/4" and the other from white daisy sized 4".  (I used CCR to search for the images I wanted so I do not have page numbers to locate them in the handbooks) The banner is cut from Birthday Bash at 1", the balloons are cut from Creative Cards at 1 1/2".  The paper for the banner is from Fancy Pants Designs, a 6x6 paper pad called Time for Spring.  A super cute paper pad!  For the balloons, I covered them with the bonding memories glue pen and covered them with glitter.  I used bakers twine to make a bow for the banner and the strings for the balloons.  They are both adhered and raised with foam tape.

The owl is from Hoot n Holler at 2" out of scraps.  The sentiment is from Joyful Birthday, B1419 and is stamped in Hollyhock.

On the inside, I cut the same square mats as the front.  The sentiment is from The Party is On, C1568.  This is one of the exclusive Hostess Sets available when you host a gathering.  I stamped this with Hollyhock also.  Along the bottom I stamped a border with one of the Washi Wonder stamps, D1558 using second generation stamping.  This again is another Hostess Rewards sets available when you host a gathering.  This was stamped in twilight.  I wanted something a little extra so I used the tiny heart stamp from Lifting Spirits, C1570 and stamped it over the washi border in cotton candy.

I think it turned out super cute!  Hope you enjoyed today's project!

Be sure to check out the While Supplies Last and the Retiring Items sections!  When they are gone, they are gone forever!  New catalog coming Feb. 1st!

Specials available only in January:
January stamp of the month, only $5.00 with a qualifying purchase.
Cloud Nine cardmaking kit, only $15.00 with a qualifying purchase.

 Linking to:
Pause Dream Enjoy, balloons
Jo's Scrap Shack, anything goes
Friday Mashup, birthday theme with twine
Crafting by Designs, birthday
Fantabulous Cricut, use a sentiment

Have a Splendid Day ~ a fall card

Hello friends!!  So happy to be back in my craft room today!  I thought I was going to lose my mind if I didn't get some crafting therapy soon.

And today is the first day of fall!!  My favorite season.  I've been going crazy with apple, pumpkin and cinnamon recipes in the kitchen.  I have my fall scented candles burning from morning till night and so of course I started with some fall cards to get back into the swing of things.

I started with a sketch from Crazy 4 Challenges blog

And here is what I came up with

I used Chocolate cardstock for the base.  All the pattern papers come from a new fall 6x6 pad I got, Echo Park Paper, Reflections Fall by Lori Whitlock.  The apple is cut from Doodlecharms at 2.5" using CTMH cardstock colors Champagne, Olive, Cocoa and Barn Red.  I also inked the edges with the coordinating inks to eliminate the white edges.  I used the stamp set Harvest Happiness for the sentiment and the leaves and cut the corresponding shapes from Art Philosophy.  I stamped the sentiment with Chocolate and the leaves with Olive, Barn Red and Goldrush.  I added a button and jute bow from my stash and attached the apple with an Action Wobble.

On the inside, I used the border stamp from the Harvest Happiness stamp set in Cocoa.  I used a scrap from the same 6x6 pad - it's the opposite side of one the the papers from the front.  I also used the same leaf stamp with Olive ink using the second generation stamping technique.

Apples, leaves, fall colors - how can you go wrong??  

I hope you are all having a wonderful, relaxing Sunday!  I have some other projects that are half completed, so I'm going to finish those and I'll be back tomorrow.

Oh - I wanted to let you all know there are some new products added to the While Supplies Last section.  If you haven't been there lately, go check it out.  The Spellbound Paper Packs from last year are in there for $2.20!!  And a bunch of other great stuff super duper cheap!

You also have about a week left to take advantage of the National Stamping Month promotional stamp set and the amazing Poster Tidings Stamp of the Month.  ~~  This would be a great month to get one of the exclusive Cricut cartridges and take advantage of the specials!  For $114.00 you would get a Cricut cartridge, 3 sheets of dimensional elements and 7 stamp sets!  And no matter what cartridge you choose, you will not go wrong - they are all must haves!!  All of this would retail for $190.85 so it's an amazing savings!

Linking to:
BBTB2 - fall
Craftin Desert Divas - fall
Paper Playtime - apples
Die Cuttin Divas - apples
An Inky Situation - fall leaves
Little Scrap Pieces - any card/project
Friday Mashup - fall food
Jo's Scrap Shack - anything goes
CardzTV - colors of fall
Crazy 4 Challenges - sketch

Gift Ideas from my Kitchen - Crunchy Pumpkin Pie Granola

Hi Everyone!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Since it's cooled off I've been able to turn the oven on again and test out some recipes!  After my craft room, the kitchen is my next favorite place to create.

 I've started thinking about Thanksgiving.....this is my third year hosting dinner for my family.  I was so nervous that first year!  And, while I don't have all the kinks worked out, I try to have fun with it and not be so stressed.  My biggest obstacle is time management and getting dinner on the table as scheduled and not having everyone starve while they wait. Last year, for each person,  I decorated some small mason jars and filled them with a snack mix.

This year I wanted something different that incorporated the flavors of fall - to me, that is pumpkin and apple.  I came across a recipe for Crunchy Pumpkin Pie Granola on Allrecipes.com and tested it out this morning.  This granola is so yummy, took only 15 minutes to mix up and made my house smell wonderful!

Fresh from the oven

I found these little zip lock bags to package the granola in.  I find zip lock bags are much easier for my son to open and close instead of a twist tie.  Less mess for me to clean up too.

And of course I had to dress them up and make them look nice!

I used the cricut Art Philosophy cartridge to cut the fry box at 9" - you can get 2 of these from a 12 x 12 sheet of paper.  I used one of the  designs from the Huntington paper pack for the box and the coordinating cardstock in the pack for the other cuts.  For the turkey and the sentiment I used the Perfect Fit - Thanksgiving stamp set with the cricut Artiste cartridge.  I used Barn Red ink to stamp the turkey. 

And I used Cocoa ink for the sentiment and Olive ink for the flourish.  I used Goldrush to ink all the edges of each piece.

And here it is all put together.

Cute and yummy!  One detail for Thanksgiving done!  Yay!

Here is the link to the recipe at Allrecipes.com.

Have a wonderful week!!

Linking to:

BBTB2 - fry box challenge

Little Scrap Pieces - any project

September Specials!
You are My Happy - National Stamping Month
Poster Tidings - Stamp of the Month

Hugs & kisses

Hi guys!  It's been a while since I've been on here.  We're going through a heat wave and with no a/c in the house it's just been way too hot to craft!  I am dreaming of fall and the cooler temps!!  I've pulled out some cards I've made in the past and haven't shared until I can get back into my craft room comfortably.

This is a card inspired by one I saw on Pinterest.  The card base is 4x4.  Hugs is cut from Lacy Labels at .5", & is cut from Kate's ABC's at 1.75", kisses is cut from Quarter Note at .6", and the scallop border is cut from Art Philosophy at .75".  I used American Crafts brown/white baker's twine and a punch for the heart. Colors used are lagoon, cocoa, white daisy and champagne.

 I used white daisy for a mat and cocoa and lagoon to punch a couple hearts for the inside.

I hope you enjoy today's project!  Have a wonderful day, I'm heading up to the one room in my house that has a window unit to cool off!

Linking to:

Little Scrap Pieces - any project

Jo's Scrap Shack - photo inspiration (I used the colors)

Craftin Desert Divas - anything goes

Exploring Cricut - cricut choice 

Die Cuttin Divas - just because

August Special - only a few days left to take advantage of this amazing deal!!!

August Special Sweetening the Deal - spend $50 and get the August stamp of the month for FREE!!
Click here to see my 3x3 cards using this set!

Happy Autumn

Hello friends!  Although it's 33 days till the official start of fall, I am ready!  It's my favorite time of the year!  I love the crispness in the air, snuggling in warm sweaters and crunching through the leaves.  I especially love the colors of fall.  The leaves of fall is what inspired this card.

I started with a card base 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 with Autumn Terracotta cardstock.  I layered a mat 4 x 5 1/4 with a paper from the Huntington collection. The sentiment is from the Happy Autumn stamp set, inked in Cocoa.  It is on a mat 3 3/4 x 1 1/4 with Champagne cardstock that I inked the edges with Autumn Terracotta ink and added some rhinestones I had in my stash.

The square mat 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 with Goldrush cardstock.  Over that is a mat 3 7/16 x 3 7/16 with Cocoa cardstock and I ran it through the Cuddlebug with the Argyle embossing folder.  I used the Harvest Happiness stamp set for the leaves and acorns.  This is a cricut compatible stamp set that coordinates with Art Philosophy.  I used the sizes indicated on the stamp set and cut them with White Daisy cardstock.  The leaves are found on page 34 and cut at 2".  I used Goldrush, New England Ivy, Ruby and Autumn Terracotta to stamp the leaves.  The acorns are found on page 36 and cut at 1".  I used Chocolate and Saddle inks to stamp the acorns.

For the inside, I layered the same pattern paper I used on the front from the Huntington collection and Champagne cardstock.  I inked the edges of the cardstock with Autumn Terracotta ink.  I used another leaf cut with Art Philosophy, stamped with Harvest Happiness and inked with New England Ivy.  The sentiment is from the For a Friend stamp set and inked with Chocolate.


I hope you enjoy and have a wonderful week!!

Linking to:
An Inky Situation - browns and/or oranges
Crafting By Designs - anything goes
Jo's Scrap Shack - anything goes
Craftin Desert Divas - anything goes

August Special Sweetening the Deal - spend $50 and get the August stamp of the month for FREE!!
Click here to see my 3x3 cards using this set!

Sunshine and Happiness

Hi everyone!  I was cleaning up in my craft room a little bit last night, putting away stamps that were laying out etc...and I came across this stamp set that I've never used before.  

I don't even remember buying this, but at least I feel safe thinking I didn't pay more than a dollar!  :-)

It's so cute!  Here's my take on sunshine and happiness:

My morning coffee!!  Love it and can't be without it!

The pattern paper comes from a paper kit I bought through Oriental Trading called April Showers - all the rest came from my scrap bin.  You'd think I'd be making a dent in by now, but not so much....

The sun was cut from the Doodlecharms cartridge at 3 1/2" and popped up with one layer of foam tape.  The coffee cup came from the Love You a Latte cartridge cut at 3" - the top of the cup, over the sun is popped up with one layer of foam tape, but I used two layers for the bottom so it was level.  The mat for the sentiment is from Art Philosophy.  It is rectangle 7 on button 35.  I cut the yellow layer 1.75" and the white layer 1.5".

I stamped the sun from that cute Studio G set on the top in Buttercup yellow, and the sentiment is from a My Creative Time set called My Favorite Sayings.  I carried over the pattern paper from the front to the inside as well to dress it up a little.

This card makes me happy  :-)  Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Linking to:

Paper Playtime - pattern paper

Friday Mashup - polka dots and the word happy

Christmas in July # 6

Hi everyone!  I'm here with Christmas in July project # 6! Today I have a card to share:

I started with a kraft card base, 4 1/4 x 5 1/2.  I layered a red mat 4 x 5 1/4 and a holly berry pattern mat 3 3/4 x 5.  The pattern paper is from Recollections Jolly Jamboree paper pad I picked up last year.  Then I used the Ornamental Cheer stamp set that coordinates with the Art Philosophy cartridge.  I cut a background red ornament at 3 1/4" and the stamped ornament at 3" in kraft.  I added some twine to the top of the ornament and I used the Martha Stewart branch punch to add around the top.  Ink color is New England Ivy.

I used the Merry Christmas stamp from the same set on the inside.

I love how easy it is to create with the the cricut coordinated stamp sets!  

Hope you enjoyed today's Christmas project.  I'll be back tomorrow with the final project for Christmas in July!  Have a wonderful day!

Christmas Ornament Tag - Christmas in July # 5

Welcome to project # 5 in my Christmas in July week!

If you're anything like me, you go through a lot of tags at Christmas.  So I decided it was time to get started on them!

I used Art Philosophy for the tag base.  This one is found on page 50 under the card feature and is cut at 3 1/2" with white daisy cardstock.  I used a swirl stamp from an Inkadinkado set called Snowflakes with indian corn blue ink. I added stardust glitz to the dots on the swirl.  The ornament is cut from the Artiste cartridge.  It is located on page 53 under accent 3.  I cut the base layer out of indian corn blue cardstock and the decorative layer out of white daisy using the shift key.  They were sized at 2.153" and I cut 3 of them for each tag.  I put the layers together and scored each down the center an adhered them together to form a dimensional ornament.

The sentiment inside is from the Ornament Cheer Holiday stamp set in indian corn blue ink.

The final touch was to add a silver bow and some blue and white baker's twine.

Hope you all enjoyed today's Christmas in July project!  Only 2 more to go!  : )  Have a great day everyone!

Winter Wishes - Christmas in July # 3

Welcome Friends!  Today's project is more on the lines of a Winter theme vs. Christmas but I figure they kind of go hand in hand.

My card today was inspired by a sketch over on The Sweet Stop sketches blog.  I just recently discovered this blog and I am in love!!!

Here is the sketch from this week:

And the spin on the sketch is to use doilies.  I immediately thought of snowflakes!  I love all the intricate designs and how no two are alike.  I'm not a  fan of snow when I'm out shoveling, but if I'm sitting on my couch with a warm cup of coffee gazing out the window - then I love it!  

Here's my take on  the sketch:

Card base is 5 x 5 with slate cardstock.  The mat layer is a snowflake paper from DCWV Arctic Wishes cut 4 3/4 x 4 3/4.  I inked the edges with indian corn blue ink.  The snowflakes are cut from a variety of cartridges.  I used Artiste, Christmas solutions, and Art Philosophy.  I inked the edges of the snowflakes also with indian corn blue ink so they stand out a bit from the background paper.

The stamp for the center of the large snowflake is from C1469, Dec. 25th Holidays set.  This is a really nice stamp set for the holidays, and it also coordinates with the Art Philosophy cartridge.  I used stardust glitz in spots around the snowflakes to give them a little shimmer and shine.  The silver ribbon is a Celebrate It ribbon I picked up on clearance at Michaels last year after the holidays.

On the inside I used the same snowflake paper to cut a mat 4 3/4 x 4 3/4.  The snowflake comes from the Best of 2009 cartridge cut at 4 1/2".  I also inked the edges of this one with indian corn blue ink as well.

I am really happy with how it turned out and working from a sketch made it come together so easily!

I hope you enjoy!  I'll be back tomorrow with # 4 of Christmas in July.  Have a great day!!

Linking to Sweet Stop Sketches challenge