Mom-in-Law Birthday!

Hi Everybody - Happy Friday!,

We are celebrating my mother-in-law's birthday this weekend. She's in town for a big fitness convention. Did I mention she teaches Pilates and is over 60!? She's a fitness guru, for sure. And looks terrific! Wow, do I have some work to do on myself (maybe not typing this blog and sipping a delicious Sauvignon Blanc *wink wink*) Ah, well, we all have to do what we all have to do.

I decided to make her a card with her favorite treat - a cupcake. She loves chocolate but the girly, sparkly My Mind's Eye papers where just too cute to pass up.

I also used the incredibly wonderful stamps by Emma at My Creative Time I think I went kinda crazy with Stickles - I even put it on the rose I made. :~D

This is from the Birthday Bash cartridge and My Creative Time sentiment stamp.  I used Martha's punch around the page and embossed the pink paper using my good ol' Cuttlebug.

This rosette is from Christina at Creations with Christina.  I bought it already cut on manila paper and all I had to do was to bend it around a paintbrush handle until it resembled a rose.  After putting a pink pearl in the middle, I sprayed it with Glimmer Mist in Golden Terracotta and added a little Stickles to the edges. 

Hope you like it!

Happy Birthday, Mom! using Birthday Bash cartridge!

Hello Everyone!,

Today I made a card for a very special lady - my mom.  She's turning 80 this year and it's impossible to believe that she still goes to the gym everyday, has parties, drives a sports car and talks to her kids all the time, is turning 80.  Well, I did see a lady who was 96 and running marathons, so there ya go!  My mom's still got it!

We are all going to her favorite restaurant in LA called Lawry's Prime Rib where she loves to eat her wonderful beef dinner with all the trimmings:  creamed spinach, potatoes and the salad they make at the table, spinning the bowl while they pour on the dressing.  Not a lo-cal meal!  ;~)

I used a beautiful stack of paper from DCWV called Lemon Flower Stack - so gorgeous!  There are lots of sparkly pages and the colors make for perfect cards.

I can't believe all the cuts are from Birthday Bash, even the shaped card!  The card was cut at 11.41 x 8.96 which is huge but this is a big birthday after all.  The card is supposed to open between the smaller flowered paper and the silver polka dot paper but I chose to glue them together to give an outline or shadow to my card.

I did use a Peach Keen stamp instead of the face on the cartridge.  Using my Gypsy, I "hid" the facial cut outs so I could stamp the face using the large Critter Faces stamp set.  There's some Glossy Accents on the nose and my Copic markers for the cheeks, white gel pen for the eyes.  This cartridge doesn't have a shadow feature (I wish all the cartridges had this feature!) so I cut the bottom layer of the cat a little bit bigger so it would show under the yellow paper.  When you layer figures onto patterned paper, sometimes they get lost on the page without a little dark outline or shadow.

Here's how the card opens - I cut out 3 of the shaped card, one with the flowery patterned paper, one with the silver polka dots and one more in green to decorate the inside.

I added a caption from a stamp set from Michael's - the clear polymer was a bit too flexible, however, and didn't make as clean an impression as I would have liked.  I just added a little color to dress it up!  Oh, and a flower.

A few rhinestones on the cake trim - the more bling the better!

Peachy Keen faces are great with all the little animal faces in the Cricut cartridges.  You just need a Gypsy and use the Hide Contour feature.  I use it all the time!

Have a great Sunday!

Owly Happy Birthday!

Hi Everybody,

Here's a little card I made with paper I have been waiting to use!  And my father in law's birthday is the perfect time to use it.  It's cut from good old Just Because Cards and I triple layered the background because I wanted to use Baja Breeze paper from Stampin Up - I just love that color!

The stamped sentiment is from My Pink Stamper, Everyday Life and I stamped it in brown ink.

The face is stamped from Peachy Keen Stamps, Critter Faces Large.  Don't you just love those big owly eyes!

Have a great weekend!

-Lisa  :~)

Wishing you a one-of-a-kind Birthday!

Hi everybody!,

This must be a pink & green kind of couple of weeks!  I just love it!  I came up with this card for the Peachy Keen Challenge and used their Critter Faces for my ducky's cute little eyes!  I also used the Just Because Cards for her plaid body with pink wings, beak & feet!  ...Get it?  A one-of-a-kind duck?  LOL!  :~)

I used the Just Because Cards cartridge for the background shapes also and I took a 5"x1.5" strip of green card stock, stuck one end through my Decorative Label punch by Stampin' Up (leaving the other end hanging out of the way of the cutting edge) and then reversed it and cut the other end out (otherwise the punch cuts a 1.5" square shape which was too short for my green card stock). 

Here's where you can see the long green strip of card stock with each end cut separately with my punch.  I did the same thing with the ends of my sentiment "Wishing you a ..."  You need to cut the strip narrow enough so that you can tuck one end under the blade and leave the other end out of the way of the cutting edge.

To attach the bow, I used my rectangular hole punch and punched 2 holes into the paper and threaded the ribbon through the back and tied it in front.

I stamped this with a stamp from Michael's and then edged it in pink chalk, sprayed it with Golden Terracotta Glimmer Mist and then topped it with Glossy Accents (I squeezed a long strip over it and then spread it out with my finger!)

I pop-dotted this little ducky and highlighted her with my white gel pen.

 Wishing all of you a one-of-a-kind day!


Lisa  :~)
 

Kathy's Cozies for my Expression!! Wow!!

Hi Everybody!

I just got my pink and green "cozy" to cover my Expression and I  L*O*V*E  it!  I also ordered a cover for my Cinch and asked her if she could make me a little case for my sunglasses.  Her website shows a million colors & fabrics you can choose - I could hardly pick one, they were all so pretty! 

You'll have to check out Kathy's website:  kathyscozies.blogspot.com

No more dust bunnies for me!

My curtains are pink & green and the walls are green so this fits in perfectly!  Kathy sells these on Esty also:  www/etsy.com/KathysCozies

Isn't this cute!!  I can't wait to see what the other one's I ordered look like "in person"!

 Have a great day!
-Lisa  :~)

Happy Birthday to Three! Just Because Cricut Cartridge

Hi Everybody!,

I made 3 birthday cards, well, two birthday and one card to uplift someone who's feeling down (that could be a birthday too!).  I can't believe I made time for making 3 cards and we also went to the car race on Saturday and on Sunday we went hiking with our boys (2 miles! - for me that's B I G) and then had Dim Sum afterwards.  I guess I wrecked all the good calorie burning of a hike with the not so good for you dim sum treats! 

When I did a card for Emma's Creative Time for Me website I saw such a cute card I had to scraplift it! (it is from Nikki at Scrappin' Navy Wife).  The colors are so bright and cheery!  I used the Just Because Cards Cricute cartridge for the watermelon then made another using the cute little ladybug and then one for my dad using the truck.

This card opens at the bottom.  Thank you to Nikki for the card inspiration!

I used Glossy Accents to highlight the seeds.  I just put a dot on the fatter end of the seed and then dragged the tip of  a paperclip I opened up to make the point.

I scored the card at the top and used the black cardstock as the opening for the card.

I got a set of inspirational sentiments at Michael's - isn't that a cute saying?  I added black rhinestones to the corners and chalked it in pink ($1 from Michael's  - can't beat it! ;~)

This is another take on Nikki's card and Regina Easter's idea to use Kraft paper for the background of the bug.  I love the scalloped edges of the card and there's also white cardstock behind it.   I used brads at the top and scored the back page to fold just where the pink scallops start.

I added white rose buttons I bought at Joann's and I used my wire cutters to cut off the little plastic hoops on the backs.

Here is the card from the side so you can see how the card opens.

There are 3 pink brads the run along the top of the card so it can open - and the score is only on the white scalloped cardstock on the back.  I used little pearls for the buggy's eyes.

Here's my Dad's Happy Birthday card.  I thought a truck would fit him - he's a retired orthodontist but always wanted to be a farmer and live out in the middle of nowhere!  Kind of an old-fashioned guy.

I used the Modern Label punch from Stampin' Up to cut out the label and 2 tiny buttons on the ends.

Inside I used another one of the sentiments from Michael's  which my dad will enjoy since he's turning 85!  That's a lot of fingers!!  And I had to include his favorite - a dog!

I embossed this with my Cuttlebug and then sanded it to rough it up a bit.  I love the way the stars look with the Americana of the truck.

 Have a great day!

-Lisa :~)

In a Pickle?

Hey Everyone!

 

Here's a card I made for a challenge at My Creative Time with Emma (http://www.creativetimeforme.com/).  She has the best challenges and really knows her way around a Gypsy (my most favorite "tool" for the Cricut!).  When I looked at the Just Because cartridge, the little pickle was just begging to be made, so I did!

Throwback Thursday Challenge! ~ Episode 209

Good morning & welcome to another Throwback Thursday Challenge! WOW! Everyone who participated in our last "Cricutless" challenge did an AWESOME job!!! SOOOO much talent out there & I just LOVE it!

 Here are the details for this challenge:

***Use either "Wild Card" OR "Just Because" cartridges! & PLEASE incorporate some EMBOSSING somewhere on any project of your choice! You can dry or heat emboss, whichever you prefer!  

IF YOU DO NOT OWN ANY OF THESE CARTRIDGES, USE ANY "OLDER" CARTRIDGE YOU OWN!

*** Link your project up to Mr. Linky, then leave a comment!

*** Deadline for this challenge will be on Wed, July 20th @ midnight!

*** ONE project per person please!

Here's my pickle card!  I just love the little pickle face!  It's a Peachy Keen Stamp from their Funshine Face Parts. 

The card is 4" x 6 1/4" and I ran the pink thru my Cutlebug to give it a grassy effect.

Look at this little face - adorable!!  I stamped it before I ran it thru the Cuttlebug so it was a little smoother.  I also added a some Martha Stewart Fennel Flocking (Thank You, Dina!) where the darker green paper was supposed to show thru and ran the pickle thru my Cuttlebug for the "warts"!  I rubbed some green chalk over the top to make the warts show up a little better!  And I can't get enough of my white gel pen stitching! ;~)

I used Word to type up In a pickle? using the 2Peas Hearts Delight font in a green color - isn't it cute?  The flower is from Daisy Doodles at Michael's (Thanks, again, Dina!) and I added a button and pushed the stamen up thru the back.  The sentiment is cut out with Stampin Up's Modern Label punch and edged in moss green chalk.

My scrap room is getting out of control!  I need to read some of the organizational websites and get to work!  It is so hot outside, I don't want to  be out there for very long!  


Take care,
Lisa :~)

 

Happy Fourth of July! Scrapbook Page

Hi Everyone!,

I hope you all had a happy and safe 4th of July!  We just got back from a houseboat trip with all my brothers and their families as well as our mom & dad.  Very fun!  

I did a 4th of July scrapbook page because I happened to see this great paper at the local scrapbook store and I loved it!  It's by Bo Bunny, Liberty Collection.   I only used the Cricut to cut swirls out with the Calligraphy and Cindy Loo cartridges.

This was a plain wooden star from Michael's I painted with acrylics and tied a bow and then added the 4th with clear stickers.

More clear stickers with a painted look to go with the paper's grunge look.

I made this with a stamp and square punch, a little red chalk and some red plaid buttons and red twine.  I also ripped some blue paper by Core'dinations which has a light blue color sandwiched between the darker blue back & front.

This sentiment was stamped and cut out and then I added Glossy Accents over the top and pop-dotted it on!

A few buttons, some natural twine and bingo, the four corners of my star paper have a little bling!

Thanks for looking!

Lisa :~)

Summer Mini Album! Part 3

 Hi everyone!,

Well, I did my cover today and included my favorite stamps, Peachy Keen!, for the awesome Mr. Sun and his sunglasses!  The stamp was for a smiley guy with regular glasses and has the rim of the glasses showing as well as the eyes.  I just used my black Sharpie and colored in the lenses and added a little white gel pen to give it a glass look.

I used two of my favorite Cricut cartridges for the images on the front.  The sun is from Doodlecharms with a shadow feature (I love cartridges with a shadow feature to give a little 3-d effect) and Create a Critter for the "so FUN" sentiment.  I cut the sentiment out twice and I filled the inside (which you could use on its own) with another fun patterned paper.  I popped it up just a bit so it would look like it's floating over the cloud-shaped background.  

A little ribbon and it's ready to add photos!

Now the fun part begins!


Take care,
Lisa  :~)

Summer Mini Album! Part 2

Hi everyone!,

Okay, this is pretty fun!  I cut each layer in a summery patterned paper, once right side up and once right side down.  The first one goes on the top and the second one goes on the back of the page.

This paper is from Rusty Sun in a pack I have been looking at for a couple years!  It was too cute and fits the theme perfectly!


I used my rough nail file to smooth down the edges of each page after I adhered the patterned paper.  I also used a brown cats-eye chalk from Color Box along the edges of each page - that made the biggest difference in how it looks.  Before I used the brown chalk, it looked unfinished and the grey cardboard stood out (and not in a good way!).  Now it looks very cohesive and all the brown edges ties the book together.

I am debating cutting out each of the letters (S, U, M, m, e, R) in bright, solid colors to stand out along the edges.  I'll see how it looks as I go and then decide.


The Cinch is a great tool - once you get the hang of it.  If you look at the weird-shaped holes in the second and third pages, you can see I am challenged in this regard!  I nudged the guide bar on the Cinch and cut out a couple of pages in the wrong spot - Oops!  When the book says to pull out peg 12 for a 6 inch page, just do it.  :~)   Actually, using less pegs probably would have worked better since the sides of my album are curved.  Next time!!


Here's my covered album pages.  I am so excited! - now I have to get out there and take my kids fun places!  Heeheehee.

The front cover is full of happy sun-shaped flowers.  Each page is tiered 1/2" from the next page.

When I cut out this patterned paper, I just cut it out twice since the paper is two-sided.  The second cut out I adhered to the back of the "S" page which you can see in the last photo.

Here's the back side of the "S" page and how it looks next to the "U".

This was so fun!  I can't wait to add the inside art & photos in Part 3.


Take care,
Lisa  :~)