Practical Scrappers Turns 2

Practical Scrappers turned 2 this week!  Congratulations.  One of my favorite all time blogs!  The charge was to create a 2 page layout, or 2 go-together cards.   My layout is a 2 page layout, with 2 pictures.  Each picture has 2 brads.  The number 2 is on the lower fence with 2-gether.  All the flowers can be divided by two.  There are 2 heart charms and 2 initials (L & M). 2 clouds have silver linings.

This picture is from Lindsey and Michael's wedding that I did in Austin, Texas. My hope is that they continue 2 Grow 2 Gether. :0)

Lyrical Letters, My Community, Creative Critters, Martha Stewart Stickers. 

Practical Scrappers is one of the best blogs ever for encouraging you to use the things you have already in your stash.  I love that!  Congratulations Practical Scrappers on turning 2!

Give a gift - altered frappuccino bottles

The little girls upstairs are from Japan.  They are learning English in school here.  Their mother is learning Italian and speaks little to no English.  The husband who works with my husband speaks Japanese and English but travels.  You see the dilemma.  I started giving the girls little gifts on holidays they would celebrate but are not celebrated in Italy.  Like Halloween.  We have a sweet friendship where the girls get to practice their English and their mom gets a little break.  Here is a picture of them at Halloween:

So these are my gifts to them at Christmas.  And my entry into the Cricut Circle Blog challenge Black Friday.  Use black and at least two cricut cuts.  I have snowflakes, circles, squares and rectangles from Joys of the Season and George.  I love George, you can do anything with George!  Cricut Papers and some stickles.

Cricut Card Fairy Flight

Welcome to the THANKFUL Cricut Card Fairy Flight. This month we are practicing being thankful for all the blessings in our lives. What are you thankful for?

I am thankful for the parents of my daughters-in-love.  Without the upbringing

that they each had, with their unique experiences, they would not be the 

perfect wives, that they are for my sons,! 

I've done over 300 missions with the Cricut Card Fairies and we are currently near 700 missions.  That's 300 volunteer missions created and sent.  600 prayers offered.  Many, many fairy friends and the chance to be part of something bigger than myself.

I am giving away a Christmas Seasonal Cartridge, if you are my winner you will have a choice of - Trim The Tree, Gingerbread Men or Winter Lace.  Since I am in Italy, I will have it sent directly to you from Custom Crops so hopefully your choice is in stock! :0)

or or

Flit along with the Fairies on our Thankful Tour!  If you came from  ScrappyJess  then you are in the right place.  If you were just visiting me and want to join, then you can start at our Cricut Card Commander's site here :Creating for Caitlyn The next stop on this Fairy Flight is: KarelJ's 

All the links are here in case you get lost in the middle which is where I am. 

Caitlynsmommy: http://crystalscraftycreations.blogspot.com/
ScrappingDeb; http://tidbitsplace.blogspot.com
AJoy713 http://adreatravis2008.blogspot.com
RachelMutchler http://trickut-rachelscrafts.blogspot.com/
Kisatrtle http://www.kisatrtleskreativekorner.blogspot.com/
ScrappyJess http://scrappyjess.blogspot.com
PennyLight http://lightwhimsy.blogspot.com
KarelJcreations http://karelj.blogspot.com
Shellie http://shelliescreations.blogspot.com/
GRKIDDO http://ginathorntonstamping.blogspot.com
JamieFitzgerald http://www.jamieisacraftymomma.blogspot.com 
Iluvsnowmen http://wandaswhimsicalwonders.blogspot.com/
blondemommy26 http://blondemommy26.blogspot.com/
SherylGreene http://sherylscraftingcorner.blogspot.com/

My card inspiration is a simple Hot Chocolate pouch for which there are tutorials of all kinds on Youtube or SplitCoastStampers.  Mine is just one style of the many many out there.  This also completes my 2010 New Year's Resolution to try 12 different kind of folds for cards.

Joys of the Season and George and Basic Shapes Cartridges

My question for the hop is:  What part of the Thanksgiving meal is your favorite?

Mine would be the plate! Ha!  Gotta try a bite of everything and can't without a decent plate to put it on! 

Just answer the question as a comment in this post, that's all you have to do.  I'd love it if you became a follower, but it is not required.

If you'd like to join the fairies on our missions, please email our card commander or visit us on the Cricut Message boards here.  To win the Hello Kitty Cartridge Grand Prize, you must comment at every blog along the way.  Winners will be announced on Monday, Nov 22nd.

 Happy Thanksgiving!

Emboss me

Practical Scrappers challenged us to use our embossing folders.  I have Sizzix and Cuttlebug folders, and I forget to use them frequently until I put the pieces together and go...... oh, I should have embossed that!!  One of the things I love about Practical Scrappers challenging us to use the supplies we already have.

I chose to do a monochromatic card for this challenge.

I embossed each layer... Divine Swirls, Swiss Dots, Swirls and Paisley. Popped and layered each one at least twice.  Put the tiny swiss dot ribbon and baby rattle charm on the Y and called it done.

My baby sister has 4 boys.  Her blog is 4 Boys is Joy.  So, Boy Joy  was my sentiment.

You know, since I started ignoring PC's FREQUENT cartridge releases and looking "practically" at what I already have to use, I've fallen in love with some of my cartridges again.  I find that I am really lucky, because the earlier cartridges (the ones they are retiring now) were FAR more packed with images and variances than the new ones are.... for practically the same prices.  DS lets me alter and join things so I can create a lot of the new things they are putting out, if I work at it hard enough.  I'm sure a gypsy would help me with this even more....... but, I'd rather go to Paris in the Spring so I'm saving my money! :0)

Achoo

Fantabulous Cricut challenge this week is "Achoo" or Get Well.  I've been pretty sick for the last couple of weeks so I thought this a great challenge.  I made two cards.

George, Paper Doll Dress Up, Walk in My Garden,Bazzill Papers. Cricut Papers. White Pen, Design Studio welding.

TOM TURKEY THANK YOU

This is a fun little party favor I made for thanksgivng.

 

He is made from Create a critter and George cricut cartriges.  The treat box inside is made from Tags Bags Boxes and More.  His little beak holds a "thank you" charm an the back is left open for you to write on or assign a name, etc. 

The box is fille with little maple leaf chocolates and holds about 5 or 6 just fine, still allowing the box to close.

Receipe

Create a Critter body shapes for the Turkey cut at 5 inches

inked with cat eye chalks and doodled on with white signo and black gell pens

Flower is a punch.  Box is cut at 5 inches from TBBM this is the surgar box. 

scored folded, glued and set aside. 

Put each of the pieces together the way that you want them to look.  The beak is two triangles attache to a square and bent to make a matching beak which holds the thank you charm. 

Imagine these set around the table for every place with someone's name on them, filling them with candy or cookies of your choice and having the little favor for people to take a way from your inner.  Such a thoughtful little memory and gift.

Polymer Clay and the Cricut

This is my Cricut Polymer Clay project.  All the items in this box have been made using polymer clay on the cricut except for the pearls and stickles.

LET ME TELL YOU how excited I am about the new baby cricut cake!  The same size as my baby cricut but works like the cricut cake, NOW I will be able to do more things with  my polymer clay on the cricut.

 The clay cuts like fondant.  Sticks well to the mat and is easy to cut using the deep cut blade.  The problem with using the baby cricut is that it puts lines down the clay where the rollers go. The problem with using clay on your cake machine is that you would then have to dedicate the cake machine to clay.  Now I will be able to have a small machine that works for my clay because I don't care about doing cakes.

I used Winter Woodlands, Stretch My Imagination and George for this project that was published over at Practical Scrappers.  It was also fun to use another medium with my cricut!!

Let's Catch Up

 

There's nothing so wonderful as a good girl chat!  

George Circles 3" and 3.5" Create a Critter, birds, branches and houses. Lyrical Letters. Simple as pie!

It's good to catch up!  Let's do it soon!

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge with Leaves and Cricut Blog Color Challenge

 

This week's challenge at Fantabulous Cricut was to use leaves in your project. I cut the shapes I used with the cricut using Stretch Your Imagination, Winter Woodland, French Manor and George cartridges.. 

 

The papers are bazzill, cricut and DCWV.  Layered with some ribbon and raffia and a button.  This card was really fun.... you know how you're layering stuff and you just love the way its coming out and how all the cuts you did work out together?  It's the best part about crafting! 

Cricut Blog Color Challenge
Fantabulous Cricut Challenge


Have a great fall day!

Attitude, Gratitude, Fortitude

This is my entry for the Circut Circle Blog Friday Challenge.  Must use French Manor Cartridge and at least 2 cuts from the cricut machine and pearls or rhinestones.

 

An Attitude of Gratitude is Fortitude!

My New Motto!

Made using French Manor

Bird Cage cut at 5"

There is no shadow cut for this feature so in DS I hid the countour  (or you could glue the pieces back in) to create the back of the cage.

Bird cut at 2" and 2.5" in red, then again in black.

Lyrical Letters for the sentiments cut at 1.5"

Home Decor for the Flourishes cut at 3"

George to cut the mats, sized to my canvas and to cut the red pieces I used to highlight the inside of the cage, Oval and rectangle cut at 4.5" each.

Papers are Cricut Papers and 

Me&My Big Ideas Color Basics

Rhinestone Jewels for the bird cage accents and the bird's eye.

 

If I'm grateful for my experiences, only then do I have the strength to endure.

Being grateful for my life experiences makes me stronger.  Sometimes though, it is so hard to be grateful for things like... being in a cage.... but during that time, there is gratefulness for security, gratefulness for routine, gratefulness for food.  Being freed from the cage by things such as learning a new language or exploring the world I am in.....lots of things to be grateful for.  Getting to view the cage from inside and out, that's strength.  I am preaching to no one but myself. This trio of pictures, I created to remind me of the wonderful things that can be experienced with attitudes of gratitude!

National Baking Month - Fantabulous Cricut

Ellis had a Monster Bash for his birthday party and Mini Monsters came in very handy for the cakes, the banner, the birthday hats and the invitations!

With the extra fondant we just fooled around with some other things.

 

These two cakes are made using the giant cupcakes pan, I used the top to make a beehive cake and the bottom to make a whimsical cake. I tried out the bee on both cakes just for fun, but the best part was eating them. 

 

I don't have a cricut cake so I cut out the pieces I wanted and traced around them on the fondant.  I also used a punch for some of the circles if I could get the fondant thin enough.  

Join us at Fantabulous Cricut for our National Baking Month challenge, cook up something of your own.

All Stitched Up - Practical Scrappers

Practical Scrappers challenge this week is to use stitching on your project.  I made an S-Card stitching roses and leaves onto the paper.  I found the paper piercing project here.

Dark pink, light pink, white and green embroidery floss.   Marvy butterfly punch.  Stampin' Up buttons, Stash ribbon and paper.

Come join us at Practical Scrappers and stitch something.

SYI Challenge #5 - with Look @ La's

This is Challenge number 5 Walking through SYI with La at Look@La's

We are using the swirly cuts next to the Paisley.  If you cannot tell already we are working backwards up the keyboard.

I think we both made note cards this time.  Mine is a set of six.  I used George to cut the size of my note cards and then married the size of the design in DS.  I used some Serenade too.  Then I made the box out of Tags, Bags, Boxes and More  Match Box cut.

 

These will make a perfect addition a Christmas gift or a small gift all in its own. 

They are just quick gift/note cards using the SYI decorative cuts. 

Be sure to Look @ La's Here

Christmas in July

Challenge #19 at Fantabulous Cricut is Christmas In July:

Create a Christmas theme project, perhaps something to get ready for the upcoming holiday.

 

I love Snowmen.  My DH will tell you that the minute it snows for the first time, I will be out there building one!  When would be a better time to make a snowman than in the HOT July sun, when you just dream of a little cool.  Oh, thank goodness for air conditioning and the  Cricut.  I love how the little guy is wearing the moose hat. Ha ha ha. I crack myself up.

 

Shadowbox frame 8x8

Walk in My garden for the Snowflakes (flower)  and Snowmen arms (butterfly body)

George for my Snowmen (I didn't like any of the snowmen on the cartridges I had)

Paper Doll Dress Up for the Hats

Serenade - Bird - Swirly Tree

Papers are from a Christmas Pack I got last year at Tuesday Morning.  

Tuscany Sunflowers

The scrapbook sketch over at Practical Scrappers is:

So I decided to scrap my pictures of the Tuscany Sunflowers

I used Digital Daisy papers from Daisy Paper Trail, Cricut Cuts from George and Plantin' Schoolbook, stickers and rub-ons from stash.  

I was so excited about getting to see these sunflowers in bloom this year.  I saw them last year but was not able to get down among them for pictures.  This year, I was eye to eye with the bees and the sunflowers were over my head. 

Friends

I saw this sentiment on a quote site somewhere.  I love the saying because it says a lot about how we choose our friends.

 

Our friends tell us a lot about who we are.....

and who we aren't!

  

Paper Pups

Paper Doll Dress Up - Cat

George -Squares, Circles, Flowers

Ribbon

Apron Strings

Before my sister moved, she had been sewing some of the most beautiful aprons you have ever seen. She was making a little extra money on the side, but she was using it up in creativity and fun (don't we all.... barely pay for our habit. ha ha ha). She is also an avid gardener, leaving beautiful plants behind every time the military moves them.   I made this card for her to be the first piece of mail she got in her new home. She loved it.  Now, I'm sharing it.

A2 Card
Apron  - From My Kitchen
Sunflower - Walk in My Garden
Jolee Stickers
George and Basic Shapes  for rectangles