Hello Everyone!

I miss my blog, a recent visit to another local crafters blog (http://www.saving4six.blogspot.com/) got my blog envy juices flowing again...if that even make sense.

Several months ago, one of my long time friends announced that she was pregnant with a little girl! I made her this card and some fun stuff for her scrapbook on my cricut.

I took these photos, and just recently (after I already mailed her baby shower gift) found the card and the fun scrapbook goodies sitting on my table. So, I am posting the photos here and getting them out in the mail - ASAP before the baby is here in a couple weeks!!

I love this card style. I can not remember where I saw it originally but I have made several cards using this type of layout.

The bottom of the card was embossed with my cricut using a folder by Darce. Then I colored over the raised embossed lines, applied glue and then glitter. The stamp set was a set by the Angel Company called Special Delivery. I colored the images with Tria Pantone and Prismacolor markers. Very carefully I used an exacto knife and cut a few slits long the image lines so that I could attach the ribbon to make it look like it is the blanket wrapped around the baby.

Because its been a few months since I made the card I do not remember all the details of marker colors etc.

Below are the fun items I cut using my Cruit and my SCAL software!

Thanks for stopping in again and hopefully it wont be 6 more months before I post again!

It's that time of year again - the 3rd Saturday of every September is Troy Fire Departments annual Clambake. So I try to every year - to create some things that can go into the Chinese Auction. This year I did glass etching. Due to technology and software, my ability to use it to my advantage and patience I think I got some great glass etching for the auction.

I used my cricut to cut these images into to vinyl. Because fire department related items are not on a normal 'cartridge' I used a program called Inkscape and SureCutsALot to cut these images.

I found a wolf and maltese cross made of flames so I etched that into the plate below:


Peeling the negative out of this image was time consuming but the outcome of the final product was great!!

Then I used the SCAL software again to cut the works EMS and Firefighter - I etched these onto the ornaments below. It is hard to see in the photo and it is suttle in real life as well. I took Pledge Future Shine floor wax pour it into the bulbs and then added fine glitter. I may add ribbon to these...we will see.

I found this maltese cross online and cut it with the SCAL program. The detail work was almost too big for these votive holders but had I cut them any smaller it would not have worked for these.

Lastly, I made some domino key chains. After sanding the smooth side of the domino and drilling holes I used alcohol based inks to lay color on the domino. Once dry I stamped random flames using StazOn black ink. Again once it was dry I covered it with a clear shiny glaze. Then I added the wire and keychain attachements.

I may have a few more keychains done before this weekend. I am glad I was able to get this stuff together for the FD. I hope that it helps with raising money!!

Yesterday was Matthew's 2nd Birthday Party! My kids had a blast. Matthew aka Bubba - is the son I'll never, but Mommy shares him with me - I love him to pieces. He is upgrading from little boy to big boy bedroom!! Little did I know he was getting the new Cars big boy bed!! So this sign will be perfect for his room.

I have been wanting to make some of these for awhile and now that I got started I want to make more!! On this frame -its hard to see but the Gray Background is stamped in Racing Flags. I used my Cricut Disney Font and Disney Cars cartridges to make the letters and car. I snached Matthew's photo from his mommy's facebook page (Madelyn said it was needed - and it really made the frame - she thinks she is not creative but her mind works just like mine :) ) and layered in the same colors as the rest of the items. Matthews and Room are popped up with foam pop dots.

I use Circut's Design Studio to do multipal cuts at a time just as some do with the big machine - my little machine does a lot with the software. A great investment!

Looking at this now - I should have put the O in room on top of the M instead of underneath!!

Stamps: Burnin Rubber (retired TAC) ; Cardstock/Paper: Shimmer Red, Black, Gray, Yellow, Orang and Blue CS ; Ink: Versamark ; Accessories: Cricut, Disney Font Cartridge, Disney Cars Cartridge, popdots, Zip 2 way glue ; Techniques: layer with the Cricut, watermark stamping

I got to stamp some today...Donald Duck Signiture Book Swap.

I can tell that I am not feeling my best and it shows in my pages today. I am not sure how I want to fix these up, but I am not that pleased with these pages for a swap that I am in.

There is one thing that I do like is my Donald, on this I used one of those mini fine point sharpies to have the cricut draw Donald for me (for those of you that want to try this, I suggest that you get out your scotch tape and tape a band around the sharpie because they are not thick enough to sit in the blade/marker holder, so I rigged it to be thicker so that it could draw). After the cricut drew it for me then I had it cut it for me as well but re-running it back through the cricut. Then I used my Tria Pantone and Prismacolor markers to color Donald.

It is hard to see in the picture (my zoom on my camera is not working at the moment) but the Yellow 6x6 page is stamped with stars in yellow and the Gray background is like a corrgated paper. Here is the picture:

Check out the pictures below of Grace, yes that is her sharing a push-up pop with LG! Gross!

I Love my Cricut!

I joined a Disney Autograph Book swap on SCS, so I worked on the pages today as the internet was out for the majority of the day....

I decided that when the investment was made in the Cricut that I would use it to its fullest capabilities. So, along with the machine and cartridges, I also have the Cricut Design Studio. This program is a great way to mass produce and pre-plan. This software allows me to plan out my entire Mickey Mouse so that I can cut paper to size, lay it out on the cutting mat and cut away. Since the swap that I was for 13+1, I could cut 14 of each thing at a time, the smaller items I could all be cut in one pass through the machine with the DS software.

Also, with DS, I can use markers to draw out what I want rather than cut it out. In the example below, you can see the Mickey Head background paper...no need to buy any disney paper now :)
Now that I look at these pages in more detail, I feel I should have added something to the background on the left hand page, it looks a little too simple for me.

Card details: Red, Black, White, Yellow, Ivory and Gray CS . Cricut cartridges: Mickey Font and Mickeyand Friends. Cricut Markers. 3D-Dots by EK.

Never a dull moment....


Yesterday, my littlest, Grace (better known as Matt Jr.) told me while I was watching the dogs outside that she was going to come upstairs and play her computer game. So, I would keep calling up here while watching the dogs to make sure she wasn't getting into trouble. She kept assuring me that she was playing her Freddie Fish Game. Finally LG came in and Rhylie ran up the stairs in which I her Grace cry out.....so I ran up the stairs....guess who wasn't playing her Freddie Fish Game?? Yep! Matt Jr.!


This is what I found:

Today, my oldest had a birthday party to go to...and another party tomorrow. So, I needed to get out of this card funk that I have been in. Nothing seems to come out how I plan it....since my husband is suppose to be gone all finishing up his sqad time so I figured I would really work on some of these things that I needed to do...cards, scrapbook pages, projects etc. etc.

First I worked on some birthday cards. Both cards are for 7 yr old girls, and Madelyn decided pink, purple and princess was the route that I should take.

In this card, I used my cricut and my cuttlebug to make it. I also put glitter within the embossed circles which I thought helped with the white background not being so blah! I then stamped "there's a princess in every girl" on the inside in Claret ink. Here is what it look's like:

Card details: Pink 2 CS (TAC), White CS (TAC), Gray CS (unknown vendor) and Almost Amytheyst CS (SU). Cricut cartridge: Happily Ever After (princess crown). Cuttlebug EB folder (spots and dots). Martha Stewart ballpoint-tip glue pen. DecoArt Glamour Dust. 3D-D0ts by EK. Rhinestones (from Heather) and periwinkle and pink ribbon from Michaels. Disney Princess Sentiments set. Claret by Palette.