Pink Cricut Guest Designer!

I'm so excited to be a guest designer today over on the Pink Cricut blog! For today’s project Sarah sent me the beautiful Sympathy set to work with. I have the HARDEST time creating sympathy cards. I like to be “fun” in my creating but I think it is good to go outside of your comfort zone occasionally! Funny thing is, when I got the set in the mail I knew I had the perfect stamp to compliment it! I got the praying hands stamp at CHA as a giveaway from a new stamp company called La Blanche.


Once I had the sentiment and image stamp I just had to grab a pretty sheet of paper and make this simple, yet elegant card. In real life the plaid isn’t quite so orange. I used a parchment type paper to stamp the sentiment and hands on to and then just trimmed them with my paper cutter. I inked the edges of all of my layers. Finally I added a champagne colored satin ribbon for a little extra texture.



I also wanted to share a couple of my “fun” cards too! I used the Country Living set for all three of these cards! It’s got so many fun phrases on it!


For the Hog’s N Kisses card I used my Cricut to cut the adorable piggy from the Create a Critter cartridge. The beautiful patterned paper is from Echo Park! I punched the edges with a Fiskars punch and stamped the “XOXO” also from the Country Living set! I added a little extra bling to her bow with my i-rock tool.


To make my Thinking of Ewe card, I again used the Create a Critter Cricut aartridge to cut the adorable lamb. I embossed the white layer with my Cuttlebug D’Vine Swirls folder. My patterned paper on this card is from Imaginisce and I also used the i-rock again to add some gems. I used a Martha Stewart border punch and a piece of pink satin ribbon for some additional texture.


Finally I want to share my SMOOches card. Bet you can’t guess which Cricut cartridge I used to cut the cow…. I’ve had this paper is my stash FOREVER and I love how it looks on my card! I inked all of my edges and added some pom-pom trim for good measure!

Thanks for checking out my cards, and please stop by my blog! I’m giving away a Scrap’n Tote Cricut cartridge storage binder. They are fabulous!!! Just look for the link to that post at the very top of my blog!

Also, today is the LAST day to enter to win my Scrap'n Tote giveaway! Just go HERE to enter!!!!

Cutters Creek Spring Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Cutters Creek Spring Blog Hop! All of our designers have created some wonderful Spring projects featuring products that you can purchase at the Cutters Creek Store! The Cutters Creek Design Team Blog is the first and last stop in the hop! Each blog along the way will have a link to the next blog in the chain. Don't forget to make sure you are following each of our personal blogs and leaving comments along the way to enter to win a box full of CHA Swag and maybe a few other goodies along the way!!!!


For my project today I decided that nothing says "Spring" quite like a newborn baby! I finally got some of my almost 2 year old daughter's baby pictures developed and I had this GORGEOUS Graphic 45 Once Upon a Springtime paper in my stash so I created this layout!



I used some Star Dust, Diamond and Icicle Stickles to add a bit of glitter to the wings on my fairy. I also used one of the postcard cut-outs as a base for my title. I used my Cricut to cut the "Little Baby" phrase from my Nursery Rhymes cartridge. Then I cut one of the fairies out of the paper and added her to the center of the heart.


I really tried to keep my embellishments simple so that I didn't overpower my photos. This is one of my new favorite layouts!

I am giving away a blog candy goody bag on blog today too! Simple leave a comment and make sure you are following my blog and you could win some fun blog candy. I'm going to fill a tote bag with some fun surprises, like the new Cricut Magazine, a chipboard album, papers, pens and MORE (U.S. and Canadian residents, I will pay for shipping, all others you can win if you pay the shipping costs)! Plus you comment here will also give you another chance to win the FABULOUS prize package on the Cutters Creek Design Team Blog! After you leave me a comment, hop on over to Kim's Blog to see the gorgeous project she has created!

Flower Soft and Ecstasy Crafts Tutorial

I just wanted to share a tutorial that I wrote for the Cutters Creek Blog! If you would like to see the original post and enter to WIN the Flower soft prize package just go HERE and leave a comment! Also this weekend will be the Cutters Creek Spring Blog Hop and my blog is one of the stops on the hop! Make sure you don't miss it!

For today's project I decided to show you that you can use other images besides the Flower Soft Toppers with your Flower Soft. I chose to make a card with one of the three adorable images from the Wedding Bears & Cats diecut set from Ecstasy Crafts. Here's a look at my finished card:


To begin I cut out the backing image and began punching out all of the shapes that belong with it. I love that I'm not trying to cut these shapes, you just need to punch them out (and they punch out great)! Then you add the Ecstasy Crafts Joy! Foam Squares to the back. These are really cool because they are thin and give just enough lift for really nice dimension.


Notice I only added the very first layer to my card before I added my Flower Soft. I thought it would be easier to add my Flower Soft with out the other stuff on there... and there would be less chance of me making a boo-boo :) So I grabbed my Flower Soft Adhesive and a jar of Polar White Flower Soft to add to my tree.


Next I added small dots of glue to the flowers on the trees. You want to make sure you keep the bottle upside-down the entire time you are using the glue. And you really don't need a ton, just make small dots. Then just sprinkle your Flower Soft over the top. You can either use a small spoon or just pinch it with your fingers.


Here you can see I divided my tree in thirds. On the left is the Flower Soft added to the glue, in the middle is just my glue dots and the right is waiting to be done.


Yes, Flower Soft should be "fluffed up" a bit before you use it. Notice how fluffy it gets... yep, I just stuck the lid on top and it went right back on! And no, this isn't a brand new jar! I've actually used this on several projects! You can get a LOT for mileage out of one jar!


Here's the image at an angle, you probably want to click on it to make it larger so you can see the layering. Notice I decided to add some of the Baby Pink Flower Soft to the brides headband and bouquet too.


To finish off my image I added stars to the sky with my Gelly Roll Stardust Pure Glitter Pens. I just made little dots all over. I also added a little glitter to the inside of the flowers but it didn't show up in the photos... it looks great in person tho! Then I simply stuck it to a plain white A2 card base with my Pink ATG!


Here's one more look at the finished card! Don't be afraid to try your Flower Soft on ANYTHING!

500 Follower Celebration!

I'm so excited to have made it past the 500 follower mark! Even better, to celebrate I have an AWESOME giveaway.... The ContainYa Crafts company is GENEROUSLY allowing me to GIVE one lucky winner their very one Scrap'N Tote!!!! Now, if you haven't checked these out yet there is a blinkie on my sidebar... right up at the top! Give it a click and check out this awesome system... right after you read my post of course, LOL! Before I get to the nitty gritty details (requirements are NOT hard, I promise) check out these two layouts that I created yesterday!


For this first layout I used my absolute FAVORITE paper company's papers... Echo Park Paper! The top and bottom strips are both from the Springtime line. I used a sheet from the Little Girl line to create my scallops. The light pink cardstock in the background is from my stash. I love the fact that I can mix Echo Parks' lines so easily. Makes me feel like I know what I'm doing, LOL! I just found out that Echo Park is giving away paper on their blog for the next 10 days! Make sure you go HERE to follow their blog too!!! These are some of my favorite photos from Evie Lynn's first days on earth. Her big sister Penny was so enamored with being a big sister and having a New Baby in the house. I think Evie was over a year old before Penny stopped referring to her as My New Baby Sister! I actually used my Gyspy and my Cricut to make this title too. I used my Lyrical Letters font with the Connected feature to make the word Sisterly. Then I used the word art for Love from the Sweethearts cartridge. I think I'm starting to like my Gypsy a little bit!


And let me just quickly draw your attention to the flowers and heart accent that I used on my page. You can order fabulous containers full of Chick'N Stuff from Two Chicks Designs to add that little something extra to your pages! I actually got one of the Chick'N Feed 7 Color Gift Packs and was so shocked by how many buttons and goodies come in the container! It's really awesome!!! You can also find these at the Scrapbook Chicks website (same fabulous owners) when you are picking up your Echo Park Paper too!


The other layout I created with some really yummy Fancy Pants Road Show papers. How gorgeous are these? She's probably gonna kick me but these photos are of my best friend Christy's baby shower. We have been friends since 7th Grade thanks to Girl Scouts! I was sooooo happy when she and I were able to get pregnant at the same time! Our babies are only 3 months apart in age! Anyway, I added some fabulous ribbon and cut the title from my New Arrival Cricut cartridge. I also used my Hero Art's Cute Letters stamps to stamp out "Christy's". My journaling card is part of a set I picked up from Tattered Angels. I found 2 of these sets at the fabulous Lorraine's Memories Scrapbook Store in Woodstock, IL. Both sets have 3 Bingo cards, 3 Journaling Cards and 3 little title pieces and are made for Glimmer Mist. So I misted my card with Bazzil Pink and Starfish and then pained both of my dragon flies wings with some turquoise Glimmer Glam. I LOVE how it turned out... and wish I had bought more than 2 sets of these fun cards!!!


So now you are probably wondering about my GIVEAWAY, right? Well, it's simple! All you have to do is make sure you are a follower of my blog and leave me a comment! If you refer a friend to my blog, tell them to leave your name in with their comment and you could win a separate prize package! I will leave this giveaway open until March 31st and will announce the winner on April 1st!

The Scrap'N Tote Storage binder will hold 36 Cricut Cartridge AND the books and overlays too! You can even double up your Solutions, Lites and Limited Edition cartridge too!!! I have been saving my pennies because I need 3 of these awesome binders for my cartridges. If you can wait to see if you won there is also a 20% OFF sale on these until 3/20/11... just use the code IHEARTIRISH at the check out! You can use this on the Scrap'N Tote OR the NEW Scrap'N Easel!!! Just click HERE to head over to the Scrap'N Tote website!!!

Not A Baby!

The Week #3 Tally Scrapper Challenge is to create a layout about something that is starting to take shape in our lives. The actual layout itself needs to be ANY shape, except a square or a rectangle. Well, I wasn't sure just how to attack this one... I was originally thinking of finding a baby photo and a recent photo of Penny so show how she's changed but I though... nah, that's TOO obvious! So I came up with this:


What's really funny about this photo is that it's actually staged! I was messing with the camera one day and said, "Give me your BEST mad face" and THIS is the result! She does mad quite well... Anyway, I used the Echo Park Little Girl paper line and some cardstock to create my "Flower". I popped up my photo and added some pretty lace to the edges of it. Then I popped up my Sugar and Spice sticker too.


I added a little extra about the letters with my black pen to make them pop! I really like the way this turned out... Then I added some adhesive rub-ons from 7 Gypsies that have been in my stash forever. I used the Silver Glitter sheet with them so they would be all sparkly. I just love how the super girly layout contrasts with my pouty-faced little girl!

It was suggested that I enter this project into the K Andrew's Simply Sunday Challenge at Getting Cricky so I am! I hope you will all check out this challenge too :)

I Wish....

I created this layout for the Week #2 Tally Scrapper Survivor Challenge. This weeks challenge was to scrap about regrets. My grandma died almost 6 years ago, right before my oldest daughter was conceived (we had to use IVF). I like to think that she had a hand in helping us from her new spot in Heaven.... anyway, I haven't been able to scrap about her yet... until now.


This was a very difficult layout for me to do but I wanted to include things she liked. She loved Teddy Bears and this tear bear was made by Aunt Margaret Designs, she makes the most ADORABLE Tear Bears and other adorable creatures. She also loved birds so I used this gorgeous October Afternoon Cherry Hill line for my background. I recently got 3 packs of this line from Scrapbook Chicks, one of my favorite on-line stores! I added the lace and ribbon because they make me think of her too... One of my favorite items in my scraproom is a big jar of buttons that she had given me about 20 years ago. The buttons in that jar are so special to me so I don't usually use them. But I had to add some buttons to this layout because they make me think of her too. The journaling reads, "I am hearby granted permission to remember all of the things I loved about my Grandma and to stop regretting the time I didn't get to spend with her..." I'm looking forward to eventually doing a book about this wonderful woman who was so special to me.

Cricut CircleWeekly Challenge #22: Once Upon A Time Challenge

So glad you stopped by to check out my blog today! I have the WINNER of the Hello, Cupcake Blog Hop to share with you but first... I want to show you my latest Cricut Circle Challenge entry!

This week on the Cricut Circle Blog they challenged us to use Fairy Tale characters! Gee, that's a tough task when I have to beautiful little girls in my house. The only requirement besides that was that we use at least 2 Cricut Image cuts. So.... what do you think?


I created a little play set for my girls to play with. I'm debating whether or not I'm going to cut a slit and add sticks to the dolls or if I want to just create a little stand for each doll. I started with the 6 x 6 Imaginisce Enchanted paper stack. I bought the stack with Cardmaking in mind but I thought this sheet I choose made a brilliant background! I just added some Stickles and Glossy Accents for bling and shine. I also added some Liquid Applique to the clouds. The box I created with my new Martha Stewart score board... the woman may annoy me but she makes some awesome tools! Next I created my dolls....


I used my Once Upon A Princess Cricut Cartridge to cut out all of the dolls. I also used my Peachy Keen Wide Eyed Kids stamp set for their faces. Isn't this little fairy adorable???? I thought she was sort-of Tink-ish. But I loved the pink hair! I added a few gems with my i-rock to bling her up!


I thought this dress was a bit Cinderella-ish in style so I decided to use my blue Pearl American Crafts cardstock for the main part of her dress. Sorry about the shadows... the lighting kind of stinks at this time of day.


Here's the third princess in this happy little set! I'm just so in love with these... I don't know if I want to let my kids play with them, LOL! The nice thing about using my Cricut to create these is I can always add more dolls or make a duplicate if I need to!


Here's one last look at the set! If you notice the lump to the right of my box that's my cat Ally... UNDER the comforter. Yep, she's an under the blankets kind of cat....

Now you're probably wondering about who one that FABULOUS My Pink Stamper Punny-licious set the Robyn so GENEROUSLY donated to my blog.... it was:


Lucky Commenter #22!!!!! And her name is.....


Congrats, Melissa!!!!! I will be sending you an e-mail shortly!

I just want to say "Thank You" for each and every one of the 229 WONDERFUL comments that were left on my blog!!! I really appreciate them all! Oh, and a quick bit of news... I made it to 500 followers!!! I'm sooooooo excited and have a FABULOUS prize all lined up for a huge giveaway... now, the baby has been sick the last couple of days so as soon as she is feeling better I will get up the post with all the info!