Kate's ABCs and Playtime

I had some creative time today and was able to make a couple of cards. I used my Cricut and Kate's ABCs cartridge as well as the recently released DCWV stack called Playtime. I bought this stack mainly because it's different than any stack out there right now. The designs are printed on kraft cardstock. So, the colors are much more muted. I was thinking the kind of vintage feel of Kate's ABCs cuts would work well with the muted colors.

Here's what I came up with:

This first card was inspired by this card on Sweet Delights Paper n More. I'm not sure what she used to cut the card base as I can't find it on the Kate cartridge. But, I think my idea works okay. I cut this image at 3 1/2 as any smaller and my bug was having trouble with the cuts. I tried finding a frame to put around the vase, but it didn't look right, so I decided to punch the corners with a Martha Stewart corner punch, stamp with a sentiment from Hero Arts' Share Laughter stamp set. My Vineyard Berry pad must be in need of a reinking as it sure didn't show up very well, did it? The pattern paper is from the Playtime stack.

My second effort with the cartridge and Playtime. I'm not sure I'm totally pleased with how it looks. I like the muted colors of the pattern paper, but I don't have the right colored cardstock to keep the muted look going in the girl. Oh well, I tried. It's a little hard to tell, but there is yellow in that plaid. There really isn't any room for a sentiment, so I left it off.

I was hoping to incorporate some lace on these cards, as I came across a great find (well, 3) at the thrift store this morning. My only purchase, actually. They had several bags of lace. The bags weren't on sale, but I had a feeling if I'd waited until next weekend when they'd go on sale, they'd be gone. So I bit the bullet and paid full price(which totaled $7 for the three bags I chose). When I got home and opened up the bags, I was totally happy that I'd "splurged." Those bags were stuffed, and I do mean stuffed, full of all kinds of lace, crochet trim, eyelet lace and ruffly lace that you find at the fabric stores. I didn't take a picture(and really should have), but it looked like a mountain of lace when I pulled it out. Hee, hee. Some of it is very different than I've seen (the cashier even commented on how neat some of it looked) and once I figure out how to use it and show you,  you'll understand. Even the ecru colored trims seemed to overpower this pattern paper, which is why I decided against using any lace today.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you are having a great weekend so far.

"Lacy" Spring Banner

Hello There!

I hope this lucky day finds you well and happy. I was going to make corned beef for supper, but realized I would be out of the house too much to safely bake it in the oven, so it will have to wait until tomorrow or Saturday. My sweet neighbor from across the street brought it over for us last week. Otherwise, I don't think I'd be making it at all.

Those of you who read my blog regularly will no doubt be surprised to hear that I haven't really pulled out any Spring decor as of yet. {gasp!} I just haven't felt like climbing the ladder to our attic and bringing the boxes down. I'm hoping to feel some motivation to do it soon, though, since Spring officially begins this weekend. Today though, I finished a little project I've had rolling around in my head since I made the owl in her house. What I didn't mention in that post is that I actually made two of them! LOL I thought it might look neat to hang them beside a spring banner. You can see if it works or not.

 I think the project is pretty self explanatory, but I'll share a few details in case you are interested. The idea and some measurements to create the triangle banner part was found on the Scrapbooks, Etc magazine website here. In case it doesn't work do a search for Craft It Forward Banner Ideas. The one mine is based on is on page 5. There are instructions you can download that include measurements. I cut the letters using my Cricut and Storybook cartridge at 2 inches. I used the Martha Stewart border punch and some other punches from my stash. I decided to add the doilies at the last minute and asked the girls if they liked the look. They did, so I kept it. All the paper is from DCWV's Green Tea stack.

I took some close ups so you can see the details.

 To hang the owl houses I used some embroidery floss. First I tied (and knotted) one end of it to a straight pin. I threaded the other end on a needle and through the hole where the owl is, I poked the needle through the center of the roof. I pulled it all the way through and, because the end was knotted on a straight pin, I have no worries that it will come loose. I tied the other end to the loop of ribbon I'm using to hang the banner. They had a tendency to want to turn around too much, so I took a glue dot and put it on the back of the roof where it met up with the doily and stuck them together. Otherwise, one might only see the backside of the house.

Thanks so much for looking. I hope you like it.

Now, I want to mention, I use a program called Make The Cut and my Cricut to cut out the pieces for the owl house. Unfortunately, Provocraft (the makers of the Cricut) sued the creator of Make The Cut regarding one particular feature that was offered on MTC for a very brief period and promptly taken off the program (waaaaay before I even knew about the program). Well, the lawsuit was settled out of court last week. The result of the settlement is that Make The Cut can no longer  provide a product to be used in conjunction with the Cricut machine(s). There are other cutters out there that do support Make The Cut.

For me, I can still use the program as I have it installed on my computer, but I can't install any future updates to MTC, (unless I get a different type of cutter-which isn't going to be happening). I only mention this because you all know I use a Cricut and this software and I would hate for you to want the program to use with your Cricut, and now you can't. As I said there are other cutters (Silhouette SD for example) that DO support MTC. If you've heard of SCAL (Sure Cuts a Lot), Provocraft has just started litigation against the creator of that software as well, although any outcome is most likely a year or so down the road. Just wanted to give you a heads up.

Thank you for all the lovely comments on my Lace Happy Birthday card. I'm so glad you liked it!
Have a great day,

Lollipop Crafts Challenge 30-Let's Make It With Lace

Hi There!

It's time for another Lollipops Crafts challenge. This week it is to use Lace, either real lace or the paper kind. I hope you'll head over there and check out what neat projects the design team came up with.

Here's the card I created for this challenge.

I'm very happy with the final result of this card. As you can see, I gathered up the edge of the lace I had and pulled it tight to form a circle. I added a lovely button from my stach as the center. I thought it looked rather elegant and maybe a bit vintage. My go to paper for this style is DCWV's Linen Closet stack. Of course, I had to use the Cricut again and my Lacy Labels cartridge. (ps I've heard rumors that there will soon be a full cartridge full of shapes with fancy edges-could be announced later this week...just sayin') The corners are a punch from Martha Stewart, but I don't remember the name. It comes with a border and the corner punch.  I inked the edges with Desert Sand ink (CTMH) and added some pearls for the flower centers. The sentiment is probably from Papertrey Ink. Anyway, hope you like it! And I hope you'll try the challenge.

Because someone asked or mentioned it, my watermark was made for me by my dear friend Erin G. I love it! I do forget to use it a lot because I need to use PSE to insert it and most of the time I don't edit my pictures before posting (I know, gasp! What can I say? I'm a little lazy about it). LOL By the way, she just posted about a great sale going on at Lettering Delights. Click on her name to see what it's about, if you are interested. The sale is called Dollar Days, if that piques your interest.

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In other news, Amy's team had their last basketball game of this session on Saturday. They won with a score of 38-8. Um, yeah, that's not a typo. I couldn't believe it, the most points they've ever scored. There are a couple of boys on this team that are real firecrackers and they were definitely ON during the game. They were fun to watch, believe me, but I couldn't help but feel bad for the other team. Amy had fun and wants to do another session, so we signed her up. They'll start practice in early April with games starting mid-late April. I'm glad she gets these little breaks in between the sessions.

She started the mandated state testing this week(this is completely different from the district assessments they also take). On Monday. Right after we started Daylight Savings Time. And the week before Spring Break. AND they get to continue testing the Monday after Spring Break. Because this testing session is eleven hours long. I believe they are being tested on Reading, Writing and Math. I know today they actually had two one hour long sessions (and will have them tomorrow and Thursday). One for reading or writing and the other for Math. In third grade they have 2 days of testing. In 4th, I think it takes 7 or 8 days. Big difference huh? Add to this, my sweetie was selected to help with the morning announcement program. It's called ***TV (the symbols are for the initials of our school). The kids broadcast announcements and the pledge via the tvs in the classrooms. Amy was a broadcaster yesterday and today flipped the cue cards. She does this for a 3 week period. So, lots of excitement for her this week! LOL So far, she is handling everything like a trooper. Of course, she's most excited about the fact that during this testing period she has no homework, other than to get to bed early, eat a good breakfast and  be at school on time. hee, hee.

Jessica got to do World Thinking Day for her scout troop and go to a super fun (for her) birthday party this weekend...lest you think she is being left out of fun stuff. She had a great time at both.

Well, thanks so much for stopping by! I sure appreciate the visit and hope your week has gotten off to a great start!

Cute Owl in Her House...

Oh my gosh, the other day Jin at Under a Cherry Tree posted the cutest project from Lettering Delights. I thought it was so cute and it got my mind to spinning about a project idea. Well, you know me, I don't like to pay full price if I can help it, so I've been waiting for a sale. Then she posted about a buy one get one free SVG sale (I think it ends today). Yes! I'm an impulsive dork sometimes, and completely forgot that my pal, Erin is now an affiliate for them and I bought the files directly from the website. Sorry, Erin, and most likely Jin (who I'm sure is also an affiliate). Sheesh.

Anyway, I set up my Cricut and Make The Cut program, pulled out some paper and got to cutting and gluing.
Here's the result...

Sorry, you can see the pop dot I used to attach the owl. Or maybe, not sorry, an idea for you on how to attach.

I decided for this project to use all papers from DCWV's Green Tea Stack. I started off with the brown, and then thought it might be a nice challenge for myself (and less running to and from my craft space to the computer). I'm really happy with how it turned out. Now, you must go see Jin's version and my inspiration here. You know, for someone who thought she wasn't all that enamored with owls, I gotta admit they are starting to grow on me. LOL Now watch, owls are going to be less popular soon. Oh shoot, who cares, right? I'm having a blast.

Thanks for stopping by! Don't you just love how I create in fits and spurts? I can go a week or more without posting and then, blammo, you get two in one day! Thanks for sticking around when I'm not feeling so creative.

Another Meljen's Designs Card or Two...

I can't help myself, I just think her images are adorable.

Add to that, I picked up some new Prismacolor pencils, thanks to a Michaels coupon and a non chain craft store I sometimes frequent. Oh, and I had a 50% off coupon for being an email subscriber to Michaels. I picked up a paper pack from K&Co called Sweet Nectar. Yeah, I so don't need more paper, but the colors in this paper pack are soooooo pretty. Well, add those together and I just had to make another card. hee, hee.

All the patterned paper is from this new 96 sheet mat stack (which equals several sheets of the same pattern, yay) and I tried to mimic some of the colors in my image, rather than color first and search for paper that would go with it. LOL I then used my Cricut and Lacy Labels cartridge for the mats around the image. I cut the oval with my Nestabilities. I think this would be a sweet card for a young girl or a gal who is young at heart.

I colored another image that Alanna posted on the Lollipops Crafts blog here. It's the Sponsor Spotlight post. I hope you'll check out the other ladies' great cards. Thought I'd share it here though, because I'm nice like that.

I don't generally make feel better cards, but with this poor sweetie, how could I resist? Everybody all together now....awwwww. The pattern paper is Making Memories, Chloe's Closet. The rest is pretty self explanatory, I think.

Now don't forget, if you try the challenge and win, you'll be able to select four  Meljen's Designs images. She's got freebies, too. You can find them here. Just in case you want to try before you buy. So, go check out the Sponsor Spotlight post and hopefully, you'll be inspired enough to enter the challenge. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Lollipop Crafts Challenge 29

Hi there! I hope this Monday finds you well and happy. The weather here is reminding us that winter isn't quite over just yet. We've got some drizzly rain with the "promise" of snow later today and tomorrow and temps in the 30s. But, on the positive side, later in the week, we may hit 60. I can be patient for that. *Ü*

The challenge this week at Lollipop Crafts is to use a critter on our project and we got to use images from Meljen's  Designs. Oh gosh, color me happy about that! Love her images! Sure makes me wish I was eligible for the prize of 4 digital images. hee, hee.

If you've never worked with digital images, you really ought to try them. You can resize them to any size you need and pretend you are a kid again when coloring them. So much fun!

Here's the card I created using the super cute Garden Bun Bun Fairy. I thought with Easter coming up soon, this would be a great image to have fun with. This little bunny fairy just makes me smile!

For my image, I did my usual routine...printed out on Georgia Pacific cardstock that I got at Walmart and started coloring with my Prismacolor pencils &/or Kooh-i-Noor woodless pencils. I blended the colors using a stump dipped in Odorless Mineral Spirits. Of course, you've gotta have a little bling, so I added a few rhinestones on the flowers and used Lace Stickles on the lacy part of the dress. I wanted to add something for a little more texture, so I thought using a little bit of ribbon on the stripes would be fun. I really like the look of  penstitching, so I pulled out my Signo White Uniball pen and went to town. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Mixed Messages set. The striped paper is from DCWV's spring matstack from a few years ago and the cardstock (Honey and Petal) are Close To My Heart and are inked on the edges with the same color.

Now, you really should pop over to Lollipop Crafts and check out what the team members created. Such a talented group of ladies.

Thanks so much for stopping by and have fun creating!

I'm Alive, I Promise...

Hi there!

I figured I would check in with you to let you know that I am still alive. Things got a little more hectic than usual and I've not been able to come up with projects to share with you.

I have been working on some things "behind the scenes," but you'll have to wait a bit to see them. My friend Alanna surprised the heck out of me a few weeks ago by asking me if I'd like to be a guest designer for the month of March at Lollipop Crafts. After I recovered from the surprise that she would even want me (who is in no way a designer of anything....a copier, yes, a designer, no) to participate, I decided to stretch myself and accept the challenge. So, I've been busy creating some cards for her to share at Lollipop Crafts. She posted a spotlight the other day and I'm thrilled to say, she also asked another good friend of mine, Barb, to participate as well! You can read our introductions here, if you'd like. Thanks so much for your faith in me, Alanna! I've had a lot of fun creating for you. *Ü*

Then, on Friday, Steve tells me that his car, a 98 Saturn with over 177,000 miles on it, needed a new clutch. He had it at the repair shop waiting for an estimate. This car was mine, first. We got it just before Amy was born because the little beer can Geo Metro I was driving wasn't going to work real well with a baby and all their paraphernalia. LOL Anyway, we've had it a long time and it's served us well, but dropping a bunch of money into this car was not really a smart investment. So, we spent the weekend car truck shopping. Part of the time I was researching on the internet for the type of truck he wanted, part of the time (Saturday night) was spent checking out a few options, then wandering several dealerships while they were closed on Sunday (great for not getting hounded, but not so great when you want to get it over with, you know?). On Monday, Steve took half a day off work (the girls were already off school, I know...again) and we bought his new to him truck. At first he didn't want a red one, but as the weekend went on, he kept thinking about it and decided it was too good a deal to pass up. The girls are thrilled, too. Mostly because it's something new to us. LOL I'm happy to know he'll be driving a more reliable vehicle.

(picture taken by hubby)

So, all this, plus a little early spring cleaning (the weather's been so nice lately, it awakened the urge to fling off the dust and a bit of the excess around here), has been what's been keeping me hopping these days.

Thanks for your patience. I hope to have something fun to share in the not too distant future. Until then, thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you are doing well in your neck of the woods!