New Year's Challenge for Exploring Cricut!

Happy Monday everyone! I do hope you had a blessed Christmas with family and friends! Ours was delightful... a full house!

It's time for another challenge over at Exploring Cricut! A wonderful blog dedicated to all things Cricut!
Challenge: "Happy 2014"  Create a card, layout, or papercraft celebrating the  New Year!

Our daughter Sara is  going to a swing-dance get together on New Year's Eve and I thought a layout for this occasion would be the perfect New Year's Challenge project!

I recently picked up the Formal Occasion cartridge and couldn't believe the perfect images it contained for just such an occasion!

For my layout I chose the following images and cut them including the layers.
"New Year's Eve" phrase on page 38
"Picture This" phrase and camera image found on page 39
"Dancers" image on page 48
"Stomp" phrase on page 51

The paper is from DCWV

Be sure to visit Exploring Cricut and click on each Design Team member's blog to get some great inspiration.
Thank you so much for stopping by my little blog. It sure does make my day!

Simple Christmas Layout for Exploring Cricut!

Good morning everyone! Happy Friday and I sure hope you had a blessed  Christmas! Can you believe how quickly the day came and went? 

For my Design Team post for Exploring today I decided to create a simple layout.

I chose the santa, Christmas trees and "Merry Christmas" phrase from the Winter Frolic cartridge.
The images were cut at 4.5" including the layers. I ran them through the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder and added some stickles.
The paper is from DCWV

Thank you for stopping by my little blog today and please visit Exploring Cricut for some wonderful holiday inspiration using of course the Cricut! The Design Team members are quite creative, I am always amazed at the projects I see!

Challenge Time at Exploring Cricut!!

Happy Monday everyone! Are you ready for another wonderful challenge? You are going to love this one. A perfect excuse to create something Christmas themed for Exploring Cricut
Challenge: "It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas" challenge .  Create a card, layout, or paper craft for Christmas

Our wonderful neighbors brought us a fresh wreath for our door. How very thoughtful they are. I just couldn't wait to add some homemade embellishments and ribbon to make it even more delightful!
I used my Imagine Santa's Village cartridge to create my embellishments. I used lots of foam tape for dimension, distress ink and stickles of course!

The toy images were cut at 4.0" and the stockings were cut at 3.0" with all of the layers.

Ok, now it's your turn....first make sure to visit Exploring Cricut for some wonderful inspiration, then create your project and enter the challenge! Good luck everyone!
Thank you so much for stopping by my little blog today!

Christmas Cards and Tags for Exploring Cricut!

Happy Friday everyone! It's hard to believe Christmas is just around the  corner....Wow I still have so much to do!
Today's project is my Design Team post for Exploring Cricut. I would love it if you would take a few minutes to visit and see what delightful projects have been created using our fabulous Cricut machines.

I created three Christmas tags using A Quilted Christmas cartridge.
The santa and snowman were cut at 6.0" with all of the layers and the sleigh at 4.0" with the layers. I was pleasantly surprised how easy they were to cut and assemble. I stamped a simple "to" and "from" sentiment on each and punched a hole to add some ribbon.  I decided not to embellish much but did add a bit of sparkle....

My two little cards are for some little cousins...both girls and so darling. It was a perfect excuse for me to use some of the cute little images from the Winter Frolic cartridge.
 The images were cut at 3.75" with all of the layers. I embossed them with the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder and added some Stickles for sparkle.

Thank you so much for stopping by today.
I encourage you to do something crafty today!

Fun Birthday Tag for Exploring Cricut!

Hello and happy Friday after Thanksgiving!

Did you have a wonderful day? Ours was spent with family and  friends and we really enjoyed the day! Are you shopping today? If so, I hope you get some great goodies....

I am so happy to be posting for Exploring Cricut's daily post. I have been so inspired with all of the crafty holiday projects lately.
Today's project is a quick birthday tag I added to a bottle of bubbly for a girlfriend's birthday party.

I decided to use the Forever Young cartridge. It's one of the first cartridges I purchased after getting my Expression. I loved the girly images and the purses are adorable.  Each image also has a purse feature which make great little favor or goodie bag. So of course with 3 daughters it was a must-have:)

I chose the image on page 26 and cut her at 5.0" including the layers. My paper is from an older K & Company stack.

The tag itself is a PTI die and the sentiment is from  Pink by Design's Girl's Just Wanna Have Fun Stamp set. Since the party was an 80's theme (yes we had to dress up...the things we do for girlfriends...) of course the sentiment fit perfectly. Anyone remember that song??

Thanks for stopping by today and have a wonderful weekend!

"Count Your Blessings" Thanksgiving Challenge at Exploring Cricut

Good morning everyone and welcome to this week's challenge at Exploring Cricut

The challenge:"Count Your Blessings" make a card, layout, or paper craft celebrating Thanksgiving using your Cricut Machines. This is a wonderful challenge as I know we all have much to be thankful for. I know I have many blessings in my life!
 
For my project I decided on some table decor for Thanksgiving Day. This is the one holiday where everyone has an assigned seat with a place card, and a favor of some sort. We usually have anywhere from 10-15+ for dinner so I usually like to keep the projects  fairly simple so they can be easily produced.

I used the Tablescapes Fall & Winter Cartridge. 
I cut the box at 2.0" and the leaf that is on top also at 2.0". I ended up cutting two leaves so that I could glue them back to back since my paper was not double-sided.

The napkin ring was cut at 3.0". No gluing, a snap to cut and put together.

Next came the place card cut at 2.25". Simple to score and fold. Again cutting a couple of extra leaves for a little embellishment.

The little leaf  on the glass was cut 2.0" also gluing two together for some added dimension. I ended up using a mini glue dot to add it to the glass. I got the idea to add it to the glass from the cartridge handbook.

The only thing extra I did was to ink the edges. I may go back and add a few more embellishments or perhaps make some of the boxes out of a patterned paper. That's the fun part about using my Cricut....the possibilities are endless!

Thank you so much for stopping by today. I do hope you will visit the DT's blogs and check out their wonderful "Count Your Blessings" projects and be sure to enter your project in our challenge!

Christmas Treat Box for Exploring Cricut

Hello and happy Friday.
Today is my day to post as a Design Team member for Exploring Cricut
Exploring Cricut is a wonderful blog dedicated to all things Cricut!
For inspiration, project ideas and images from cartridges old and new be sure to check out the daily creations.

For today's project I decided to start my Christmas treat boxes. I make lots and lots of homemade treats each year and part of the fun is making them festive to give away. Of course we have to keep in mind the quantity, time involved and cost.

I used my Sweet Tooth Boxes Cartridge for the base of the box and chose the scallop lid. (there are a couple of others to choose from as well) I cut this at 10.5". I have to say this went together quickly and easily. This box is a good candidate for mass production.

Next I chose the From My Kitchen Cartridge to cut the little gingerbread man tag at 3.75". I used the shadow and blackout feature to layer the image so I could use Peachy Keen Everyday Character Faces Stamp set for the face. I added a little white gel pen and white buttons for simple details.

I added some striped ribbon and a little twine to finish it off.

Fall Banner and a Challenge for Exploring Cricut!

Good morning and happy Monday!
Today is the start of a new challenge over at Exploring Cricut!
Here are the details for this week's challenge:  "Cricut Choice" make a card, layout, or paper craft using 1 pattern paper, 2 cricut cuts, and 3 colors.  It can be any theme.

My project was a quick and easy fall banner. Well by quick and easy I mean I kept the details to a minimum...I may go back and add some embellishments :)
I started with the Tablescapes: Fall and Winter cartridge. I cut the rosettes at 2.5" and each rosette took 4 pieces. The image cuts wonderfully and the score marks make them so easy to assemble. There is a nice decorative scallop on one edge for a little extra detail.
The acorns were cut at 2.5". I am using a thinner paper from an old DCWV fall stack and so I cut two and glued them together for some added stability. 
The font is from Plantin Schoolbook cartridge cut at 3.5" using the shadow feature as well. I ran them through the Cuttlebug and used some foam tape to adhere them to the rosettes. 
The banner pieces are some coasters from PTI covered with the patterned paper.. I used my Scotch Quick Dry to glue everything together. 

This weeks challenge is a great one! You can use any theme you would like. So... get out your Cricut and a favorite cartridge and start creating!!

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Pirate Party Invitation for Exploring Cricut!

 Hello and happy Friday.
I am excited to be posting for Exploring Cricut today. Have you checked out this week's projects over on the blog? The Design Team has come with some wonderful creations using their Cricut machines!

Seth and Cory have a birthday coming up and this year's theme is Pirates.
I thought I would start with posting the invitation I sent out.

All of the images were cut using the Life's a Party Cartridge.

I started with the the treasure chest image, using the card feature and cut it at 4.5" Only one layer with this so it was pretty easy. I found some Tim Holtz paper from Jo-Anns that looked perfect for a treasure chest.  I sized this to fit in an A7 sized envelope.
For the front of the invitation I stamped the "you're invited"  sentiment (from Pink by Design) on a  banner made with a PTI die and attached it using mini glue dots.
The little lock and key brads were from Hobby Lobby and added the perfect touch.

I chose the pirate party image using the phrase feature cut at 2.0" I need to slow the speed down and adjust the pressure for this intricate cut.

Next came the treasure map image cut at 4.25". I chose not to use any layers with this so I could run the image back through my printer for the party details. I did ink the edges for a distressed look.

I thought it needed one more image so I chose the skull and crossbones including the layers cut at 1.75 inches and ran the little red "bandana" layer through the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder. I cut extra images so that I could embellish the envelope too.

There will be more pirate projects to come!
Thank you for stopping by today. Enjoy your weekend and I'll see you back on Monday for another terrific challenge at Exploring Cricut

Halloween Challenge for Exploring Cricut!

Happy Monday to you all!
Today is the start of a new challenge at Exploring Cricut
This week's challenge is to create a Halloween themed card, layout, or project using at least two images from your Cricut machines and cartridges. I know this is going to be a fun one for everyone!

For my project, I started with some altered wine bottles a friend made for me last year for my birthday.  She painted them in chalkboard paint. It has been fun to write different sentiments for holidays, seasons and special occasions.

My Happy Hauntings Cartridge was the perfect choice for this project. I started with some white vinyl and cut "spooky" at 3.5" using the font feature. Remember when cutting vinyl to change your blade depth to 3 or 4 and pressure to med. It cuts like a dream.

Next I chose a few little images and cut the layers too.
bat: 2.5"
boot:3.0"
hat:3.0"
cauldron: 4.0"
owl: 3.5"

I added a few stickles and hung them from the wine candelabra (another birthday gift from a girlfriend this year:) using some baker's twine.
I love decorating for fall, but don't do much for Halloween, so this was  a fun little project.

That's it for my little project, but the fun has just begun. Be sure to head on over to Exploring Cricut
to check out the wonderful Halloween themed projects the design team has come up with. And of course.....make sure you enter the challenge!!!!
Thank you so much for stopping by today.