Bling makes it all better

So I posted my Cricut Imagine card creations a few days ago.  I had made one more card.  I incorporated a cut from Creative Memories Stork's Delivery.  The colors, however, just weren't right.  

The brown was just too dark for a baby card.  What could fix this problem?!

STICKLES! 

Some platinum stickles and while the card is now glitter-rific it also tweaked the brown "gift" to a closer match...

Imagining some baby cards

When I purchased the Imagine, I knew I needed to purchase the Nursery Tails cartridge.  Who doesn't like making baby cards or scrapbooking baby pictures?!  This cartridge did not let me down.  4 cards later, I'm still having fun and they didn't take very long to make.  

 

The card on the bottom left with the baby onesie also features a retired Close To My Heart stamp (Baby Love)  While this stamp may be unavailable, there are several others like New Arrival (C1501) that are perfect for baby cards.  I used the sentiment at the bottom on the inside of a couple cards. 

Get this stamp and others this month during Stampaganza! 

Purchase any two stamp sets (sizes A, B, C, D, or E) at full retail price and receive a third stamp set of your choice FREE (of equal or lesser value)—a savings of up to $29.95!

Stamp sets that count toward the qualifying purchase include full-priced A, B, C, D, and E sets only. Stamps that do not count toward a qualifying purchase include customizable (K), Workshops on the Go™, Cricut^® collection, and Stamp of the Month (both discounted and full-priced) sets.

 SHOP NOW!

A Cricut Birthday for me!

I still can't comprehend the full potential of my Cricut Expression after having it for a year.  It is extremely user friendly, I haven't had any problems with it.  My cartridge collection provides me with everything I need to complete projects.  What more could a girl ask for?!  Well we always want more, don't we?     

I've been considering the Cricut Imagine for a while now.  I've solicited advice and read the reviews... It's large and can be temperamental.  I've heard some people need to replace the machine three times, until they get one that works!  But how cool is it to print and cute paper and coordinating accents at home!?  EVERY website (including Hobby Lobby) is sold out of this intriguing machine.  Ebay lists it for exorbitant amounts of money.  Knowing that it's a temperamental machine means I'm definitely going to want the warranty, so Craigslist is out.  So with dreams of crafting grandeur in my heart I ventured down to Hobby Lobby on my birthday yesterday. 

Guess what?!  My local Hobby Lobby store had the Cricut Imagine and Imagine cartridges at a great price!  So it's found a new home on my crafting table.  And it works!  I still have a lot to learn about the intricacies of the machine, but I can make it print and cut.   The included cartridge, Imagine More, has super cute journaling boxes, frames, borders, patterns, bonus items, and embellishments.

This was my first cut with the machine.  I found a special place for it in my Smash journal. 

       And after a little more experimentation, I completed this cute little card.

Happy Father's Day

Father's Day would not be complete without a card for Dad.  And what's better than just any old card?!  A card that you made!  And what's could be better than a card you made?!  Two cards that cost you two sheets of cardstock (or less than $1!)  The lovely folks at Cricut have loaded 5 free cards into Cricut Craft Room to help make your father's day a little sweeter.  They also have other designs for the low price of $1.99.  The two that follow are free designs and I used 1 sheet of Colonial White CS and 1 sheet of Kraft CS to do both of them.

 

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Watermark and other projects

The last couple months have been really chaotic and I haven't had much time to crop, craft, or scrap.  The only therapy I have participated in lately is retail therapy.  Recently I've been attempting to create a watermark for my blog pics.  While I get most of my ideas from books, magazines, pinterest, blogs, and otherwise, I am going to give credit when credit is due.  But I don't want people stealing my pictures without giving me credit.  Hence the new watermark.  I used Photoshop Elements and finally got it.  It's not perfect but it'll do.  

So on to the last few projects I've been working on... 

Last month I was at a crop and my friend Jenny H. described how she makes her own lace flowers.  A simple running stitch along the base of some lace ribbon, let the lace twist on itself, a stitch up the ends if I wanted to polish it off, and a center piece and I was good to go.  These are my first experiments.  

And then there is the countless hours I spent twisting paper flowers around a wooden skewer (pointy ends removed for my safety).   It was actually very therapeutic.  I didn't have to think while doing it.  I could watch tv in the comfort of my living room, or chat with friends at a crop, without having to worry about messing these up.  

Supplies: Cricut Expression, Close To My Heart Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge, several different colors of cardstock ( I used colors from a wedding my children and I were in), pearl floral pins, adhesive, ribbon, and a styrofoam ball.  

The flowers were cut at varying sizes between 1.5" and 2.5".   The Auto Fill feature on my Cricut allowed me to "set it and forget it" when mommy duty called.  I'd come back, load a new sheet of cardstock, and let it go again.  This process, followed by the rolling, went on for several days.  But in the end I was very pleased with the result.  Now it's a pretty addition to my craft room!  

Finally got to play...

After two weeks in Maryland/Delaware, getting H enrolled in preschool, and trying to get my life somewhat in order, I've had a little time to be creative. I've started planning a Christmas card workshop, but also had time to play with a few new toys.

Utilizing my Cricut Art Philosophy (new CTMH cartridge) and Mickey Font cartridge, I was able to create the top banner with the assistance of cricut's Craft Room! This is a fun new FREE tool that helps you merge cartridges in your collection and even cut your creation! You can try out cartridges you may want to purchase by seeing all the images and putting it down on a digital mat. I'm loving all that I'm learning about my cricut. You can check out the info on Craft Room here.

Earlier this week, I strolled into Joann's with a coupon in hand, not sure of what I was going to purchase. I made my way through the scrapbook section, and was about to leave when the magazines caught my eye. I picked up a copy of Creating Keepsakes "Budget Friendly Scrapbooking" Special Issue. Best of all, I used my coupon to get it for 40% off! Anyway, as I've been reading through it, I was inspired to create the above layout using scraps and embellishments that I've had lying around for a couple years now. This magazine is a great read and has lots of suggestions for how to maximize your tools and supplies without busting your budget! You can check out a few of the resources and ideas from the magazine here.

Neglected but excited!

Since my last post I've been traveling quite a bit. My family spent 10 days traveling around Florida and the Bahamas in July. We're currently visiting family on the East Coast and will be for another 10 days.

So while I've been too busy to craft much, and neglected this blog slightly I am really excited for what the future holds. During July, I also participated in a Christmas in July market and sold several cards, tags, and bookmarks from my stock. So I need to replenish my creations... And while cropping is fun and exciting, new purchases of cropping supplies make it even better!

The NEW Close To My Heart Autumn/Winter Idea Book came out August 1st! By the time I get home a large box will be waiting for me with new paper, embellishments, and the BRAND NEW Cricut Art Philosophy set! During my break between vacations, I also picked up several papers and embellishments from our local Scrapbook Shoppe on sale. So I have lot so of new goodies. And BONUS... While my husband was searching Craigslist he said, "There is a post on here with Cricut cartridges for $20? How much do they usually go for?" My collection of cartridges is small so I was eager to see what was listed. Upon inspection I found several cartridges I wanted and was able to get 4 cartridges for $50! These include H2O, Pumpkin Carving, Everyday Paper Dolls, and Joys of the Season! I've already experimented with H2O but look forward to using the others as well. While my family is at the beach next week, my nieces and I will be cropping a couple days away. Pictures will follow in the coming weeks. But check out the great new items from Close To My Heart on my independent consultant website