~ GroovyNess ~

{Have Gift Bag, Will Travel }

2011-01-18T14:23:00.002-06:00

Recently ~~last year~~, I came across some Gift Bags that can be made using sheet of 12 X 12 paper. I still adore my die cutting machines, but I am crushing on this idea since it a) doesn't involve cutting and b) utilizes my new favorite tool, the Martha Stewart Scoreboard.

The first Gift Bag, which I created using yummy Webster's Pages Christmas pp, is a
Small Wine Bag:

The instructions for the above Bag are as follows:

Use a 12” x 12” piece of paper
Starting at top left, score at 2 ½”, 5 ½”, 8”, 11”
Then, score the bottom 2 ½” of the paper (all the way across the page)
Cut the bottom, vertical strips up to the 2 ½” score line
Remove the 2 ½” x 1” piece at the end
Fold along remaining score lines; ink edges as desired
Assemble into bag; adhere (I just over-lapped and adhered all of the bottom “flaps” for strength)
Decorate as desired

The second Gift Bag is this little gem:

I saw THIS demonstration for a cute Gift Bag on the Cosmo Cricket blog. Basically, you score your paper (I used 12 X 12 patterned paper) at 3" and at 9"; then rotate your paper one turn and score at 5" and at 7". The MS Scoreboard works beautifully for this. Fold on your score lines to crease your paper. At that point, you fold inward along the 3" and 9" creases and "mitre" your corners. Once you see the video, you will say, "oh, ok". lol

These are SO easy and have a big "wow factor"!! If you have any questions, or I forgot something, please don't hesitate to email me at mollyest at gmail dot com.

xoxo

{ It Seems Only Fitting... }

2010-10-05T20:10:00.000-05:00

To Wish You a Happy Halloween!

I was inspired by ==> THIS <== faboo Card by Timm on the old Cricut message board. Timm used the French Manor (FM) cart, which is exclusive to Cricut Circle members. Since I am not a Circle member, I decided to create my own fashionable Witch using the Forever Young (FY) cart. Behold:

Unfortunately, the pic doesn't do it justice (insert pouty face here)..it's more striking in real life.

As I said, the dress form is from the FY cart, and the top layer is embossed with the Cuttlebug D'Vine Swirls embossing folder. The witch hat and the cat are from the new Happy Hauntings (HH) cart (which I heart) and I messily inked both of them with bronze ink. Yes, I hand-tied the bow on the cat...it's the best bow I have ever tied (beaming).

The patterned paper is from My Minds Eye's Lost and Found Collection. If you have not seen this collection yet, RUN, do not walk, to the nearest store. They hit the ball out of the park with this collection, in my opinion.

I mentioned the old Cricut message board (MB). Provo Craft opened a new Cricut MB on October 1st. HERE is the link. The old MB is still available to browse, but it is "read only". I am delighted to report that the new MB is faster than the old one. They have added some new features and I think people will like it once they get used to it. I rely heavily on the MB for inspiration and information. I can NOT recommend it highly enough!

Thanks for stopping by!

{ Now and Forever }

2010-08-09T14:45:00.000-05:00

I kept looking and looking at this Creative Imaginations paper at my LSS. It is the 'Breathless' line by Marah Johnson, which is actually a tribute to the Twilight series. Beautiful? Yes. But, what would I do with it? Could I create a Card that would do it justice? In a word? Yes.

I chose the 'Midnight Garden' patterned paper for both my inspiration and my Envelope. I used a white Card Base and layered it with a panel of the varnished 'Midnight Sonata' patterned paper, which I heavily distressed using my boning tool and then inked in brown. You can get a better look at the details on the pic below:

I then layered an argyle cut from Wild Card over the distressed panel, using 3-D dots. For my rose, I used Wild Card again and cut the rose three times. Once in black (for the base), once in green (for the leaves and stem), and once in red (for the bud). After trimming the red and green roses and discarding what I didn't need, I inked the leaves and stem in brown, lightly distressed them, and adhered the green stem directly to the black stem. Using 3-D dots, I adhered the red rose bud to the black rose bud and lightly inked the edges in brown. I then adhered the completed rose directly to my argyle cut, at an angle.

To finish the Card, I cut a length of Creative Impressions 1.5" Crepe ribbon and tied it in a pretty bow around the whole Card, like a present.

I was thrilled with this one!!

{ Have a KILLER Birthday}

2010-08-09T09:49:00.000-05:00

I have always loved to read. I went to the bookstore a couple weeks ago and got a few new books. But, I learned something. New books = nothing else getting done. I just cannot put down a new book. Sigh. Not really a good thing.

Today's Card was difficult to make. I finally decided that it was because I don't spend my spare time at the beach...I spend it at the MALL! lol

I was inspired by the faboo Maren Benedict, who made THIS killer Card. I thought the concept was very different and fun. I wanted to put a twist on it, though. I decided a pinwheel Card would be a good way to express my Sentiment:

I used the Life is a Beach (LIAB) cart (which is a summer must have, btw) for the ca-ute shark. I needed something both cute and menacing and he completely fit the bill!

I used Wild Card for the sun, Zooballoo for the waves, Paper Doll Dress Up for the sand. Now, by turning the wheel, Sentiment TWO is revealed:

And, finally getting to the killer part, Sentiment THREE:

I lightly inked the waves in white. Also, it's a little hard to see in the pic, but I inked the shark teeth in white and "colored" them with a white gel pen. Then, I covered them with Diamond Glaze to make them stand out a little more.

The "sand" is actually Ultra Fine Flower Soft, called, appropriately enough, 'Sand'. lol

The Card itself is a cut from Wild Card, and I have used it before. However, this time, I decided I would create my own, CDS. I don't know why I wanted to reinvent the wheel.

Ok, that's it...have a killer day!

{ Celebrate in Style }

2010-07-01T20:07:00.006-05:00

I've had the Forever Young (FY) cart for a few months. I needed just the right idea to do it justice. And then...I found the cheetah paper. If the clothes make the man, the paper definitely makes the Card! This particular patterned paper is from the Untamed Collection by Marah Johnson/Creative Imaginations, specifically the Cheetah:

...and its fabulous, just by itself. But...

What if I did a silhouette from FY? Maybe a matching purse? Oooo...a side stair step Card? Now we're talkin' really fabulous! Feast your eyes on the Card and coordinating Envelope:

Side view of the Card:

The entire ensemble:

Close up of the purse:

Ok, now the deets.

First of all, the side stair step Cards (also apparently called side step or accordion Cards) I have seen are A2-sized. So I adapted THIS style of Card , whatever it's called, to an A7 or 5" X 7" Card. I have added a link for downloading my template and instructions on the Downloads page on the right sidebar.

All cuts on this Card are from FY. Using Cricut Design Studio (CDS), I cut the silhouette and pantsuit at 4.875 inches. The small purse and shoes were cut at 2" and the frame I cut at 3 inches. I used the arrows to "size down" the sunglasses until they looked to be the appropriate size for the purse.

The larger purse is a cut directly off of the FY cart at 6 inches. The only thing I did in CDS was rotate the cut so I could make it larger. I used my crop-a-dile to set gold eyelets in each side of the purse and knotted the pretty gold ribbon on the inside to form a handle. The brads are also Creative Imaginations and I removed the shank on each of them and attached them to the "flap" with a glue dot. To adhere the "flap" to the purse, I used a Zig pen to place adhesive on the back of the "flap" and let it dry clear to form a re-positionable bond.

If you have any questions about the template or instructions or problems with the download, please don't hesitate to email me at: mollyest at gmail dot com.

Ok, that's it! Thanks for stopping by!

{ Cheers }

2010-06-12T10:52:00.001-05:00

I've had this basic Card in my head for some time:

I used the Martini from From My Kitchen (FMK) for the shadow, blackout, olive and pimento. The Cosmo Cricket paper that I chose didn't lend itself to that 50's feel that comes so naturally with this cart, which is a bit disappointing. But, you can't have everything!

I cut the blackout twice. Once at 6.75" (the size I cut everything else) and once at 6". I had originally planned to use Diamond Glaze on the blackout to resemble liquid in the glass but decided to cut another blackout at a smaller size and on shimmer paper for the liquid instead. I did use Diamond Glaze on the straw portion of the blackout, but it's hard to tell in this pic.

I used Fabulous Finds (a recent acquisition) for the little charm and I welded "Cheers" from Wild Card inside of it using Cricut Design Studio. I tied it to the Martini glass with a piece of jute for a one-of-a-kind wineglass charm! I just love myself sometimes!

This could be a Congrats Card...or a 21st Birthday Card...or a Let's Go Have Cocktails Card...

Thanks for stopping by!

{ Abby Found Her Prince }

2010-06-07T20:28:00.001-05:00

My Friend Abby is getting married. Naturally, I ~~offered to help with~~ took over the invitations for her Bachelorette Party/Personal Shower.

I used 'Front Porch' from Pink Paislee's Bayberry Cottage line as my inspiration. From there, I decided on the froggie from the Sweethearts (SH) Cricut cart because he's a frog/prince and Abby {hearts} frogs. Here's what I came up with:

The frog and crown are from the SH cart, the little heart is a punch, and the sentiment is computer-generated.

At the last minute, I decided to make some coordinating sour cream containers for the party. I used THIS tutorial from splitcoaststampers.com. They were SO easy and cute! Although, I clearly need to work on my crimping.

Next, I decided to do a Freezer Paper T-shirt and coordinating flip flops:

I used SH for "The Bride" and the Freezer Paper t-shirt instructions are available on my downloads page (in the right sidebar). The t-shirt and flip flops were on sale at Michael's. The pic of the t-shirt didn't turn out particularly well...the color is prettier IRL.

Finally, I used SH again for the tag on the gift bags. I cut the tag on black cardstock and adhered a piece of the 'Front Porch' pp behind it. I think they turned out pretty cute! I tied some jute and a couple of the ribbons from the flip flops onto one of the bag handles:

Including a 1-hour trip to Michael's, driving time to and from Michael's, hand washing and drying the t-shirt, creating all of these items (with the exception of the invitation) took me a total of 5 hours. And I showered and put on my face in that time. My point is everything came together pretty quickly!!

Have a good evening!

{ Give a Girl a Good Pair of Shoes... }

2010-06-07T18:06:00.002-05:00

...and she can conquer the world!

I picked out some cute pp from last year's Making Memories 'Flower Patch' line and combined it with both the Paisley and Wild Card (WC) Cricut carts and this is the result:

The Envelope and Card are from Wild Card and the sassy shoe is from Paisley. I used the blackout feature of the 'Doily' Card and chose to make it a top-folding Card, just for fun.

Thanks to MamaC from the Cricut MB for the Wild Card cheat sheet for the Expression. Before I cut any Card from WC, I refer to her cheat sheet for the largest size that that particular Card will cut on the Expression. In this case, the maximum size is 5 inches.

If you don't have her cheat sheet, HERE is the post where she lists the Card sizes. You can message her for a Word Doc containing that information as well as a listing of Icons, Phrases and Alphabet. I highly, highly recommend this for WC users...it saves all the guess work!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

{ Got Freezer Paper? }

2010-05-15T06:03:00.007-05:00

I can't believe it's been over 2 weeks since National Scrapbook Day (NSD). A week before NSD, I decided that for the NSD-Eve Cricut Crop at Croppertunities, we'd do some Freezer Paper T-shirts. The examples I had seen on the Cricut MB some time ago were darling. So, I watched a couple videos, reviewed written instructions, made several trips to Hobby Lobby as their T-shirts were on sale for half price, researched the 'Center Point' Function on the Cricut, bought fabric paint and Reynolds Freezer Paper...and dusted off my iron.

I made one for practice, but didn't take a picture. From that one, I learned to not be wimpy on the ironing. Here's the result:

I cropped the pic pretty severely, not to hide anything on the T-shirt itself, but because I hung it on the fridge to snap the pic and I wanted to hide all the magnets, notepads, menus, etc. lol

I was pretty pleased with the result. You might notice the faux "brooch". Once I completed the painting of my masterpiece, I s l u n g black paint from my foam brush along the top of the T-shirt. I bet the expression on my face was hilarious. So, I thought... "Ok, if this was a card and you only had one piece of that paper, what would you do?"... A bandaid! I'd cover it up with an embellishment! And, I did.

I have added a Download Page to my sidebar. My Freezer Paper T-shirt instructions are available for download there. Also, if you Google "Freezer Paper T-shirts", you will find a lot of videos, which are very helpful.

Give these a try. I think the possibilities are endless!

{ Inspiration and a Download }

2010-05-14T09:02:00.006-05:00

Those who know me know I am not only obsessed with my Cricut(s) but have become obsessed with the Cuttlebug as well. Embossing adds texture, dimension and interest; the embossing folders are cheap; and the machine is easy to use and transport.

I've heard that you can use other companies' dies and embossing folders in the Cuttlebug and the instruction manual does give limited instruction on that, but it seems like there are SO many dies/folders of varying sizes, what plates do you use with the different dies or folders?

I was perusing Splitcoaststampers (SCS) the other day and stumbled onto something. First, I must say that even if you don't stamp, SCS is a GREAT place for inspiration and instruction. There are card galleries, tutorials, a message board, etc. When I am looking for instructions for a new card "fold", that's where I go because someone will have posted a tutorial. Go check them out!

So, anyway, an amazing woman named Cat has compiled a list of Cuttlebug "sandwich stacks". Basically, for many of the different dies/folders out there, she lists her recipe for the "sandwich" of plates, dies/folders, paper and anything else necessary to get a good result. I have downloaded the list and plan to use it soon as I have purchased other dies/folders but have not used them!

Visit Cat's website => HERE <=. On the right hand side of her page is a link for "Download Freebies". That's where you will find a link for Cuttlebug Sandwich Stacks. That takes you to the thread on the SCS MB where she has the PDF file available to download. Click on that file and save it on your computer where you can reference it later.

If you have time, read through that particular thread on the SCS MB. It contains helpful information relating to the use of your Cuttlebug. Some Dos and Don'ts, what to expect, etc.

Thanks Cat!!!!!!

{ Holy Smokes! }

2010-05-14T08:04:00.005-05:00

I think we all struggle with masculine cards. I was inspired by THIS post by shersimm on the Cricut MB to make this darling "Man Card":

All cuts are from the From My Kitchen (FMK) cart with the exception of the "smoke", which is from Paper Doll Dress Up (PDDU). If I remember correctly, the smoke belongs to a genie lamp. PDDU is full of wonderful little things like this!

The patterned paper is 'Sunday Picnic' from Cosmo Cricket's 'Garden Variety' line.

I'd like to thank my Posse for consulting on this card. Without their help, it wouldn't have been fabulous!

I'll be back later, I hope!

{ A2 "Go To" }

2010-05-12T19:09:00.005-05:00

I have had several requests for A2 cards & envelopes. So, I made an envelope template and decided to teach one A2 Card in both my 3-Card and 5-Card classes each month. For those who don't know, an A2 Card is half of an 8.5" X 11" piece of paper and measures 4.25" X 5.5" when folded.

The idea behind these "Go To" A2s is a quick & easy Card that uses one piece of double-sided patterned paper for both the Card front and the Envelope...and a half of a piece of 8.5" X 11" cardstock for the Card base, as I said. So, quick, easy...and CUTE. I also thought of calling these "Frugal and Fabulous". LOL

The hardest thing about doing these is not embellishing them to death! But, I have managed so far. Feast your eyes on these babies:

Ok, so I broke my own rule on the first card. This Daisy D's patterned paper is clearly not double-sided, so I had to do an Envelope liner...and...I...kind of...matted the patterned paper on the card. But look how pretty it is! And its still simple and classy (if I do say so myself). I'm happy to say that the picture actually does do it justice. The butterfly is from the Hannah Montana cartridge. I think this would be a lovely "Thinking of You" card, don't you?

This uses Graphic 45's Triumphant from the Renaissance Faire line, which is double-sided. With some planning, I was able to cut the paper for my Envelope in such a way that a portion of what remained made sense for a "How in the World Are Ya?" card. Ta Da!

Thanks for stopping by!

{ Some Enabling }

2010-05-10T16:00:00.002-05:00

Custom Crops has some good deals on Cricut cartridges (view HERE).

Oh My Crafts has good deals on Cuttlebug items, which they are calling either "deadstock" or discontinued (view HERE).

I recommend checking each of these sites frequently for both "deals" and notification of new products. Or, sign up for their emails and get that information sent directly to your inbox. Oh My Crafts usually has a "code" that enables you to receive 15% to 20% off their listed prices, or free shipping, etc. I have ordered from both of these companies many times and feel they are reliable retailers.

Finally, I am going to send you to Diane's blog Capadia Designs for what I think is a leak of pics of new cartridges. I cannot find the items she has shown on the Custom Crops site. I think they might have made a booboo. But, she has screenshots from several new carts that look DARLING! Take a look HERE!

Have a great evening!

{ Cricut Color Inks }

2010-05-10T12:17:00.003-05:00

Which are also sometimes called Cricut Markers...

Several Ladies at the Cuttlebug Challenge Blog recently did some Mother's Day projects using the Cricut Color Inks. Take a look at the projects they created HERE. In that post, Diane Campbell from Capadia Designs provides tips as well as an interesting project. She is amazing, as usual!

I have noticed that my local Wal-Mart(s) have had the Cricut Color Inks on clearance recently. So, that would be a good place to look for them and get them cheaply...just to try. I have also noticed clearance Cricut cartridges. So, you might take a spin through the scrapbook section the next time you go to Wal-Mart!

I'll be back later, I hope...

{ Retiring Cricut Cartridges }

2010-04-19T12:21:00.003-05:00

Just a reminder...

Provo Craft just announced two more retiring carts, bringing the total to eight.

Retiring Solutions Cartridges:
Blackletter
Christmas Noel (sometimes referred to as "the Christmas Solutions Cartridge"
Sans Serif
Street Sign

Retiring Full Cartridges:
Paper Pups
Printing Press
Stamped
Tags, Bags, Boxes and More

If you want any of these and don't have them, now would be the time to buy!

Thanks for stopping by!

{ Bloom }

2010-04-15T14:31:00.007-05:00

I finally got the Walk in My Garden (WIMG) cartridge. I know...about time! Lookie what I did
with it:

I picked up this darling Imaginisce 'Flower Trails' patterned paper at my local Michael's...I know its from last year, but I didn't use it last year! From WIMG, I chose the Card feature, specifically a Card with the silhouette of a flower stem only (I don't have my manual handy but I can give specifics should anyone need them). I cut it at 10"(wide) X 7" (tall), so that when folded, it would fit my 5" X 7" envelope. I then cut the stem by itself (in green) so I could layer it over the silhouette stem cut on the Card, using 3-D dots.

I decided to make my own flower to go on my stem Card after seeing a tutorial for making paper flowers on THIS blog post by Tiffany. They are very easy and fun!

To incorporate the yellow from the envelope onto the Card, I adhered a piece of yellow cardstock onto the back of the front of the Card. See what I mean here:

I also scalloped a scrap of the Imaginisce pp and adhered it to the back flap of the Card. I love Spring!

Thanks for stopping by!

{ Hoppy Easter }

2010-04-06T10:13:00.012-05:00

Since my last post dissed bunnies, today I am honoring bunnies everywhere!

I was perusing the amazingly inspirational SusieB's Card Gallery, looking for Cuttlebug ideas and found a Cricut idea instead...behold:

My Bunny head is from Doodlecharms (DC), which is an older cartridge but a must have. For one thing, it has the cutest.Spider.ever., but that's for another post!

I cut my Bunny large enough to take up the entire width of my A7 card. I really wanted the ears to "hang off" so, I made my card base 4.75" X 7" (I absolutely never think this far ahead usually). I trimmed off about 1/4" from the bottom of the bunny, so his nose would be right at the edge of the card. I used some SEI Velvet paper for both his nose and ears, but chalk, pink CS or pink glitter paper would work just as nicely. A cute touch that I also picked up from SusieB is using a white gel pen to make a little "twinkle" on the eyes, which are 3/4" circles punched from plain, black CS.

Now, also from SusieB, but from another project, feast your eyes on this:

Bunny Butt!

This view of my Bunny is also courtesy of Doodlecharms...its the snow globe, but a circle (trimmed at the bottom) would work just as well. I used ovals for the feet and Mickey & Friends for the paw prints. I bought a pink feather boa from Michael's and cut about 4", wound it in a circle and adhered it to the card with glue dots.

I lightly "Stickled" both the front and the back (Bunny only)...and viola'! Oh, and my coordinating envelope is last year's (I think) Imaginisce that I also picked up at Michael's!

Thanks for stopping by!

{ Chicks Rule, Bunnies Drool! }

2010-04-04T21:12:00.006-05:00

My second cartridge purchase (first was Wild Card) after buying my Baby Bug in 2008 was Mickey and Friends (MF). My sole reason for buying MF was for what I have come to refer to as "the Jalopy":

I cut the car, the shadow and the tires from MF. The Little Chickie, decked out in yellow glitter, is from the Easter 2010 cart and the flag is from Jubilee. When I saw this We R Memory Keepers 'Hippity Hoppity' patterned paper, I knew it would work perfectly for my idea!

I love that some of their patterned papers have four different patterns on the back...it gives a choice of four built-in envelope liners! See the paper below:
I chose the polka section for my liner, but the others are equally cute and the choice is nice. I've noticed that some other manufacturers are doing this as well and I can't wait to try them!

Thanks for stopping by!

{ Hello Thursday on Tuesday! }

2010-03-23T11:41:00.004-05:00

ProvoCraft announces new cartridges on the third Thursday of the month. This past Thursday was that day. In her usual succinct and informative manner, Diane from Capadia Designs has summarized the important information on her Blog. Go =>HERE<= to see what is coming up, what is retiring, and get links for the Girls who have already created projects using the new cartridges!

She also has included very useful information about updating your Cricut Design Studio (CDS). With new cartridges coming out every month, knowing how to "check" your version of CDS is important and might save you a step when updating.

Happy Cricut-ing!

{ Just Be You }

2010-03-09T15:50:00.005-06:00

Sometimes I am inspired by a sentiment, sometimes by a die cut or image, and sometimes by patterned paper.

This time it was the patterned paper. Check this Moxxie 'Glamour Girl' paper out:

I have three words for you...FAB. U. LOUS!

I immediately thought of my Paisley cart, with its cute Girly images and phrases. So, here's my Card:

I cut my hair dryer shadow as large as I could to fit on a 5 X 7 Card. The shadows on this cart are enormous! I cut my hair dryer on purple shimmer paper, which, btw, cuts divinely on the Cricut.

I chose not to cut some of the layers on the hair dryer itself, but left the "cut outs" for effect. The sentiment is not from that particular cut, but I really liked the message, especially for a teen or a tween.

I added a little bling, and that is it! Cute, huh?

Thanks for stopping by!

{ Thank Ewe }

2010-03-01T15:13:00.003-06:00

I am having a love affair.

With the animals featured on the Paper Doll Dress Up cartridge.

They are the cutest things! See my darling Sheepie below:

This fun patterned paper (pp) is 'Farmyard' from October Afternoon's 'Farm Fresh' line and it was my inspiration for the card. I used Core'dinations color core cardstock for the fence, the little Sheep and the grass. Its really easy to sand for an aged look!

I used my fave Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder on my Sheep. The flowers are from Paisley and the sun is from Mickey & Friends.

Stay tuned for more PDDU Animals!

Thanks for stopping by!

{ April Showers Bring May Flowers }

2010-02-25T14:31:00.013-06:00

I wanted make a Card using the Card Feature on the Paisley cart. I searched both the Cricut Cards and the Paisley threads on the Cricut MB for posts using the Paisley Card Feature...nada.

So, here is what I did:

I found what looked like an Envelope cut on the cart. Using leftovers of my Pink Paislee 'Cupid' pp, I cut the Envelope using 'Fit To Page' on my Expression and it calculated 4.5 inches. See the back of the completed Envelope below:

Then, I then cut the Card at 4.5 inches as well (in red Bazzill Smoothie). Next, I cut a rectangle in the darling pink gingham pp and carefully glued it to the back of the front of the Card. The pink gingham has flowers on the back, so it looks nice on the inside as pictured below...and it ties in with my Sentiment:

Then, I cut the Paisley umbrella both in the striped pp and brown Bazzill at 3.5 inches. The shadow of the umbrella was SO big that it took over the whole card, so, I opted to just offset the brown umbrella (in the same size) underneath the striped one and adhered it to the Card with 3-D dots. To accent the rain boot, I cut a tiny ladybug at 1 inch in pale green and added some doodling and a button to her. I stapled some blue rick rack to the top of the boot as well. More doodling.

The Card is kind of a tri-fold with a slot in the back. I punched a 1 1/8 inch circle in the pink gingham and adhered it to the back "closure". You can see the back of the completed Card below:

Yes, I had some sort of Cricut mishap on that back piece, but I am pretending its not there!

Thanks for stopping by!!

{ You Rock } and { U Rock }

2010-02-24T16:09:00.014-06:00

Yes, I have done TWO cards using the same patterned paper. I can't help it! What's not to like about Pink/Black, Leopard and Sexy Guitars???

See what I mean? This Moxxie 'Jammin' paper...well...Rocks:

I featured the Leopard side on this first card and used a Sentiment from the Jubilee cart. I have had my eye on that Sentiment since I got the cart...it was perfect here!

For the second card, I broke out my Hannah Montana cart, which I purchased solely for the Guitar cuts:

The "U" and the bracket are also from Hannah Montana. I think they are pretty cute! I carried my sentiment through to the inside of the card, using the "Rock" from HM as well. Now, this, I LOVE:

Thanks for stopping by!

{ Moxie Fab! }

2010-02-23T12:20:00.006-06:00

If you don't "know" Cath Edvalson of Paper Crafts Magazine, you are missing out! She has a truly delightful blog called Moxie Fab World, where she features new products, issues challenges, and inspires us, all with amazing wit and flair. I highly recommend checking her out!

Having gotten that out of the way, I was inspired by Cath's 'Taintor-tude Challeng e'. She reminded us about Anne Taintor (I didn't know the name, but I have sticky notes that say "Medicated and Motivated", which, are in fact, created by her), the genius behind the witty and sassy quotes paired with 1950-ish pics of women.

You can see what I mean here:

I just knew that Graphic 45's 'Domestic Goddess' patterned paper would work perfectly for this challenge. I did some heavy distressing and came up with my sarcastic sentiment...and that was it! I didn't even use the Cricut...or Pink...or Bling!

Go check out the Challenge winners...and be ready to laugh!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

{ Hello Thursday! }

2010-02-19T08:44:00.003-06:00

I am going to send you to Capadia Designs ==>Blog<==, where Diane has the posted the following information:

New Cartridges that Cricut announced yesterday (including pics!)
Retiring Solutions Cartridges
Links for Blogs where Joy, Melanie, Tammy and Robyn have created projects using the new cartridges

Happy Friday and Happy Cricuting!

~Molly

{ Kiss Me } and { SMACK }

2010-02-15T13:34:00.011-06:00

I have two Cards today and I decided to put them in one post because they both involve... (gasp!)... Kissing!

The first uses the luscious lips from the Indie Art cart. I loved these lips from the first moment I saw them.

I cut the top layers from red, mirrored paper and used 3-D dots to attach them to the bottom layer, which is a red Bazzill Smoothie. I also cut the 'Smack' from the red Smoothie. I wanted to keep the design of the Card simple, sexy and striking, so I just added some red Bling (which you can't actually see in the picture) to the 'Smack'. The coordinating envelope (pictured behind the card) is made from papers in the Basic Grey 'Sugar Rush' line.

The second card uses the frog on the Sweethearts cart. I adore this cut...its so cute.

Nikki Sivils' 'U R My Favorite' line, with its frogs , crowns and bright colors, was my inspiration for this card. I used the frog and crown cuts from Sweethearts and a scallop border from Plantin Schoolbook. The yellow mat is embossed with the Cuttlebug Argyle folder. The Sentiment, Kiss Me, which is also from Sweethearts, goes on the inside. The envelope says: 'Kiss the Frog and find your Prince'.

Have a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

{ Wanna Neck? }

2010-02-07T20:29:00.011-06:00

I saw this Sentiment first, and I created the Card around it.

"Ok, think Giraffe, what do Giraffes look like?"
"What if I made a polka dot Giraffe?"
"What if it was PINK polka dots?"

Then, I got the Paisley Cricut cartridge, which, indeed includes a Giraffe! The Giraffe on this cart has a lot of cute cutting options, though. "Hmmm, what should I do?" I elected not to use any of them on this card due to my long, detailed thought process (see above). lol

Again, I utilized a Sketch for this card. This is Card Positioning Systems (CPS) Sketch #125:

Now, here's MY take on the Sketch, with fabulous coordinating envelope pictured behind:

The pp is from October Afternoon's 'Ducks in a Row' line, and, yes, its baby paper. Once the card was completed, I thought it did look like a baby card, so I gave the Girls in my class a couple of Sentiment options: 'Wanna Neck?' or 'Welcome Little One'.

Thanks for stopping by!

{ I Only Have EYE For You }

2010-02-05T08:52:00.004-06:00

I saw a Valentine's Card with an Alien on it...he had several eyes and his Sentiment was: "I only have Eyes for You". I loved the pun and thought I could perhaps do something similar with a Monster from Paper Doll Dress Up (PDDU). I tried multiple eyes but decided to use just one. My Friends thought the Sentiment was silly, but I thought it was funny!

The fabulous pp is Pink Paislee, the Monster is from PDDU and the cute heart-shaped balloon is from Sweethearts. I could not decide whether to do a nose, a mouth, or both. I finally settled on white flat-backed pearls for a smile...they look a bit like teeth, which is humorous!

Thanks for stopping by!

{ A New Year and New Month }

2010-02-03T12:47:00.013-06:00

Well, this is embarrassing. I have Christmas cards to post. So, I am gonna just bite the bullet and post them!

Christmas cards a difficult for me and I am not sure why. I think its because I am usually inspired to make 'Girly' cards and something of that nature may or may not work for a Christmas greeting. So, this year, I looked for inspiration on the Cricut MB and in card sketches.

This first card I shamelessly scraplifted from wdwgrandma on the Cricut MB. You can see her card HERE. Sadly, I had given JOTS back to my Friend, so I did not have a Star of Bethlehem. So, I used two stars from Plantin School Book, I think. Not the same effect, but one does what one must!

The little lambs are from Paper Doll Dress Up. My card base is Bazzill Kraft, which I used for the envelope as well. I wanted the focus to be the message.

The second card is my take on a sketch from last Fall at Clean & Simple. I was really pleased with the way this one turned out:

The little 'polka dot tree' is from Wild Card and is a nice accent!

I'd like to thank Bryan and his Mom, Judy, for being so complimentary about these cards, having received them in JANUARY!

{ Let It Snow }

2009-11-05T15:59:00.008-06:00

I was having trouble creating a card with the Making Memories pp I ordered; so, I looked for inspiration over at BBTB. Wow, I found exactly what I was looking for and even decided to play along with the weekly challenge, which was to use the penguin from Joys of the Season (JOTS)!

My little Penguin Girl is embossed with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder, has red bling toes, coordinating scarf and hat (from PDDU) and is mounted on a snowflake-covered transparency! Thanks BBTB!!

{ Boo ...and Stuff }

2009-10-31T13:44:00.003-05:00

Well, I have been creating...just not posting! This is a slide show of 4 Halloween cards and one Thanksgiving card.

{ Photographing Your Projects }

2009-08-19T10:55:00.003-05:00

I know when I started attempting to post pics of my work on websites I was so intimidated! Everyone else's work looked so much more professional than mine. I had no idea where to look for tips. Well, I have now found it!!!! Amy Sheffer gives some great ideas on Splitcoaststampers.com:

HTDT? 7.22.09 Photographing Your Papercrafting Projects

Happy pic taking!

{ If You Were a Crocodile, You'd be a Handbag by Now! }

2009-08-18T17:06:00.015-05:00

I can't get enough of Minnie's purse on the Mickey and Friends cart! To create this card, I welded two 6 inch purses together in CDS (the bases only, not the straps). The croc-embossed paper is from Anna Griffin's Peyton line. Its fairly thin, so I cut the welded piece on brown CS and then again on the croc paper.

Once I adhered the croc paper to the CS (using dry adhesive), I gently pried the croc paper away from the CS at the top of the purse and poked a small length of tulle between the two layers. Once I was satisfied with the way the tulle looked, I squeezed a little liquid glue in between the layers to secure it. This is the view of the card from more of a side angle:

I added some grosgrain ribbon and a buckle from Hobby Lobby to the front of the card and accented the buckle with a single pink Bling.

{ If You've Got It...Flaunt It! }

2009-08-18T13:21:00.008-05:00

I was inspired by THIS card by KaseyCardy to make my own Bikini Card. The 'top' is the only element cut on the Cricut and it is flocked pp from Anna Griffin's Peyton line. I used a 2-inch circle punch to create the curvy sides and the neckline...as well as the leg holes (I don't know what else to call them...lol)

All in all, a very easy card! Have a great day!

{Bigger is Not Always Better! }

2009-07-05T11:52:00.011-05:00

Really!

I have been intrigued with the idea of 'inchies' for a few weeks now. What are they? What are the rules? ...and maybe most importantly, What do you use them for? Answers...

~ They are one inch pieces of Art
~ The size is the only Rule
~ You can use them on Cards and Layouts, collect them, or trade them!

People seem to be talking more and more about recycling, saving money...or, at the very least, not spending MORE money. I think this is where 'inchies' are very exciting. You can create a one-inch-by-one-inch project using a scrap and a single flower, dew drop or scrap of ribbon! Once you do that, you can design a card around that one 'inchie'. Or, you can create several 'inchies' in the same colors, pattern or theme and use those on a card or Layout!

If you are not opposed to a small, 'inchie'-related investment (this is SO me...'but, it will help me use my scraps!'), there are products on the Market designed just for 'inchies'. 'Inchie' blanks are 1-inch black squares and 1-inch white squares you can use to start your 'inchie' project or shadow it once its complete. Inkadinkadoo (and others) make 1-inch Stamps...yes...'inchie' stamps! How cool is that??!! I know people have the Fear of Stamping (you know who you are, lol)...what a great way to conquer that fear! Its just a 1-inch stamp! No fear allowed!! (Ok, getting off soapbox before I crush it...)

Here is my first 'Inchie' Creation:

I used Cosmo Cricket's new Early Bird Line on this simple, but eye-catching card and coordinating Envelope. My 'inchies' are red CS squares topped with a flower cut from the Home Decor Cricut cartridge, which are evenly spaced on a strip of blue/green CS. I placed the strip on a polka dot tree (lol) from the Wild Card Cart....which ties the card to the Envelope. I inked everything fairly heavily in brown and added a jute bow to finish it!

Have a great day!

{ Got Pinwheel? }

2009-06-21T19:45:00.007-05:00

There is a card on the Wild Card Cricut cartridge that is called a 'Pinwheel'. The outline looked like Swiss cheese to me, but someone on the Cricut MB made and posted one and I was totally inspired! The card has a wheel that you can turn...and on the wheel you can put different sentiments. I decided to use some Cosmo Cricut PP that was bright and cheery! This is the entire card...the first sentiment on the wheel is 'You're absolutely Fabulous!'

Then you turn the wheel and it says 'No--Seriously, you are!'...and the last turn reveals 'Thanks for being...YOU!'

Instructions: I cut the Card at 7" and it measures 5" X 7". I cut both the frame and the wheel at that setting, as well. I created my sentiments in Word, punched them out with a 1 1/8" circle punch and adhered them to the wheel once it was in place. Due to that, I needed a 'spacer' between the wheel and the Card so the wheel would turn properly. I cut a 3/4" chipboard circle and it worked perfectly. I cut my 'stem' using Plantin Schoolbook (Shift/Tall Ball/Zigzag) at 1", which is the width. A tiny heart-shaped Making Memories brad holds it all together.

{ Congrat-Shoe-lations }

2009-05-14T20:58:00.008-05:00

I was inspired by LauraCrumpacker on the Cricut MB (my new obsession) to make this fabulous shoe and gift bag! The shoe is created using a template from Carlos N. Molina. His website is pretty interesting and he provides both a template and a video for his little shoe. Its surprisingly easy to make!! He also does a purse, but I chose to make mine using the Plantin Schoolbook cart.

The PP for both the shoe and the bag are Kimberly Poloson...and they are truly beautiful. I cut my bag from Bazzill CS on my Cricut and then measured and cut pieces of the PP to cover it. I also cut the tag from the PSB cart. The ribbon for the shoe is actually from Wal-Mart...I bought it separately, for another project!! I hand-cut the butterfly from the PP, backed it with CS, rolled up the wings and added a dew drop.

I know I will be making more shoe/bag combos in the future! TFL!

{ Its all about STYLE! }

2009-05-14T19:22:00.005-05:00

This is my most recent and favorite 'Talk of the Town' card and coordinating envelope! The PP is 'Trenchcoat' from Heidi Swapp's Runway series...it doesn't get any better than black/white & hawt peenk! The purses, again, are Minnie's and Daisy's from the Mickey & Friends Cart...and they are velvet (Beetle black crushed velvet from Doodlebug Design)!

One of the features of this series is a scalloped edge, which I use my Cutterpede to accomplish. This pic shows that edge more effectively:

The sentiment for this card is: 'Who cares about Age, its all about STYLE!'

{ Talk of the Town }

2009-05-03T12:57:00.015-05:00

In January of this year, I started a series of cards that speak to the Diva in all of us! I call them 'Talk of the Town'. I was inspired by a creation in a Paper Crafts publication entitled 'You Go Girl' (I don't know if its still available, but I've gotten SO many ideas from it!). The idea is simple...create 2 women out of triangles and ovals (stay with me, here, lol), draw arms and legs, add handbags and, lastly, have them say something witty and Diva-esque! The only thing I really changed was the size of the triangles...'my' Girls have a little more junk in the trunk!! lol

Here is the first one:

The ovals and triangles are from George and the handbags are from Mickey and Friends, believe it or not! You could definitely accomplish these things without a Cricut, though. The coordinating envelope is behind the card and makes it a little hard to see that the back flap of the card consists of a strip of the PP, which I scalloped on my Cutterpede (adhere a ~1" strip of the PP to the back flap, then scallop the whole thing at once...that way it will be even!...once you have done that, you can trim down the front flap of the card to expose the scalloped edge as much as you want).

My sentiment is: 'Best Friends: You fight, I fight. You hurt, I hurt. You cry, I cry. You jump off a bridge, I rent a paddle boat and save your crazy butt!!' lol

Stay tuned for the rest of the Series!

{ And we're back... }

2009-05-02T14:29:00.026-05:00

OK, I didn't say how often I would blog! LOL (I've been trying to improve my picture-taking skills!)

I did this darling Transparency Card for my March card-making class. I used PP from Heidi Grace's 'Sweetest Bug' Line...which I adore! I did use my Cricut to cut my Sassy Lady Bug; but, you wouldn't have to...She's just half circles!

The trick to this 'nested' Transparency Card is adhesive placement. Since the pieces of PP nest, you only want to use adhesive where it will be covered up by the piece in front of it.

This style of Card consists of 4 pieces of PP, in this order, largest to smallest: back side of back flap, inside of back flap, back side of front flap and front of card. (I always get so caught up with the PP that I forget that you need a place for inside sentiment, so I generally have to add a piece of CS to the inside of the back flap, on top of the PP). This is a view of the inside of the Card (with said piece of CS for sentiment, lol):

Sorry about the glare, but it actually helps you to see the Card base better! In this case, you would only want to put adhesive on the back piece, which is flowers, where it will be covered by the blue lady bug paper. Here is the back of the Card:

If you use something with words, be sure you face them upwards!

I purchase archival quality transparency sheets in the Drafting/Art department of my local hobby store. Some people use transparencies purchased at an office supply store, but they are not archival quality. I feel that if you spend a lot of time creating a special card for a special person, you will want it to last! (maybe that's just me!!) I cut the transparency down to the card size I want...just like I would a piece of CS.

If you find that you have adhered a rectangle piece crooked on the transparency, I suggest that you continue to adhere your rectangles so they line up; its likely no one will notice they are not centered on the transparency, which you could always trim after the card is complete.

Also, you can use a black permanent marker to made little black dots or ‘faux’ stitching along some of the edges of the transparency (an alcohol-based hand sanitizer will remove any mistakes). If you use regular ink, it will not dry on the transparency.

Have fun and thanks for looking!!

~M

{ Well, Owl Be }

2009-02-05T13:11:00.010-06:00

I've been wanting to create an Owl Card from the 'Wild Card' Cricut cartridge for a while now...and I did it! I used patterned paper from Basic Grey's Bittersweet Valentine's Line for the card itself and Bazzill's Mud Pie cardstock for the coordinating envelope! I 'Stickled' her front feathers and added sassy cardstock eyelashes! I am in love with her!

{ Bitten!! }

2009-02-04T10:49:00.024-06:00

I've been following Regina Easter's work at 'Bitten by the Bug' for several months now. I am in love with everything those Ladies create over there! This week, I decided to accept their challenge to create a card using the 'Heart' from the 'Doodlecharms' Cricut cartridge. I opted for a simple card...which I titled 'Simply Be Mine'.

The patterned paper is from Creative Imaginations/Helen Dardik's Cutie Pie Girl Line. Of course, I did a coordinating envelope as well!

{ Have Blog, will...uh, do something }

2009-02-03T19:48:00.006-06:00

I was the last person in my circle of family/friends/acquaintances to get a cell phone. Look at me, I'm Blogging...and doing it before anyone else! (I think!)

I'm Molly...I make cards and envelopes...I teach card-making classes...and now... I Blog!

WELCOME!