{ FCCB #154 - Easter }

I said hip hop
the hippie, the hippie
to the hip hip 
hop

Due to my Pinterest addiction, I have been seeing more and more "Punch Art" lately.  So, when I wanted to make an Easter Card, rather than looking to a specific Cricut cart with a bunny on it, I looked at ways to create a bunny from different shapes. There are more ways to fashion a bunny than you can imagine; but, to me, there is nothing cuter than a bunny butt!

 

I used Cricut Accent Essentials for all my shapes.  The stump is Tim Holtz' Wood grain embossing folder on kraft Cardstock, which I inked in Tea Dye (using a Blending Tool) and then inked in Vintage Photo, by applying the ink to the raised parts directly from the ink pad.  I trimmed the top portion of the embossed piece at an angle and then rounded the corners in order to make it look more stump-ish.

I lightly inked around all of the shapes as well as the Card itself using Tim Holtz' Brushed Corduroy ink.  The grass background is Tim Holtz' Mowed Lawn ink, applied directly to the Card; and the grass clumps are green Cardstock that I trimmed with my scissors.

The base of his tail, which you cannot see, is a scalloped circle; and it's topped with about 1/3 of a cotton ball.

The patterned paper that served as the canvas for my bunny creation is from Pebbles.

Be sure to take a look at all of the other DT Easter Projects for FCCB #154 and try one of your own!

Happy Easter Every Bunny!

{ FCCB #152 - Luck O' the Irish! }

Kiss Me, I'm Pretending to be Irish!

I thought this fairly simple Card was so appropriate for this week's FCCB Challenge to make a St. Patrick's Day Card.

Those fabulous lips, which are cut on green glitter paper, are from the Indie Art Cricut cart.  The Card is really prettier in real life...but you get the idea!

Go check out what the rest of the DT has prepared this week and you'll be inspired to make a fantabulous St. Patty's Day Card too!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

{ FCCB Challenge #147 - Queen of Hearts }

Train Cases are all the rage. People are painting them and altering them; using them for displays, storage, furniture, and, even pet beds.

Several months ago, on Pinterest, I started collecting ideas for altering Train Cases to store crafting supplies.  Then, I started collecting Train Cases.  Sigh.

I was so excited to begin the process on the first one, that I didn't take a "before" picture.  This is a Samsonite Train Case or Cosmetic Case.  The trim is leather...I am not sure what the remaining material is.  I decided to use a Sewing Theme, but because I loved the look of the Case so much, I didn't want to completely cover it.

Basic Grey's "Lucille" line provides the inspiration as well as the many of the goodies that I Mod Podge'd to the Case, which I have been working on for weeks.  It's been so fun to choose things to go on it!

The yellow measuring tape is Vintage and a donated from my *Bestie*!

I wanted to add some baubles and I chose some keys, a pin, and a token from Tim Holtz as well as a trinket bead from Maya Road (it's on the far right on the picture below, but it's hard to see in the pic).

I stained some seam binding using Tim Holtz' stains in Tea Dye, Antique Linen, Spun Sugar, and Broken China and I also inked some Creative Impressions Antique Ruler Twill Tape with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

So, after all my altering, I needed a finishing touch.  Something travel-related, perhaps? Yes.  Definitely.

A Luggage Tag! Yes, indeed...my very own Luggage Tag for my Train Case,  I used the Fabulous Finds cart for the heart-shaped luggage tag.  I stained it in Brushed Corduroy, then embossed it to look like leather...it's a bit hard to see in the pic, but it looks pretty good!

I could have put my name on the Luggage Tag, but I had these darling stamps from Bekka Feeken's Amazing Paper Graces October 2012 Monthly Kit.  Isn't it perfect with the theme of the Case?

I am really pleased with the finished product.  I have decided that the Case will be the new house for my Cuttlebug.  I ripped out the inside as it was moldy....but, I have not completed the transformation.  So, that will be for another post. And, I can promise this will not be my last Train Case project!

Why don't you check out this week's FCCB for DT inspiration and projects featuring a heart...maybe you'll even join the challenge!!

xoxo

{ FCCB Challenge #144 - It's a Man's World }

It's a fact. We all struggle with Masculine Cards or, as I call them, "Man Cards".  I don't know why we struggle...is it because we can't use pink, or glitter, or bling, or 2"-wide, polka dot ribbon?

Maybe.

My Aunt saw this Card on Pinterest.  Very pretty...a different idea for an Anniversary Card.  I told her I that I could make it for her Anniversary...easily.  Ha.

After hours of pondering, trying ideas, cutting, inking and gathering every Tim Holtz doodad I could find, it was complete:

I used Cricut Winter Woodland and Plantin Schoolbook carts for the most of the letters, the numbers and the hearts.  The "I" and the "You" are Grungeboard.  I inked and stained everything, using Tim Holtz' Distress Products.

The Tim Holtz Trinket Pin has the number 17 on it; that's the day of my Aunt & Uncle's Anniversary.

I inked, misted (with water) and "crinkled" the ribbon until it was extremely tattered.  I loved the effect!!!

 

I know the FCCB "It's a Man's World Challenge" is almost over, but go check out everyone's project.  We all need inspiration for Man Cards!!

{ FCCB Holiday Card Challenge...}

A day late!!

I have had Rae Barthel's red and white Peace Christmas Card on my mind, since December of 2009, when it graced the cover of Paper Crafts Mag.  This darling Deer is the entire reason I bought the Cindy Loo Cartridge!

So, here's my version:

Although I love that many Cricut images have several layers, I wanted the Deer for this Card to be one layer.  There wasn't just one layer that made the entire Deer; so, I welded the three layers I needed in Design Studio.  This resulted in just one Cricut cut.

I also cut the letters from Cindy Loo, which as a full font.  This is a cute Cart that I have heard called 'a companion to Storybook' or 'Storybook 2'.

I added some flat back, red pearls for the eyes and a little bling on their backs!

Don't forget to join this week's fun at the FCCB!  The Challenge ends at midnight, December 2nd...don't be late like I was!

xoxo,

{ FCCB Challenge #137 - Pilgrim's Promise }

I have a new favorite, little Gift/Treat Bag made from an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of cardstock or patterned paper.  It's a marriage of a Scor-Pal project and a Cosmo Cricket video.

These types of Bags are so versatile.  In this case, I thought it would work well for the Bag to be dressed like a Pilgrim!  I wish the pic was a little better, but, none the less, I present my Pilgrim Treat Bag:

The Pilgrim hat is from A Child's Year and the collar is scalloped circle (cut in quarters) from CTMH Art Philosophy.  The hat is adhered to the front of the Bag using a Glue Dot.

To make the Bag, you align your cardstock at the top of the scoring tool; score at 2 1/2" and at 6".  Then, rotate the cardstock 1/4 of a turn (either way), score at 4 1/2" and 6 1/2".  Now, use your boning tool to crease all folds.

This is where the video comes in...even thought it's not the same Bag, it shows you the folding and gluing process.

I thought this would make the perfect contribution to the FCCB Pilgrim's Promise Challenge!  Head over to the FCCB and see what the other DT Members created for this week!

Have a great day!

xoxo

{ Got Fantabulous? }

I am so excited to announce that I have been chosen to be on the Design Team for the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog!  The amazing Robin has stepped down as Coordinator of the FCCB and the equally amazing Janea has signed on!  Super congrats to both Robin and Janea!

FCCB has been challenging us to use our Cricuts for almost 5 years.  In addition to weekly challenges, the Blog offers tips/tricks, tutorials, and inspiration.

I am tickled to be a part of this group of designers and Cricut users!!

{ Hope Your Halloween's a Scream! }

It's time for my very favorite Holiday...Halloween!

I wanted to do something that definitely was not "cutesie"...but not terrifying either...behold:

I started with Authentique patterned paper from last year for the Envelope (and my inspiration), added a damask-embossed, black mat; then I embossed a cream-colored piece of paper using the CB Music embossing folder.  I inked that piece in Tim Holtz's Ripe Persimmon Distress Ink, which is extremely pretty but very bright.  So, I toned that down a bit with some of Tim Holtz's Tea Dye Distress Ink...and I loved the result!  The candelabra is a Tim Holtz die, which I cut using Grunge Paper.  I love how Grunge Paper cuts on the those dies...it's amazing!

At that point, the inking process began.  I inked the bottom portion of the candelabra in Black Soot Distress Ink and the top portion (including the flames) in Ripe Persimmon.  Then, I used Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint on only the candle portion.  Once that dried, I pressed Vintage Photo Distress Ink into the cracks created by the Crackle Paint. This process accentuates the cracks, making them more pronounced. On the base portion of the candelabra, I used Black Soot Distress Stickles on top of the Black Soot Ink. Then, I covered the flames in Mustard Seed Distress Stickles.  It's a bit hard to see, even in the closeup, but the different portions each have a different texture.

I scalloped a "scrap" from the Envelope, added a spooky spider and a cream-colored bow...and that's it!

Boo!

{Have Gift Bag, Will Travel }

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... }

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 }

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}

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 }

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 }

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 }

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... }

...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? }

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 }

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! }

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" }

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!