Pop Up Treat Box

One of the challenges this weekend at the My Scraps and More Wonder"FALL" crop was to create a treat container. Many months before I had seen a pop up treat box/bag on YouTube. I wasn't able to find the video again (I didn't look very hard either) so I just decided to go off of what I remembered.

When you open the flap a small treat is lifted up out of the box.

Challenges:
Getting Cricky - Simply Sunday - Fall Treats

Nature Walk Layout

I used Creative Scrappers sketch #172 for this layout. I also used a recipe challenge from My Scraps and More. My recipe included journal strips, brads, black and white photo, 2 patterned papers and sewing.

Challenges:
Creative Scrappers - Sketch 172

Apple of My Eye Layout

My Scraps and More held their Wonder"FALL" crop with weekend. One of their challenges was a BINGO challenge. I chose to use brads, stitching, buttons and glitter. This is the layout I came up with.

Challenges:
Wee Memories - Challenge #69 - Patterned Paper
Whimsical Wednesdays - Anything Goes

Owl Birthday Card

I used my new favorite cartridge, Create A Critter, and scraps for all of the cuts on this card. To make the branch I took grosgrain ribbon, rolled it into a circle and glued it to the paper. I didn't have any tacky glue or anything like that so I used Mighty Mend-It (yup the infomercial stuff) that my husband's grandmother gave to us years ago.

Challenges:
My Craft Spot - Monday Challenge #26 - Ribbon
Fantabulous Cricut - Challenge Me Monday #79 - Leaves are Falling
Celebrate the Occasion - Challenge #32
Ribbon Carousel - RCC 22 - Alter It
Cricut Cardz Challenge - #92 - Owls

Doodlebug Birthday Card

Just a quick post today. I need to beat a deadline all while participating in an online crop over at the forums of My Scraps and More. It's been a lot of fun and there are a lot of great prizes to be won!

I used Doodlebug for everything but the balloon. I cut the balloon from Elmo's Party and used We R Memory Keepers candy stripe twine for the string.

Challenges:
Celebrate the Occasion - Challenge #31

Pirate Monster Card

What little monster wouldn't want to be a pirate for Halloween? This little guy sure does. He was supposed to be a bag but I didn't realize I had the card button pressed (oops!).

I used Mini Monsters to cut my card at 11" (fit to page). His pirate hat is cut from Pooh and Friends at 5" and outlined in black glitter glue.

The Details:
Bazzill Lemonlime
Stash/scrap Papers
Violet Zig Pen
Snow Recollections Pen
Tiny Bubbles Cuttlebug Embossing Folder
Black and Silver Glitter Glue
Mini Monsters - Treat Bag 1 - Card - 11"
Pooh and Friends - 100 Acre - Icon - 5"

Challenges:
Wee Memories - No Pattern Paper
Getting Cricky - Halloween
Fantabulous Cricut - It's A Pirate's Life
Shopping Our Stash - No Coloring Allowed

*added 12/28/11* Cooking With Cricut - Year in Review - 2011 Favorite

Link Up Love Party With K Andrew

It's the third Tuesday of the month and that means it's Link Up Love Party time over at Getting Cricky.

This month we are showcasing our favorite Fall/Halloween project. This card is my favorite so far (click here for details). I have lots of other projects in mind however.

These are a couple of other Fall cards I like. I've not posted the details of these cards yet. So if you like them too become a follower and be the first to know when I do.

You can find additional Fall/Halloween projects here, here and here. Thanks for checking out my blog! Now hop over to Getting Cricky, join the link up party and start meeting some new and talented crafters all while showing off your stuff.

Fall Card With Stitching

I love the idea of Fall. I've mentioned before that I live in Minnesota so we have beautiful Falls. You may have noticed that I said "idea" of fall. That's because I live in Minnesota and Fall means feet of snow and bitter cold are just around the corner. But the next few weeks are wonderful. The temps are crisp and the colors are vibrant. With that pleasant thought in mind I created this card.

The basic layout and materials were all provided in a We R Memory Keepers class that I took last weekend at Scrapfest. I added the leaves (the sample was too plain for my taste) and used aqua brads. The class was learning to use We R's new stitching tool. I like the effect on the card but I'm not so sure about the tool.

Challenges:
My Craft Spot
Whimsical Wednesdays

Halloween Layout 1

Since having kids I LOVE Halloween. It's so much fun to dress them up in cute little costumes. In 2009 my daughter had just turned 1 and I dressed her as a Koala. It was so cute. Last year my 2 year old was a monkey and my 5 month old son was a banana! It was so cute (I'll be using my create a critter cart to do a layout of that so stay tuned). This year my son will be a dragon and my daughter has yet to decide. She'll either be a princess, a pirate, Minnie or a combination of the three. When she decides (or I find a cute, inexpensive costume that I like) I'll come up with a title for this layout. This is how it looks for now.

EVERYTHING (and so much more) came from a $1.99 kit that I bought at Scrapfest. I have no idea how old this line is or who the manufacturer is.

Challenges:
My Scraps and More - layout
Getting Cricky - Halloween

Gramma Layout

A couple of weeks ago I created a Grampa layout. I really liked the way it turned out. Since then I've been meaning to make a similar Gramma layout but have not gotten around to it. I knew it was finally time to do it this week when Cooking With Cricut posted their grandparents challenge.

You can see that it's basically a mirror image of my Grampa layout. Everything from the papers, punch, font and title placement are the same. For this layout, however, I used a metal brad and flowers that I was lucky enough to win from Graphic 45 at Scrapfest this past weekend. I used the tool with a scoop-like end from my Cricut tool kit (I have no idea what it's actually for) to curl the petals of my flower.

The Details:
All printed paper is Recollections Elegance
Martha Stewart's Cherish punch-around-the-page
Cricut Classic Font at 1"
Graphic 45 metal brad, metal flower
Pop-Dots

Challenges:
Cooking With Cricut
Frosted Designs

My First Create A Critter Layout

During my adventures in the crafty blog world I've found myself drawn to projects made with the create a critter cartridge. The fun, whimsical animals always seem to be able to create an eye catching scene. Unfortunately I didn't have create a critter. That is until Michael's ran their sale this week! I am now a proud owner, I also picked up Winter Frolic.

This is my first project with my new cartridge. All of the paper is scraps from my stash except the background piece. That's some Bazzill Blank Check I had lying around.

I popped the gator and photos and added the monkeys to take the place of the butterflies in the sketch. One of the monkeys was cut out with the flip button on. I only cut out two layers of the tree and three of the gator (I colored the eye and nose holes with a pen instead of cutting the base layer).

The Details:
Cricut Create a Critter
   Tree 10 3/4"
   Pond 3"
   Gator 1 3/4"
   Monkeys 1"
Bazzill Blank Check
Stash/Scrap Paper
Pop Dots

Challenges:
Die Cuttin' Divas - Zoo Crazy
Frosted Designs - Sketch Along Tuesdays Layout Sketch #23

Harry Potter

I'm a big Harry Potter fan. I loved the books. When I heard they were opening a Harry Potter theme park I was excited. I wanted to drop everything and be the first in line. That didn't happen but I was able to visit the park this summer with my husband. It was AMAZING. The details were impecable. The atmosphere was magical and the ride was beyond words. We had so much fun.

To document our trip I used Sketchy Thursdays' current sketch. Everything I used is from the Creative Imaginations Harry Potter line.

I'll also be entering this layout at Shopping Our Stash and their vintage/distressed/shabby chic challenge.

Aurora Layout

It's time again to play along with the Blog Sketch Challenge over at My Scraps and More. If you do not follow Tammi's blog you really should. She's full of wonderful ideas. Every Thursday she posts a new layout sketch. Monday, she has a giveaway and other days she features new paper lines.

I was lucky enough to win challenge 4 with my Grampa layout (which I also won with at Celebrate the Occasion - I'm so excited and giddy)!

On to the current sketch . . .
I started out sifting through my stash and came across the circle die cut paper (sorry I can't remember the company). This lead to my color scheme which lead to the photos of my daughter and Aurora.

Because I'm (cheap/resourceful/environmentally friendly) I cut "Aurora" out of the background paper making sure it would be covered by the circle.

The Details:
Cricut Happily Ever After - white/extra layer shift 2"
Bazzill - Ballet, Diamond, LemonLime
Martha Stewart Punch
Creative Imaginations Magic Designs rub-ons - crown
Little Yellow Bicycle Free Spirit journal circle
Die Cut Circle paper stash

Back to School 2011 Layout

My little girl starts school on Tuesday. Practice Preschool to be exact. I'm excited for her. She's been asking to go to school every day since her last day of ECFE (early childhood family education) last fall. I'm also more nervous than I ever thought I would be. I just keep reminding myself that practice preschool is just about getting used to a structured learning environment and having fun.

To preserve her big day I made this layout.

The patterned paper, from Creative imaginations, came as a 12x12 sheet with all these rectangles individually decorated. So my first idea was to cut them apart and add some photo mats. To add visual interest I inked all the edges, popped four of the pieces and added doodling.

The Details:
ki Memories School Days hip chip
Creative Imaginations Preschool paper and cardstock stickers
Bazzill classic blue
Recollections red
Zig Millennium pure black pen
Marcella by K black dye ink
Pop Dots
Cricut Jubilee cartridge (runt feature, 1/2")

Challenges:
Whimsical Wednesdays - Scrapping School Memories
Cooking With Cricut - School Days

Friends Rose Card

"A friendship can weather most things and thrive in thin soil; but it needs a little mulch of letters and phone calls and small, silly presents every so often - just to save it from drying out completely." -Pam Brown

With that in mind I created this simple, eye-catching card for one of my friends.

I stamped "friends" on the ribbon with StazOn.

The Details:
Recollections Elegance Cardstock
DCWV Love and Wedding Patterned Paper
Schiff Ribbon Cranberry
Spool o' Ribbon Black
Martha Stewart Cherish Punch
Inkadinkadoo Round Frames Stamp Set

Challenges:
Die Cuttin' Divas - sketch
My Craft Spot - friends

Cookie Monster Stand-up Pop-up Card

My husband works with a man who's 4 month old daughter needs surgery soon. Since there is little else we can do for the family I made this get well card.

One way that I try to expand my knowledge and skills of paper crafting is perusing YouTube and one of my favorite things to research is different card folds. I've made a LONG list of different folds I want to try and this free standing pop-up card is on it.

My base measures 5" x 11" and is scored at 1", 2 3/4", 3 3/4", 5 1/2", 7 1/4", 8 1/4" and 10". At the 5 1/2" score I cut a slot large enough for my tag and leaving around 1/2" on the sides. My tag measures 3" x  5".

To assemble the card place adhesive on both 1" end flaps on the side facing up. Slid your tag through the slot and line up the bottom edge with the crease. Now take the other side of your base and line it up. It's really very easy.

The card folds flat to easily fit inside an envelope.

The Details:
Cricut Sesame Street Friends
   Cookie Monster 4"
   Cookies 1"
Cricut Mickey Font 1"
American Crafts Hello Sunshine Jovial (base)
American Crafts Caramel
Bazzill Pinecone, Yellow, Blue
The Paper Company Kraft
Recollections Red
Inkadinkado Round Frames Stamp Set
Marcella by K black dye ink
Michael's Ribbon

Challenges:
Shopping Our Stash - Bugs, Birds, Beasts

Grampa Monochrome Layout

I love black and white photos. There's something timeless and nostalgic about them, regardless of when they were taken. With that love in mind I created this Grampa layout using the sketch at My Scraps and More.

The Details:
All printed paper is Recollections Elegance
Martha Stewart's Cherish punch-around-the-page
Cricut Classic Font at 1"
Tim Holtz keys
Schiff Ribbons black grosgrain
Spool o' Ribbon black
Pop Dots - photo matting, "grampa", bow

Other Challenges:
Cricut 360 - Grandparents
Ribbon Carousel - Anything Goes
Celebrate the Occasion - Grandparents

Jingle Belles

For the Jingle Belles CASE challenge I chose Kathe's card seen here.

I used glitter and a sparkly gell pen to get my bulbs to glow. The non-shining bulb is covered in tiny black balls.

A Little Dirt Never Hurt

I had THE MOST FUN making this card! It was great to just toss things around and rip and tear and get dirty.

The Scrappy Saturday challenge at Wee Memories is Simply Sentiment. The sentiment is too be the focus of your creation.

I didn't really know what I was going to do for this one so I followed along on the hop and got some inspiration to make a thank you card with all the thank you stamps I have. As I was digging in my stamp drawer my Unity Stamp Company Little Boy set caught my eye. Then I saw the sentiment "A Little Dirt Never Hurt" and a stack of brown scraps. That's when my creative light bulb when off and I started tearing and distressing and inking and this is what I ended up with (along with brown fingers).

Most of this card is made with scraps. The stripe came from DCWV Baby Boy stack and the dots came from ki Memories pack. I used Distress Ink in tea dye and Color Box chalk ink in chocolate.

Bath Time

I feel sorry for these pictures. I really do. The poor things have been pasted onto and then torn away from at least two layouts. I love these pictures and I only want the best for them. Now, finally, they have found a home they, and I, can be proud of.

For this accomplishment I must thank Sketchy Thursdays. I took my cues from their recent sketch. I increased the scale and shifted it to the right and down. Instead of using two pieces of accent paper I used one and a photo.

The Details:
BasicBasic Ribbon
ki Memories Teal Lace Cardstock
Recollections Glitter Paper - Powder
Stash Paper - silver, blue, teal
Sugar and Spice Cartridge
   Bath Time 2"
   Pins 1 1/2"
   Frame 5 1/2"
American Crafts Stamp Marker - Denim

I'll also be entering my layout at Design Time Thursday over at Creative Cutter Room. The theme is Splish! Splash!
Frosted Designs' Fabulous Friday Challenge is Flourish. Be sure to stop by and meet the new team.

Crayon Background

When I came across this video by Split Coast Stampers on how to use an iron and crayons to create a background I knew I had to try it. The only thing is I don't have a craft iron or a travel iron so I used a flat iron (you know, the ones for your hair) that I don't use any more. I love how it turned out and I can't wait to play around with it some more. I may even buy a craft iron!

The grass is three shades of green and the sky is yellow, orange and cerulean. I used a sheer/satin combo orange ribbon by Michael's along with brown grosgrain near the bottom. The tree is cut from Bloom Lite and mounted with pop dots. The brown paper is Bazzill and the orange is DCWV.

Challenges:
Die Cuttin Divas - Fall Colors
Fantabulous Cricut - Yellow
Ribbon Carousel - All Tied Up