Cricut Card

I finally got to use my Cricut Expression for fun. It has a lot of features that I'm still just learning about, so be patient and hopefully I will turn out some nicer cards.

This is my first attempt. It's very basic. I used the "Walk in My Garden" cartridge. I cut the hydrangea flower in card mode, then cut the overlay. So basically the machine cut out the flower part of the cardfront which is Mellow moss cardstock. Then I cut out just the top part of the flower in Lavendar lace cardstock and layered the two pieces on top of the mellow moss. I added the tiny flowers on the side, stamped the sentiment and cut it out with the two oval punches.

Tie some ribbon and there you have it. The cool thing is, I cut both colors with one cut.

The big "E" does a lot more complicated projects, and once I figure them out, I will show you.

New Scallop Punch

I recently bought a new 2" scallop punch that layers great with Stampin Up's scallop punch. I made this card using the two punches and very little stamping.

After punching the flowers in Pretty in Pink cardstock, I inked the edges a little to add some dimension. Then using my paper snips, I cut into each petal just a little bit. I layered the scallops using a Stampin Dimensional. The center is Chocolate Chip Cardstock run through the cuttlebug with the Swiss Dots folder.

The leaves were made by using the small oval punch with Wild Wasabi paper. I then folded the ovals in half and ran them through the crimper. The stem is a piece of Wild Wasabi ribbon. Before attaching all of this to the card, I spritzed the white cardstock with Chocolate chip ink. The "for you" was also stamped with Chocolate chip ink, and the cardbase is Chocolate chip.

This makes a very easy and quick card. The card measures 3 x 6. This is a great way to use up scraps of cardstock and ribbon.

Using Leftovers

I'm sorry it has been such a long time since the last post. Things just get so busy in the summer and time gets away from you. My last big project was the Mother-Daughter banquet at church, since then we have had 2 weeks of vacation, 4th of July Weekend, my last Stamp Club for this year and now we are gearing up for VBS. We are having Bible school August 4th-8th and I have my oldest daughter's baby shower on August 2nd.

I haven't even had much time for my new toy. My husband bought me a Cricut Expression a couple of weeks ago and I didn't even get to use it until Friday evening. And even then, I used it to make Bible school decorations. I already have the baby cricut, but the Expression is pretty cool. If you are on the fence about buying the big one or getting the little one, go ahead and get the big one, you won't be sorry.

I have had a couple of goals for this year, most of them I'm failing miserably at, but one of them is to get organized. This includes the stamp room. The other is to use up some of my papers that I have left over from workshops. I don't do a lot of workshops, but when I do, I always make sure I cut plenty of cardstock. And I always have packets left over. So, I'm tired of them sitting in the basket, and I'm going to try and use them up.

Here is my first try at it. The card on the right is a card we made at a workshop. I try to keep them fairly simple. The card on the left is made using the leftover cardstock. The owl image is from a $1 clear acrylic stamp set that I got at Joann Fabrics. I'm not a big fan of acrylics so far, but I did like the owl and the saying. I colored the owl in using Prismacolor Markers that I had purchased from Staples. When I went on vacation, I took my new markers and a few of the acrylic stamps to practice with. It does take some practice to get the hang of alcohol-based markers.

I'm not going to list the recipe, it's been so long since I made the Stampin Up card, I don't even remember the name of the set and I really don't want to dig to through all my sets to find it. I will try to do better next time.

Retirement List is Up

The Stampin Up Retirement List is now available. These stamp sets will only be available until August 10th.

To view the Retirement List, just click on the links below. One is sorted alphabetically and the other is sorted by page number


Alphabetical Order

Page Number

Big Flower from the Pretties Kit

I have been trying to figure out what to do with the big flowers that come in the Pretties Kit. I finally made a card using that flower.

This was a very simple card to make. I used the cuttlebug on the card base (Always Artichoke), then I added a layer of Chocolate Chip cardstock. The next layer is Mellow Moss cardstock with the swirl image from Baroque Motifs stamped on it in Always Artichoke ink. I tied Chocolate Chip taffeta ribbon around that and attached it to the card base. I attached the big flower from the Pretties Kit and then attached a Prima flower with one of the half back pearls from the Pretties Kit to the big flower.

You don't see it in the picture, but I later went back and added a Chocolate Chip Rub-on "celebrate" from the Sale-a-brations set under the ribbon as I decided to use this card as an aniversary card.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I wasn't putting sentiments on some of my cards until I decided what occasion I was using the card for. Sometimes the card looks a little plain without a sentiment when I post them, but I guess that is better than having a perfect card with the wrong sentiment that you can't use.

Graduation Gift

This was a gift for a young lady who graduated from High School this year. It was a little book with pockets and in each pocket was a card with a verse or inspirational saying. The last pocket had money in it and the the little tag said "and girls just gotta have funds". I also made a little bag to match that the book fit into.

I used Stampin Up Designer paper "Flowers for You", Certainly Celery and Tempting Turquoise Cardstock and the same inks. I used several different stamp sets to make the cards and since I made this over a month ago I don't remember which ones I used. The book was bound together with my Bind-it-All machine.

I've seen several tutorials for this same project, but for me the easiest one to follow was this one - http://www.barbstamps.com/my_weblog/2008/05/tutorial-mini-p.html.

Blessings

From the Garden

This is one of the hostess sets that will soon be disappearing. Don't forget the last day to order from the Spring-Summer Collection is August 10th.

These are a couple of real simple monochromatic cards that I cased from the catalog(page 21).


I stamped the flower in Groovy Guava ink on Whisper White cardstock. I added a strip of Groovy Guava cardstock that I ran through my cuttlebug to the bottom. I ran a piece of Groovy Guava ribbon above that then embellised one card with a bow and the other with a flower. As I said, very simple. Thanks for looking.
Blessings

Back From Vacation

We just have one day left of vacation then it's back to work Monday. We spent the first week of vacation driving to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas and seeing the sights. We have spent the second week at home recovering from the first week.



I'm going to post some cards I made before we left for vacation. This first one is made from a retired Stampin Up set called Symbols of Salvation. I made this card for a man in our church who was recently saved and baptized.

I embossed the cross with gold embossing powder then colored it in with a Chocolate Chip marker. The verse says "My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation", a perfect verse for the occasion. This man was an old friend of my husband, so it really meant a lot for him to be the one to baptize him.

RECIPE:

Paper - Whisper White, Chocolate Chip

Ink - Chocolate Chip

Accessories - Paper piercing kit, gold brads

Blessings

June Stamp Club Cards

I don't usually post the cards before my stamp club, but my friend Terri - Hi Terri - can't make it tomorrow night and she wanted to see the cards in case there was anything she needed to order to make them. And just to update everyone on my card a night challenge. I have done pretty good about making the cards, I just haven't had time to post them. And we leave Monday for two weeks on vacation, so unless I find some time Friday, this will be my last post for a few weeks. Anyway, back to the cards....

This first card was made using a new stamp set "Fresh Cuts" that will be in the new Fall Catalog available August 11. But during the month of June only, you can order this set and the cost is $21.95. If you order this set, you can purchase the new die cut 4x4 cards for $5.00, otherwise the cards are $8.95 and you get 15 cards and envelopes.

I stamped the image in Old Olive ink. I then punched a flower using the 5 Petal Punch and attached it and a flower from the Flower Fusion kit with an Old Olive brad. On the inside of the card I attached a 3.75x3.75 piece of Old Olive cardstock with Stampin Dimensionals. I also stamped an image on the envelope. This is a very quick and easy card to make.

This next card uses the stamp set Bloomin Beautiful that is in the mini catalog. Remember you can order from the mini through the month of June (even thought the catalog says May 31).

I stamped the image in versamark ink, then colored the image with Stampin Up chalks. The cardbase is Cameo Coral (my favorite color this month) and I layered the image with Cameo Coral and Chocolate Chip cardstock. I used the distressor tool to give it the rough edges. The paper on the side is a piece of Designer paper from Berry Bliss. I tied a piece of Chocolate Chip ribbon around the card.

This last card is similar to the one we made last month. I stamped the background stamp Print Pattern in Green Galore ink on Green Galore cardstock. I added the white dots with the gel pen (last month we used the paint pen and made lines). The flower image was done by coloring the stamp itself with Pixie Pink & Green Galore crayons and then spraying the stamp lightly with water and stamping on Water Color paper. I used the Word Window punch with Pixie Pink Cardstock and attached that to the cardbase and added a black brad. The cool thing on this card (I think it's cool anyway) is the beads that I attached with a staple. I will just have to show you this Terri. Anyway that is pretty much that.

I did make a Stationary in a Box as a hostess gift for Debbie. IF I have time I will post a picture of it tomorrow. I have to get my hair done at 8:00am and Gracie (my poodle)has to get her hair done at 12:30, we both have to look good for vacation you know. And I still have to clean house yet.

A Card A Night...

Ok, I told you in the last post I was trying to make at least one card a night. Even if it is a simple card or a duplicate of one I have made before. So here are the cards I have made the last three nights.

These cards look kind of plain, that's because I haven't put a sentiment on them yet. I will wait to see what kind of card I need to send, then will put the appropriate sentiment on them.

The first card is made using the stamp set Embrace Life. I used watercolor paper for the cardbase so that I would have a sturdy card. I stamped the image in black stazon and colored it with Pretty In Pink and Regal Rose markers. I sponged some Barely Banana ink around the image and tied a piece of Regal Rose ribbon around the card. This would make a great get well, thinking of you or birthday card. Did you notice the little beads on the bottom right hand corner? Aren't they cute. I will show my Club ladies how to do this at our next meeting.

The second card is another very simple card. I stamped the leaf image from Embrace Life in Mellow Moss ink then colored it in with a marker. I used my Three Flower punch to make the flowers. It's hard to tell in the picture, but I used the Color Spritzer Tool and the Pretty In Pink marker to add some texture to the card. The cardbase is Pretty in Pink paper with a layer of Mellow Moss paper. Notice the beads in the corner again? I used some non-Stampin Up ribbon to finish it off. Again no sentiment until I need the card. So many times I will have a card already made that would be great for a certain occasion, but I have the wrong sentiment so I can't use it.

The third card uses the stamp set Happy Everything and the new Sticky Letters. I really like these letters and the fine glitter looks great on them. I used the Little Flowers stamp set and stamped the flowers in Bashful Blue and Certainly Celery ink. I layered this on Certainly Celery Designer paper and the cardbase is Bashful Blue. I did some faux stitching and there you have it. Another quick card. The Happy Everything set has several small words to choose from such as: Life, Everything, Birthday, For You, Holidays, Together, and Days. I will again just add the rest of the sentiment when the card is needed.

Thanks for looking, now I need to go make a card for tonight.

Blessings

Before and After

I have been trying to re-organize my stamp room. I wish I could clean my room like I clean my closets. I take everything out, sort through it, then put almost all of it right back. But it always looks roomier after you organize it. I just have to much heavy stuff to do that with my stamp room. So I'm taking small sections at a time.


The first thing I have tackled is my computer desk where I do almost all my stamping. As you can see from the before picture, it was a mess. The ladies in my stamp club think I'm so neat. I try to tell them I only clean my room once a month before they come. The rest of the time it looks like this.


I tried to place things so that they were handier. I moved my inks from on top of a filing cabinet to the top of my desk, so now I just have to stand up to reach them. I set my printer docks on the filing cabinet. I'm hoping with them setting out all the time, I will be more likely to print pictures. I may even scrapbook a few of them. I also threw away some scraps and some 1/2 finished projects that I had started.

On the left middle shelf I have my markers, tape, blender pens and stapler. On the bottom left I have a caddy that holds my aquapainters, scissors, glue pens, mini dots, sponge daubers, stamping mist and lots of other small items. I got this at hobby lobby, it was less than $10.

On the right at the very top you see my inks. To the left of those is wooden holder for cd's or movies. I use it to hold the most current stamp sets that I use. To the right on the 1st shelf, I have my tins: Accents & Elements, Fusion Flowers, Pretties Kit, Crop-a-dile and Dazzling Diamonds glitter. The second shelf has my caddy for the buttons, elelets and brads. In the back are my prismacolor pencils. On the bottom shelf, I have my background stamps and a couple of sets that have my favorite sentiments in them.

I still have a lot of cleaning and organizing to do, but at least I have started. I'm hoping this will help me to do more stamping. My goal is to make at least one card a night. Even if it is a super simple card or even a duplicate of one I have already made. So far I have managed to make one card the last three evenings. I will post them tomorrow.