Busy Busy Busy!

Wow! What a busy week it has been! I am looking forward to the weekend and finally completing some great projects to share.  I have recently gotten some new goodies that I think will really give a new feel to some of my projects. Here are some hints . . .
Pink Paislee
Fancy Pants
Graphic 45
Websters Pages
Plus much much more!
My big news this week is that I am now a Guest Designer at www.thebugbytes.com.  I am joined by many talented ladies.  It is such an honor anytime I participate on someone's blog, let alone the great Pam! So here are the names of the other designer's and the links to their blogs.  You will see lots of flavor and variety from all us.

• Sheila            http://shesasassylady.blogspot.com/
• Elizabeth       http://217creations.blogspot.com/
• Amanda        http://www.mycreation-station.blogspot.com
• Angji             http://sweetpineapplescrapping.blogspot.com/
• Denine           http://pumpkinspiceblog.blogspot.com/
• CYNTHIA    http://www.mrsbscraftroom.blogspot.com
• AGNES        http://flowerdiscosscraphut.blogspot.com/
• Amy              http://www.redwolfscraps.blogspot.com/ &   http://redwolfscraps.com/
• Kelly             http://www.kamscraftyplace.blogspot.com
• Wini              http://www.looneybugdesigns.com
• Tracy            http://www.craftjunkietoo.com
• Lori              http://www.scrappinmystressaway.blogspot.com
• Amy Smith   http://www.amysscrappyspace.blogspot.com
• Danielle        http://fundamentalchange.blogspot.com/
• TR               http://buttonsbugsandblogs.blogspot.com/

Bucket Full of Posies

How much do you love shopping the dollar spot at Target?!?!!?
Today I am the guest designer at www.thebugbytes.com.  Thanks Pam for having me over to play!  If you are anything like me, I cannot walk in the store without stopping in the $1 Spot.  These little buckets have been calling my name for weeks.

So I bought a few to "Cricut-Up".  My other shopping obsession is holiday clearance time.  Easter is one of the best.  While at Hobby Lobby I picked up plastic eggs for 6 cents.  Yes 6 cents! Gotta love 90% off!

Here is a quick shopping list for this project:

• Floral Foam
• Lollipop Sticks
• Forest Green Glimmer Mist
• Sunflower Glimmer Mist, Pashmina Glimmer Mist, and Tiger Lily GlimmerMist (Optional)
• Hot Glue (lots)
• Plastic Eggs
• Hole Punch
• Little Bucket
• Green filler such as Easter Grass, Shredded Green Paper, Floral Moss, etc
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Shabby Shutters and Crushed Olive
  
• Cuttlebug Cherry Blossom Folder from the Asian Bundle
  
• Plantin Schoolbook- 3 flowers cut at 3.5 inches
• Wild Card- 6 leaves cut at 4.25 inches

So between these super cute buckets and my super bargain of plastic eggs we are going to make a bucket full of posies! Of course my go to cartridge for so many things is Plantin Schoolbook.  I simply adore the flowers on the cartridge.  (If you don't believe me look at all the labels on my blog for this cartridge!)  I also used Wild Card for the leaves.  Now Plantin Schoolbook has a cute leaf also, but I am partial to this leaf from Wild Card.

I started by Glimmer Misting my lollipop sticks to tint them green.  

While those dried, I cut my floral foam to fit into the bucket.  I inked my leaves to give them plenty of definition. 

I started with Crushed Olive and them finished them with Shabby Shutters.

To assemble the leaves, I cut the stems off the ends and glued 2 of them on top of each other.  Then I took a hole punch from my eyelet setting tool and placed a hole in the middle of the glued leaves.

Next, I took my plastic eggs and separated them in half. 

I took Hot Glue and filled the tip of the inside of the egg with glue.  I let it sit for a minute or two.  Then I placed the tinted lollipop sticks into the warm glue. 

Next I embossed my flowers. On these flowers, I used Glimmer Mist in Pashmina (pink), Sunflower (yellow), and Tiger Lily (orange).  

This flower from Plantin cuts with a hole in the center so there is not need to punch a hole. Once my lollipop and eggs sticks were dry, I began to assemble the rest of the flower.

I started by feeding the lollipop stick through the flower followed by the the leaves.  If needed, place a small amount of hot glue between the layers to hold together. 

Stick the flowers into the floral foam and if need add some glue where the foam and stick meet.

Finally add your green filler to conceal the foam.

 Here are several ideas for the green filler.  I chose to use the crinkled Paper Shreds.  

I just stuffed the crinkles into the gaps.

Gypsy and DS are not necessary to make this project, but if you want the file I used, you can download the file below.  It is not DS friendly, so really it is only for Gypsy Users this time.

 Dollar Spot Flower Pot File

As always thank you for the comments and a huge thank you for subscribing or following! 

Triple Layer Panoramic Card

Happy Friday everyone! Today is my debut on She's A Sassy Lady as a guest designer.  My project to share today is a unique and innovative card.  Dioramas are not just for school!  This card is so easy to assemble and has endless possibilities when it comes to embellishment.  To make our lives easier, I have created a Gypsy file that will cut this card.  The sizing allows for all 3 machines to cut and I even have a DS friendly version as well. Score marks are included on the files.

The file will cut 3 pieces.  

The front and back layers

The middle layer

Once embellished and ready to assemble, they will stack like this.

Embellishment is of your choosing when it comes to this card. I am using Pagoda. I chose to stamp my back layer first with some super cute flowers from Basic Grey.  Then I cut the 3 lanterns and their layers from Pagoda.

To embellish the lanterns, I used my white Signo pen for the tassels and my gold Signo pen for the strings. My last added touch was my stardust pen to the magenta. I glued the lanterns to the back of the middle layer. 

Next I added some greenery from Pagoda around the edging.  This time I chose to glue my die cuts to the front of the middle layer.

Then, I lined up my middle layer and my back layer like this.

I then glued them together.

My next step was to add the front layer.  One again I lined the edges and glued.

Here is a close up fo the layers.  I used my Asian Cuttlebug folders for the dry embossing of the leaves.

To really pull this card together, I created a hinged door using the silk screen from Pagoda and the a rectangle from Plantin Schoolbook.  I flipped and welded the image so I would have two symmetrical doors.  I then folded along the edge and then glued the flat portion to the front of my card.

 The door are completely functional.  I used hot glue to hold them down .

 Finally, I took a small ribbon and looped it through the slots and tied a bow.  Thank you so much for all your comments.  They truly motivate me to do more!  And of course I love followers! I also have the added feature on the side to subscribe also!

To download the Design Studio friendly version, please click below.  Remember you will need to have the most recent update from November 2009 to import this file.  Be sure to download both files.

DS friendly Version Page 1 Diorama Card

DS friendly Version Page 2 Diorama Card

To download the Gypsy file, please click below.

Diorama Card GYPSY file

A Vineyard of Thanks and Pop Up Card File

 Techniques, Techniques, Techniques! POP, POP, POP! This card has so much to offer and show I am unsure where to begin!  So I will begin with the obvious.  My pop up card file is finished!  I designed this card to be cut on any of the 3 machines.  It fits into a standard A2 envelope.  

The file is made form Plantin Schoolbook.  It has two main pieces.  The first portion is the actual pop up inner piece.  You will cut this from whatever paper you want for the inside of the card.  The folding is as follows:

Top and Bottom: one Valley fold

Center: Valley, Mountain, Valley

 Front View

 Looking from the top

 View from the side

The second portion of the card base is the wrapper of the card.  This wrapper will hide the folded pop up and make the card more sturdy.  Attach the two pieces together and it should look like this from the top.

Now for the fun stuff! I tried a few new techniques and products on this card.  I tried to take as many pictures as best I could.  The first technique I want to share is these cool little Crystal Accents I found at Michael's in the floral department.  They are sold in a big bag and are clear which of course means I will tint them with my Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink.  The backing behind the grapes is a new stamp from Stampers Anonymous from Tim Holtz called Urban Chic.  I love this stamp set.

 I also used this stamp set for the sentiment.  On the picture below, I used my Xyron machine to apply the glitter.  I ran my die cut upside down and then sprinkled with glitter.  I am in love this method of glittering! It really does work.

 These grapes are form Preserves also.  I am in love with this cartridge.  It was a gift for my mom and this card is for her.  The branch is from Wild Card.  But since Gypsy (as of this date) does not have Hide Selected Contour, I had to hand trim the branch and leaves off.  I used Lime Green Stickles for the sparkles on the inner leaves.

Here is a side view of the embellished card.

 The font is from Songbird.  I welded it together and cut it form the same paper as my wrapper.  The ribbon is from Joann's.  I wish I had bought some other colors!  I used Terrifically Tacky Tape to adhere the ribbon.

This was the hardest technique to photograph.  I tried UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel) cracked glass method.  I began by doing three layers of UTEE on my coordinating matting paper. While the paper was still somewhat warm, I began folding and crinkling it.  By doing this, I created small fractures in the dried enamel.  So vintage!  I then took Tea Dye from Tim Holtz and rubbed it into the cracks. It makes the coolest effect. The texture is just amazing!

I have included 2 download options.  If you are a DS user please download the first version.  This file does not have the multi-page so there will be no "dumping".  Even though it is a Gypsy file, this will import into DS just fine.  Remeber to update your DS version to the Nov 2009 update to import Gypsy files.

The second version is the Gypsy version that has multipages.  Remember to make this card you will need Plantin Schoolbook.  

Basic Pop Up Card DS Friendly

Basic Pop Up Card Multipage Gypsy

Wild Card Thank You

This little cutie was so much fun to make.  My neighbor needed a card for a teacher at the school, and since I love making cards I of course said yes. It is made entirely from Wild Card. I chose the color scheme from My Pink Stamper's Challenge this weekend which is Pink, Black, and Green.  I started with the folded flower card.  Then using the font from Wild Card, I spelled out "THANKS" on my Gypsy.  I then used the positive kerning technique that was a part of the Gypsy forum challenge at Cricut.com to space out the letters. I made a copy of the letter group and moved it to the side of the mat (this will be cut in another color). Next I welded the phrase to the side of the card.

For the remainder of the card, I cut 2 blackouts of the flower, 4 leaves, and the THANKS.  I inked my leaves using Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Mustard Yellow and Shabby Shutters.  I then detailed with a Stardust Pen.

For the lettering, I used the Xyron method for the glitter.  I ran my letters upside down through the Xyron.  I then sprinkled with Martha Stewart Peridot glitter and removed the excess.  I attached my glittered letters over the welded card letters using Zip Dry. To give the front flower some detail, I embossed 1 of the black out flowers with the Cuttlebug folder Checkerboard.  Since I cut the base of the card with the Black Magic Cardstock from Coredinations, I sanded the embossing and my pink popped through the black. To enhance my pink embossing, I used Cotton Candy Stickles and a rhinestone.  I then glued my leaves to the inside back of the card.  I sandwiched the leaves with my second blackout that I inked with Worn Lipstick and Glimmer Misted with Creme de Rouge. For the final touches, I added some green puffy ribbon and some pink velvet ribbon, as well as some rhinestones.

As I was letting this card dry, my neighbor let me know she had a Gift Card to add to the card I had made for her.  So as a last minute adjustment, I used my exacto knife and cut two slits to hold a gift card.
If you would like to download this file , please click below.
Thanks Floral Wild Card 

She's Sassy and I am Sassy! Come be Sassy with us!

I am just thrilled to announce that I will featured as a guest designer at She's a Sassy Lady.  Starting next Friday April 16, I begin sharing my designs with not only my followers but Sassy's as well.  I am so honored and thrilled at this opportunity.  I will joined by these fabulous designers so please come be Sassy with us!

Pam of The Bug Bytes and Tuesday Treats

Lori of Scrappin’ My Stress Away

Beth of Thunderbirdlindy By Design

Beatriz at Amazing Grace

Cheryl at Cheryl’s Window

Kimberly at My Craft Spot

Becky at My Journey To Creativity

Cricut.com Autism Awareness Challenge

I joined the Cartridge Exploration Challenge this week on the Cricut.com Message Board.  This weeks challenge is unique because instead of a cartridge as the focus, it is a shape.  The shape we are working with is a puzzle piece.  As many of you may or may not know, April is Autism Awareness month.  Autism Awareness is close to my heart.  Two of my boys are affected by it, and even then it is hard to say it is just them who face the challenges each day.  It affects all of us in one way or another.  I would encourage you to visit Autism Speaks.Org
If you are a crafter please follow THIS LINK to the Cricut.com Message Board and partcipate in the challenge.  There is still more time.  The postmark deadline is April 17. The mailed in cards will be used, if you choose, for a fundraiser. To top it all off, there are some really fab prizes also. Have a great day!

Elegant Layout for Weddings With The Cricut

Happy Wednesday Everyone!  I have designed a simple but elegant layout that could either be used in a scrapbook or in a 12x12 scrapbook picture frame for this week at Weddings With The Cricut.  This is the last installment of this design theme. 

I have an obsession with ribbon.  I love using it on anything I can.  To make this layout, I began by laying a strip of wide ribbon down the edge of my paper.  To lay it flat, I first ironed the ribbon gently.  Then I used Terrifically Tacky Tape on the backside.  I gently laid the ribbon on my paper, pressing firmly.  I mounted my photo mats on top of my ribbon, leaving a small gap between the two photo mats.  With my left over ribbon, I tied a bow and adhered it to the ribbon.

For the scrolling on the side on my layout, I used Storybook.  This scrolling is actually several flourishes welded into one.  The file is available for download at the bottom of this post. As a tip when it comes to intricate designs, I always use spray adhesive to mount.  My favorite brand is Crafter's Companion Permanent Spray Stick and Stay (red can).  Once I sprayed, I laid the scrolling on top my paper working from the center of the design to the outside of the design.  As a final touch, I used gold rhinestones to hi-lite the scrolling and my photo mats.  I hope you have enjoyed this layout.  Thank you for commenting and even better thank you for following me at 217 Creations.

Click below to download this file.  

It is a Gypsy file but will easily import into DS if you have the November 2009 update.

Weddings With The Cricut Lace Paper 

Hoppy Easter! Take a peek inside!

This year Easter was on my birthday.  Normally my husband and I do not exchange gifts.  But this year he gave the greatest gift a mom of 3 kids and avid papercrafter could get . . . Sleep in late and a whole day of crafting!
When I was at Michaels last week, they had these giant foam like eggs.  I decided to cut an oval opening into the egg.  Then I took Sea Glass Gilmmer Mist and coated the inside of the egg and let it dry.   I hot glued cotton balls to create clouds on the back. Once my background decorations were done, I cut small piece of floral foam and hot glued it to the bottom on the egg.  To hide the foam, I placed hot glue on top of the foam and pressed Easter Grass into the glue.
I cut the rabbit from Easter 2010 and inked him with Antique Linen from Tim Holtz. I added a googly eye that had lashes and tipped his nose pink and added a puffy tail.  I hot glued him to a lollipop stick and stuck the stick into the foam.

Next, I cut the flowers from Plantin Schoolbook and layered them.  I hot glued them to lollipop sticks that I had Glimmer Misted with Forest Green. I then used Fruit Punch Stickles to glitter the flowers.  Then I added a tinted rhinestone to the center.  I then pressed the sticks into the foam. To create the grass border, I used Easter 2010.  On my Gypsy I stretched the image.  I unlinked the aspect ratio and stretched the grass out to 4.5 inches while leaving the height only 1.5 inches.  I inked the grass with Crushed Olive from Tim Holtz. I placed hot glue on the back side of the border and glued it to the front side of the foam.

As a final touch to the egg, I hot glued part of a feathered boa around the opening.  To create my stand I used the cupcake holder from Sweet Treats and tipped it upside down.  I hot glued two leaves from Wild Card to the bottom of the egg.  Then I ran a thin strip of hot glue under the leaves to mount the egg on the stand.  I added a simple sheer bow to the bottom.