Hello there!!!

Hello ! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!! It's been a while since I sat down to write a few words for my blog.... Christmas was a fun filled ( and a bit crazy at times) couple of weeks. I actually had to drag myself into my craft room and start cleaning up from all the pre-Christmas creating frenzy!!! Oh what a mess!!! I had everything from papercraft projects to gift wrapping and  wreath making stuff and even sewing notions all over my room!!! Oh how I wish I had a cleaning genie to take care of it but nope, my mess = me spending a whole evening cleaning!! It's somewhat normal now so I can sit down at my desk and actually make something. Actually, I got inspired to create when I started finding some great stuff all hidden away... take a look:

 

 

With the exception of the card base, this card was made entirely with odds and ends I found during my epic cleaning event! The striped paper has a lovely glittery feel to it without being overbearing and at some point I embossed the sentiment from CTMH .The snowflake was made with my Art Philosophy cartridge ( and Cricut, of course).The stamped image is from Impression Obsession. I bought this one about two years ago and although I love it , I haven't used it much. I love the lovely t sled scene - it reminds me of the sled my grandfather made that we used to play with. I think this would make a lovely thank you card or even a winter birthday card .

 

I also used more scraps to make this simple Pinterest inspired card:

 

 

Everything for this card came out of my piles of stuff that was threatening to take over. The label is a Waltzingmouse stamp and the greeting is a Fiskars stamp. The rest is leftovers ( just as yummy as turkey but less stuffing!!)

 

Thanks for stopping by today ..... Happy New Year!!

 

 

 

 

 

Joy-ful Christmas

Hi all! I'm been super busy in my craftroom these but not because of the Xmas cards still waiting to be made!!! I have a huge mess of Christmas wreaths in various stages of completion, plus ribbon, and embellishments everywhere in my room! I can barely find my desk these days!!

Here's some of what I've been working on....

 

 

 

 

I made a bunch of these already and have orders for several more so my papercrafting has been put on hold till I get caught up. I have a few orders for cards so I am trying to squeeze those in my already busy schedule!!! It's a good thing I love doing it or I would've gone crazy by now!! LOL

 

Here's the first card I made ......

 

 

I love the large vintage background stamp  from Stampin' Up! called Christmas Collage. This stamp was a leftover from my SU demo days but I loved the vintage feel of it so much that I couldn't part with it. For the greeting I used a CTMH set from Holiday Tags inked in Cranberry... the background stamp was inked in Topiary. I made the poinsettia from a Spellbinders die and the cardstock is CTMH. The matching poinsettia paper is My Minds Eye and the ribbon is SU!

 

Well, that's my card for today.... I'm off to start another project! Have a great day... thanks for stopping by my blog!!

 

 

Happy Owl-days

Hi all! With just a few short weeks left to the big day , I've been nonstop trying to get things ready. I made a bunch of deco mesh wreaths to sell at a local craft sale and now I've got a few more to make. They keep me pretty busy and I'm starting to panic about all the other things that need to be done ---- like shopping!!!! Yikes! I live in a rural area so it's a full day event to get shopping done for the fam! Online is the way to go!!!!  Other things like decorating and of course getting my cards finished and in the mail asap!!! I've got to finish those that have been ordered before I get mine done--- I just need a few more hours in a day!!

Here's a card I made for a lady who has a daughter that loves owls.....

 

This was a cutfile bought at the Silhouette store .I'm not a big fan of paper piecing but this little guy was worth it. The banner stamp is a Recollections brand and the papers are My Minds Eye. The mat behind the owl was made using Elegant Edges( Cricut) ... the inside has a matching mat for the greeting.

 

I decorated the envelope to match .... I hope she likes it.

 

That's one card finished ... yay!! Hope you have time to enjoy the special moments of this season!

 

Christmas giftboxes - Silhouette style

Hi all!! I love making 3D projects and with my Cricut and Silhouette it's super easy to create some fun and cute projects. I found several boxes at Silhouette's online store that I wanted to try out. I treally like the unique shapes of these and they were pretty easy to assemble ( I wish Silhouette would post instructions with thier cutfiles .... have not always had success on the first try with assembly!!!).

Here are a few that I made...

Here's my first one....

This box measures about 5" tall and has curved sides... it's the perfect size for some yummy treats.I like the slits in the handles ... so much easier to tying ribbon / twine through.

.. the second..

This box measures about 6" in width and is about 3" tall ( with lid on). You can adjust the size for a smaller gift and I made another one a bit bigger for a couple of ornaments. 

and the third one....

This hex box is so much prettier in real life!! I love it so much and I've alreay made another one just a wee bit smalller. This one is quite large at over 10" tall .The cutfile came with layers to fill in Santa and his reindeer but I prefer the silhouette shape instead.

And finally....

I think this box is so awesome with its' star shape closure....it's a 7 sided box that is about 3.5" in diameter and 6.25" tall. Hmmm... now what could I put in here???

Thanks for stopping by my blog today ... stay warm and enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Traditional Chistmas card

Good morning!! Today I have a card to share with you that I made for the current challenge over at Jingle Belles "Holiday Traditions". There are so many amazing cards already up and I love to read the traditions that they have shared with us. My tradition each year is that after Christmas Eve mass the kids get to open one gift which is always a brand new pair of Christmas pj's. A couple of years ago my kids surprised me with my very own pair of new pj's on Christmas eve!! There's nothing like cozying up next to tree watching the twinkling lights in a brand new pair of comfy pajamas.

Well my card does not have pj's on it but it does have another traditional element that I'm sure many of us do each year .... we always put a wreath on our front door.

 

I made this  card shape using a cutfile and my Silhouette . The sentiment mat and bow were also made on my Silhouette. CTMH has several beautiful Christmas stamp sets out right now but I love this one ( Merry & Bright) in particular for it's gorgeous font on the greetings and the wreath is clean and simple. I SU! papers and button and CTMH cardstock ( which cuts like a dream on my machines!!).

 

That's my card for this week's challenge.... thanks for stopping by! Have a great rest of your day!!

 

Winter Wonderland & Artbooking layout

Hi again! I'm back with another post today - this one is a double page layout featuring CTMH products and the Artbooking cartridge.

I fell in love with the papers in CTMH's Frosted paper pack ... the soft shades of blue mixed with cream has such a vintage feel to it. Of course , pair it with the Artbooking cartridge and you've got loads of creative possibilities. Originally I intended this paper to be used for a card class but I'm glad I saved it for a layout instead. I used the Wintertime layout on the cartridge ( pg 76) and since Cricut did all the sizing for me , the page elements were cut in a flash!
I didn't add a title to this layout because I'm not sure if it will be for Christmas or a winter page....hmmmm, maybe I need to make another one!!

All products used are from CTMH except for the hemp twine ( Walmart) and the mini bag ( Canvas Corp) and the 2X2 photo mat on the right was embossed with a Sizzix snowflake embossing folder.

So there's my layout .... really a quick and simple , yet elegant thanks to CTMH's gorgeous papers!

Thanks for stopping by today.... have a great rest of your day!!

 

Suburbia birthday

Good morning!!  Do you have crafting supplies or tools that you just had to have only to have them collect dust?? I'm guilty of this ... especially when it comes to my Cricut. I have a few go-to cartridges and the others are generally just sitting looking all pretty on my shelf! Thanks to all those fantastic pinners out there , I'm finding loads of inspiration for my poorly neglected cartridges like the Suburbia cartridge which I HAD to have ..... last year!!!  This cartridge has some really cool retro images ( which is probably the reason I got in the first place!!!) and once I started playing around with them, I found my creative mojo !!! Here's one card I made.....

 

I cut 'Carol' ( they've given all the images names!!) at 4.5" using CTMH Hollyhock for the collar and black for the body. I made a label using Elegant Edges ( I'm on a roll- grabbing my cartridges!!!) - I think it was cut at 1.5 or 2 inches with a coordinating mat. The sentiment is a CTMH stamp from the set  called All The Details inked in Sorbet .The floral paper is from the scraps bin and cute lil' crochet flower is a Michaels purchase with a small SU! pearl for the center ( same pearls for dress).

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a look at the inside....

 

 

I stamped a greeting from CTMH Just A Number  stamp set, also in Sorbet.

 

 I have an aunt who will be celebrating a special b-day soon , so this will be perfect for her and since it doesn't have many bulky layers , it should mail nicely!!

 

I have a few more projects made with cartridge ready to be edited and posted soon!!

 

Thanks for visiting my blog today!! Have a great Monday!!

 

 

Getting ready for Christmas

Hi blogger friends!!! It's been snowing here the last couple of days and it's really beginning to have that Christmas-y feeling . This kind of weather gets me in the mood for some Christmas crafting .... and since I have a few card classes coming up soon, there's no time like the present to get started!! Here's a few cards  I've come up with......

 

This is made with the Cricut and the CTMH  Art Philosophy cartridge. The ornament was cut at 3.5" using  CTMH Topiary cardstock for the top layer and Pear cardstock for the base. The dp is from last year's Recollections X-mas paper pad and the red mat was cut with my Silhouette ( purchased cutfile from Silhouette online) in Poppy Parade and matted with white cardstock. The joy& peace sentiment is from an old set I've had for awhile ( unknown source) and the two shades of seam binding ribbon are from Stampin' Up! - I still have lots of product left from my Demo days. I think I will added some bling to the holly leaves on this ornament.

 

 

 

Here's the second card.....

 

 

This made with the Artbooking cartridge and stamps from CTMH. The adorable snowman is from Flakey Friends and the sentiment is from Very Merry Christmas. Such a fun little card to make ... I think the ladies in my group are gonna love it!!!

 

 

And finally, the third card....

 

 

This was the quickest card I've made in sooo long!!! Really, it's just pine leaves ( from Silhouette) formed into a wreath with a simple bow and some bling for the berries. The sentiment is a Waltzingmouse Stamps set called Ornate Ornaments, inked in black. The paper is also from 2012 Recollections Christmas line .I still have a bit left and really must use it up before I start on my new papers!!!!

Well, those are my newest Christmas cards... hope you enjoyed them!! Thanks for visiting my blog today!! Have a great day!!

 

 

A cardinal Christmas

Good morning! I hope I'm not too late getting my card posted for Jingle Belles's Not A Creature was Stirring  challenge!!  There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in a day to get everything finished!!! Here's my card using Close To My Heart's stamp set To You and Yourswhich features a beatiful cardinal image.

I used my Silhouette to cut the step card base ( sooo easy this way!!!) and then I used a glitter sketch pen in my Silhouette to draw the Merry Christmas which I then cut out with a black mat. I colored the cardinal with  my Copic markers and then handcut it out so that it would amd out against the mat ( also created on my Silhouette). The ribbon and button are from SU! and the papers are  a Recollection Christmas 12x 12 paper pad I got last year at Michaels.The bling/pearl are from an unknown sources and the white cardstock is from CTMH.

I hopeI made the deadline for the JB challenge!!!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today ... have a great day!!

Haunted House

Hi!! Welcome to my blog! I was almost finished with posting my Halloween projects when I realized I hadn't posted my house I made back in September!!! I saw this amazing cutfile at SVG Cuts called Maple Manor and it had a really cool house. They also have a how-to video to help you assemble it. You can find that video and other instructional videos form SVG Cuts on their YouTube channel.
Here's my house......

 This house looks complicated but it really was quite easy to assemble. I imported all the cut files into my Silhouette and just followed directions. It used 11 pieces of cardstock plus the Halloween themed papers for decoration. I then stamped various creatures and pumpkins for the front step.

Here's the inside , where a battery operated tealight adds an eerie glow. It's also a great place for treats. You could also add treats to the bottom section which has a back panel for easy access.

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Decorate To Celebrate Challenge #63 - Party Decorations

Cameo Creations- Lots of Candy

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!!!

Candy

Cricut / CTMH Artbooking CAS birthday wishes card

Hello bloggers!!!  I don't know about you but I've spent most of October focusing on Halloween crafts - there's soooo much inspiration out there and I just had to try a few things I found on Pinterest. Sadly, my other crafty supplies have been neglected.... but now that Halloween is about to be wrapped up for another year , I can now turn my attention to other projects. I really need to build up my birthday card stash- I can never seem to find the right one when I need it. So I pulled out my Cricut and Artbooking cartridge for a quick and simple gender neutral card.


 Here it is......

 

The card base is a Doodlebug Design  shaped card with matching envelope and I simply added a fun polka dot paper banner and a bit of twine. The presents were cut out from the Artbooking cartridge ( I think at 3") and I filled in behind each present with scraps of cardstock. I stamp from CTMH's Joyful Birthday Occasions and this card is done!!! So easy peasy --- really, I could make a whole bunch of these ( in a variety of colors, of course) in no time at all!!!

 

Well, that's my card for today- hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by my blog today---- have a great rest of your day!!!

 

 

Candy

 

A Silhouette Witches Boot

Hi all! I have another Halloween  project to share with you. I purchased this cutfile form the Silhouette store a few weeks ago and I'm just now getting around to actually making it. Take a look.....

 

I cut the boot out in black cardstock first and then out of Authentique Halloween papers. The ruffle on top is SU! striped ribbon  gathered-stitched on to black glittery ribbon (Walmart) and then hot glued to the boot. A few eyelets and twine for the laces and this boot is all ready for gift giving!!! I'm gonna fill it with some sweet treats and a giftcard for my boy's teacher - hope she likes it!!!

 

Well, I think I'm finished with all my Halloween projects for another year!!! Thanks for stopping by my blog today!!

 

Candy

Halloween decor- witches hat centerpiece and fireplace display

Hi all and happy Sunday!! The first week of October is nearly finished and everywhere I look I see all the fun décor and papercrafting ideas for Halloween. This is such a fun season to decorate- every year, my fall/Halloween collection grows and grows!!!

I have a few photos to share with you.
This is my fireplace decorated with the Halloween theme.....

 

 

This is a mix of my handcrafted projects and store bought goodies. The Frankenstien was made by me over ten years ago before I discovered the wonderfully addictive world of scrapbooking.There's a framed spider  art onn the right ( made a few years ago) and behind that are altered containers decorated using my Cricut Mini Monsters cartridge. I made the Boo banner last fall.The rest is an assortment of fun flameless votives, pumpkins, two spider treat holders made by my kiddos WAY back when they were in playschool (( I really miss those days!!!!)) and then some fun purple lights strewn around everything! Sorry for the iffy picture quality but I used my iPad to take the shot and this was the best I got!!!

 

 

I found a really cool idea on how to repurpose an old witches hat ( my dd costume from grade 3!!) on Pinterest;

 

 

This was a super easy project to complete!!! I just grabbed stuff from my craft room like rhinestone stickers for the hat , feathers from Bella Blvd, and I made the flowers out of regular old orange felt. The sparkly black pumpkin, and ribbon are from Walmart. Not too sure where I got the twigs.

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out- especially since it took less than half an hour to assemble
Hope you enjoy my Halloween projects today.... thanks for stopping by my blog!

Candy

Wedding card

Hi all! I was asked to make a card for a friend who's attending a wedding this weekend . I don't make a lot of these type cards so I tend to think and think and think about what I'm going to make and I usually end up changing my mind several times. This time was no different. I started out with a cutfile from Bird's Cards  ( I believe this one is called a Swirl Frame) , but that was the only thing I stuck with!! Here , take a look.....

 

 

 

I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.... should've used my Silhouette in the beginning! I used it to create a custom Mr& Mrs , which I sketched with a silver Silhouette gel pen and then cut out.... so simple , yet elegant. For  a little bling and color , I added a red rhinestone heart. The cardstock is  American Crafts and the damask dp is a MME paper stack.

 

 

 

Here's a better look a the sentiment.

 

The pin and ribbon are from my stash of goodies that I keep on adding to!!

 

 

 

 

Here's a look at the inside......

 

 

 

 

I liked the touch of red so much that I repeated

it with a red stamp beneath the greeting. Both sets are from Stampin' Up! :I { heart}Hearts and Occasional Quotes in CTMH archival black ink. I made the envelope since  I couldn't seem to find one the right size.

 

I got this card finished just in time.....the wedding is tomorrow!!

Thanks for stopping by today... have a great weekend!!

 

 

One Year Older ....

Hi all! I'm back with another card to share with you today. It's a Pure Innocence stamp from My Favorite Stamps called Don't Open Until. Take a look...

 

I was inspired by a card I came across on Pinterest  one day. I like the idea of stamping the girl in a coordinating ink to match the pattern on the papers. Plus, it saves me tons of time coloring with my Copics ,which I never seem to have time to use these days!!! The cardstock and ink are CTMH and the pretty floral paper is from a 6X6 pad from Crate paper. The labels are a new set I just got from Waltzingmouse Stamps that coordinate with my Spellbinders die. The sentiment on the front is a Fiskars stamp and the inside greeting is a SU stamp.

 

It's good to add to add to my bday card stash.... now off I go in search of more inspiration!

Thanks for stopping by!!

 

 

 

Candy 

 

Felt Fall Banner

Good morning bloggers! Fall is here ( officially it arrived this past weekend, but I'm late posting!!!!!! ) - it's my favorite season! I love all those gorgeous colors and the crisp days and how about all those fab fall décor ideas ????  I saw a cute little banner on Pinterest ( my go-to place for just about everything these days!!) , which was made by BoBunny fabrics, I think (. Click here to see my pin.) Since I didn't have any of the super cute fabric I had to make do with what I could find in my stash and here's my take on the banner....

 

 

I cut letters on my Silhouette on scrap cardstock first - couldn't get my machine to successfully cut felt- and then traced on felt and handcut them out. I used the Art Philosophy for the banner shapes and repeated the same cut-trace steps for the felt base, and all the shapes but I was with my  able to cut the fabric with my Cricut. The leaves, except the first one, are also from the same cartridge and the owl is from Give a Hoot. I added a little stitching to the banner base and shapes with X- stitching floss , which really finishes them up. The buttons and flowers are all from my stash as well as the eyelets ( ohhh, haven't used my eyelet setter in ages!!!!) and the hemp twine is from Walmart.

 This was a fun and fairly simple project to make .... I'm already thinking of ideas for a winter banner.

 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today... have a great day!!

 

 

 

Christmas pocket card

Hi bloggers! So it's been awhile since I last posted, with the kids back to school and life just being generally very hectic these days it seems that my blog has a taken a backseat. Now that things around here seemed to returned to a normal schedule, I'm hoping to be able to commit more time to my papercrafting and blogging.
I have a card, well, sort of , to share with you. It's actually a gift card/ Xmas card and a photo holder all in one. I got the idea from Pinterest and just had to try it. Here it is.....

 

 

I was inspired by Jingle Belles prompt this week , a vintage Christmas, for this card. In used a cutfile from SVG Cuts called Spirit if Christmas Past for the window and cedar branch. I imported the files to my Silhouette machine and cut the shapes I wanted , using cardstock from CTMH. The tree / bird are CTMH set Trees and Things and the sentiment is from Holiday Tags ( Cranberry ink) on a label from Perfect Fit - Frames 2 ( in Whisper ink)- whew, that's a lot of sets used!!! The woodgrain paper is from a paperstack from My Mind's Eye called Bramble and Rose and is full of gorgeous shabby chic papers!

 

Here's a look at the inside........

 

 

 

The left side has two pockets - one for a giftcard and another that can hold a Xmas photo or letter.

 

 

 

I used a pre-made ornament embellishment for the giftcard and then I made a tag for the greeting on the right side. The inside greeting was stamped using another CTMH stamp set , To You and Yours in Olive and Cranberry inks. The buttons , hemp and ribbon are from my stash (unknown sources).

 

I give giftcards to family more and more frequently these days as my nieces and nephews get older - the convenience makes them the perfect choice but I always feel they lack the personal touch . This card solves that problem nicely- and it was so quick to make, too!!

 

Well, that's another card made ..... there's nothing like the satisfaction of some quality papercrafting time, is there???Thanks for stopping by today- have a great rest of your day!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love Love this song by Olly Murs!

Uploaded videos (playlist)

Luxury Handbags SVG Kit - Assembly Tutorial

Maple Manor SVG Kit - Assembly Tutorial

It's sketch time at Jingle Belles!

Happy Saturday!! It's sketch time over at Jingle Belles , which was created by this week's guest belle , Allison Fillo:







I love sketches- they eliminate so much of the guesswork , which allows more time for creating !!!


Here's my take on the sketch:

 

I found a tutorial link on Pinterest for making my own Chevron backgrounds with Washi tape - it was so easy and I have enough left over to make another card! I pulled out my Art  Philosophy cartridge and matching CTMH stamp set, Snowflakes, for the snowflake and border and Holiday Commentary for the inside sentiment. The carsdstock is SU! and the papers are from my stash(MME). I used SU's Going Grey, Poppy Parade and CTMH's  Sunset ink for all the stamping .

 

Well, I'm off to enjoy this gorgeous day.... thanks for stopping by ! Have a great weekend!