Cut It Up: What's Bugging You? Challenge #25

Happy Friday Friends! Very excited to play along with this weeks challenge over at Cut It Up.This week's challenge is to make a creation using a bug. Being a mom of a little boy I have lots of bug choices in my cricut cartridges. My favorite 2 to use are "Create a Critter" 1 and 2.

This is another side step style card. Yes I might be addicted to making these now! I used light blue card stock for the base of the card and it is A2 size (4.25 x 5.5 inches). Next I added a 2 pieces of green patterned paper for the grass. I fringe cut the back piece to make the grass more realistic. Next I added my cut outs, they all are from the "Create a Critter" and "Create a Critter 2" cartridges. For finishing touches I used liquid pearls to make the clouds, heart on the hive and the stems of the flowers. The sentiment on the inside of the card says, " Happy BEE-day!".

Thanks for taking a look at my latest creation. Have a great weekend!

Celebrate Summer- Cut It Up challenge

I love summer! The sunshine, warmth, fresh veggies from the garden and the list just goes on. This summer has been a busy one for us. Between potty training Tiny Human and home repair projects and just day to day life there just hasn't been a lot of free time for crafting. Not to mention an old TV and original Nintendo have found there way into my crafting space (my sweetie says there is enough room to use the Cricut so its not a big deal). Today I managed to sneak in making a card for Cut It Up's "Celebrate Summer" Challenge. I'm really excited that I actually get to play along with the challenge. It seems I usually look at the challenge the day after it is do.

This is my first "side step" style card. All of the elements were cut on the Cricut using the Create a Critter cartridge.I used the swiss dots folder to add texture to the sand. The cloud I cut free hand to have something to mount the sentiment on. All of the papers I used were scraps from my stash. 

Hope you all are having a delightful summer and enjoying the season to it's fullest!

A lot of catching up to do

Wow it's been almost a month since my last post. I've been busy crafting and scrapping but keep forgetting to share my projects with all of you. I'm going to blame it on the sunshine and Tiny Human's love of the outdoors. We have been busy playing soccer and taking walks. I have to admit I have also been enjoying all of the vitamin D we have been getting. My creative time has been limited to those few short hours everyday that my sweet little boy naps, or lays in his crib playing with toys while he is supposed to be napping.
This layout I made in March and just got around to blogging about it. The sketch I used was of course from Let's Scrap, it is sketch 1-23-13. The papers are from a stack from Colorblok. These page capture the fun evening we had on New Year's Eve.

Full View

 

 

 The title I cut out using my Cricut. I used brown ink to distress the Fluer strip.

On the second page I cut out the Fluers and strips from the paper and inked around all the edges. I fell in love with the pattern as soon as I saw it and had to find away to use it multiple times on this layout. The pictures are a bit blurry due to Tiny Human putting his finger on the lens of my camera. I was happy that I actually got some good shots of all of us.

National Scrapbooking Day 2013

 

Our admins and DT members at Let's Scrap have been working feverishly to prepare an epic list of activities for this year's National Scrapbooking Day, or in this case month. May 1st kicks off the festivities with a challenge by yours truly. Every day there will be a different sketche,challenge or tutorials for our members to play along with. We will also be doing our weekly sketches during this event. I encourage you to get comfy in your scrapbooking space and join us for NSD 2013.

Let's Scrap 4-24-13

I'm a little behind on my blogging these days. And a couple of days late on sharing this week's reveal at Let's Scrap. We have a super talented group of DT members this term and I love seeing everyone's different take on the sketches. This week's sketch is for a card. Most of our DT made cards but there were a few layouts made from this sketch. Here is this week's sketch:

Using this sketch I made my first pop up step card. I really wanted to start making cards that are easy to display and be enjoyed by their recipient. This particular card was made to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of my Sweetie's aunt and uncle.

All of the papers used on this card were scraps from my stash. The base is black card stock, I followed the instructions here to create it. The pieces of the sunflower print paper are inked with a red ink to add depth. I didn't have any corrugated cardboard so I used a cuttlebug folder to emboss the green piece of paper. I used the 2 hearts to replicate the round shapes on the sketch.

This card was a lot of fun to make and I can't wait to make another. Come play along at Let's Scrap for your chance to win a prize sponsored by Graphic 45.

Let's Scrap DT Challenge 160

I have the pleasure of hosting challenge 160 at Let's Scrap. This challenge combines an interesting mix of required elements; buttons, flowers, a mixture of black and white, sepia and colored photos and hand written journaling. If you haven't played along I encourage you to do so, the challenge is open until 11:59pm central time on May 2nd.

This layout is the 2nd page in my nature and old buildings album. The focus of the page is a beautiful old barn that was on my mom and step dad's farm. I took the photos the summer of 2009 while I was there visiting the weekend of my Great Grand Mother's funeral. The flower's were in their yard.

The background is a craft paper colored card stock. The floral and polk-a-dot papers are from my stash. Wish I could remember what brand they are. The flower photos are matted on a light lilac card stock and the barn on a dark blue.
The bunting across the top I made by first creating a pattern paper by stamping purple flowers on pink card stock. I then cut out triangles and inked around the edges. Since my challenge required buttons I thought it would be cute to put them there.

I used left over triangles to make the flower on the bottom of the page. I rolled the base of the triangles then alternated them pattern up and pattern down. I finished the flower off with a large white button. The journaling seemed to fit best next to this flower.

 The other flowers on the page were also handmade. They were simple to make. I might need to do a tutorial on them in the future. The flowers and colors seemed whimsical so last minute I added the stamped sentiment to the top corner of the page.

And of course the inspiration for this layout was a Let's Scrap sketch. I've been wanting to use it for quiet awhile and these photos were perfect. It is sketch 4-30-11. Thanks for stopping by, please come and play along with my challenge.

Let's Scrap DT Challenge #159

This challenge was a really fun one. Eniko challenged us to identify the style of scrapbooker we are and then create a layout using a different style. You can find the challenge here. I would say that my style is mostly classic and cutesy. My layouts usually don't have a whole lot of extras on them and tend to have clean lines. For this challenge I scrapped a photo of an old weathered barn. I just love old buildings and nature. I am starting an album dedicated to the subject. This is my first page. I used Let's Scrap sketch 3-6-13.

For my layout I used the right side of the sketch. I'm not sure what style this layout falls into I would say it's a mix of grungy,ephemera and girly chic. I used lots of browns and pinks with the papers and embellishments. Here it is.

The background paper with the distressed edges I my creation. I used a stamp from Fiskars and pink ink on a light brown piece of card stock. Then I ripped around each side and inked them with brown. The photo is cut into 4 pieces and each piece is matted on a dark red card stock. The same red the large flower is made from. The butterflies were embossed images from a cuttle bug folder that I fussy cut around and inked with pink.

The flowers are just a basic fan fold. I found the tutorial from Scrapin Expect the Unexpected. I used a metal feather and square piece that I had left over from a jewelry project to decorate the center of 2 of the flowers. The piece of paper under the flowers I embossed using a Cuttlebug folder then inked with black ink.

 

I really wish I would have pinned the site that I found the flower patten tags. I searched Pinterest for free Ephemera prints and it was one of the ones that popped up. I cut out the tag and matted them on a gold card stock and tied them with twine.

 This layout turned out way better than I had imagined and I look forward to trying this style again in the future. I hope it inspires you to step out of your comfort zone and try a new scrapbooking style too. Thanks for taking a look!

Let's Scrap 4/10/13

It's the final reveal for my DT term at Let's Scrap.It has been a great term and I have had the opportunity to work with some amazing and talented women. I'm sad to see the term come to end. This layout is one of the more simple layouts I have done. I chose to use soft earth tone colors on this page.

Here is the sketch. Debby did a fabulous job and I'm sure I will be using it again.

This time of year the weather is very finicky. Literally snows one day and is warm and sunshine the next. The pictures were taken last week while Tiny Human and I were enjoying one of the first sunny days of spring. It was still a bit chilly do to the wind so we still had to wear our knit hats. For my layout I used the left side of the sketch.

 

I started with a piece of pale yellow card stock then using the negative of a leaf boarder cut out chalked the leaves on to the page. Next I embossed a sheet of white card stock with the floral pattern using the cuttle bug. I cut the sheet into 1 inch pieces and chalked various shades of orange. The pictures are mounted on a soft green colored card stock. I added a few green and brown gemstones around the largest photo for a bit of shine. I wanted this layout to capture a few moments of everyday life. Thanks for taking a look have a wonderful week.

Baby Card Cuteness

Seems like everyone is preggo these days. Not going to lie makes me want a baby like crazy!! I turned my fever into creative genius and made some adorable cards shaped like baby onesies. I welded 2 of the onesie shapes together near the shoulders using the circut craft room. I then cut out a slightly smaller onesie to layer on top. So cute and very easy to customize. I tried to make 1 gender neutral, 1 boy and 1 girl.

I started by embossing the single onesie piece with the Cuttle Bug. Then I added the embellishments to the center. Using a marker I made stitches along the neck, arms and leg holes. The teddy bear is from a Colorblok set I had. The circles I cut out using the Cricut. I added brads to look like snaps. This is my gender neutral card.

 

For the girl card I embossed it using the flower folder that came with my Cuttle Bug. Then attached the ribbon along the middle and both sleeves. I used pink ink all over the card and ribbon. The middle section is decorated with baby themed stickers.

 





 

The last card is for a boy. Once again used the cream card stock and embossed with the Swiss dots folder from Cuttle Bug. Ribbon and faux stitching along the neck, arm and leg openings. The bird and heart embellishments are from K&Company. I just can't get over how cute the brads are as snaps.

 

 

Here is the inside view of all of the cards. Not sure what brand the stamp is, it was part of a bunch of goodies I bought from my local $ store. I can't wait to make more of these adorable cards. I have a lot of baby themed embellishments in my stash to use up.

 





Cardabilities #72

I'm so excited to share this card with you today. It was inspired by a card I saw on pintrest awhile back. The sketch is #72 from Cardabilities. I really liked how versatile the sketch was. And the DT   was inspiring with all of the spring colors they used.

 

Wedding season will soon be upon us so I decided to make a bridal shower card. If you are one of my friends getting married this summer, SPOILER ALERT. The papers are scraps from a previous layout, I believe they are both from Colorblock. The flowers are a find from K & Company. The heart I cut out using the Cricut and embossed with the Swiss Dot folder from Cuttle bug.

 

To make the dress is simple to create. Start with a basic heart cut out. Then starting near the middle of the heart layer flowers like a pyramid. 1 flower in the first row,2 in the second and so on until you have a nice dress shape. I added in a few tiny flower just to fill space and add more sparkle to the dress.

 

The inside of the card features the same papers as the front and is accented along the top and bottom with white ribbon.

I used the floral pattern paper to decorate the outside flap of the envelope. I also added a flower embellishment. I like the sweet touch it adds.

Here the two pieces are together. This card was super easy and quick to put together. Hope you give the idea a try.

 

 

Lets Scrap 3-27-13

I can't believe how quickly this DT term has gone. This is my last official layout of the term. Although we will be staying on the next couple of weeks until the new team is settled in.

 

This week's sketch is perfect for capturing holidays and events because of the amount of small photos. I used it for this years Valentines Day. I had a lot of fun making heart shaped food and goodies for my family.

 

I used black card stock for the main background for the layout. On top of that I layered white card stock that I stamped red hearts and pink lines. I used a left over toilet paper roll and Studio G ink to create the design. I thought the sheer burgundy ribbon framed the stamped card stock perfectly.

The monkey cut out and title were cut on the Cricut using the create a critter 2 cartridge. I used the monkey and gray paper to add a little masculinity to the layout. The woven squares I made using Eniko's tutorial #33 over at Let's Scrap.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope to see your layout this week in the Gallery.

Let's Scrap 3-13-13

It's Wednesday and time to reveal the latest sketch from Let's Scrap. This might be one of my favorite sketches from this DT term. It worked perfectly for the pictures from a recent trip to visit my mom and step dad. Tiny Human loved spending time with his Nana and Grandpa.Grandpa was a good sport and spent a lot of time coloring with him. Plus they have all kinds of fun toys to play with.

I flipped the 4X6 photo to be horizontal. All of the papers are Colorbok, that I picked up at Wal-mart. The red ribbon along the bottom strip is from my stash. The sunflower stickers and quotes were given to me from my mom, she had duplicates. I love that we share the love of scrapbooking, because it often means I get her left overs.

I wanted to keep the colors simple and neutral. I settled on using red,tan and brown. The title is from the Cricut Basic Font cartridge. The quote around the sunflower says, " Happiness is meant to be shared." The photo is matted with red and tan card stock.

For some reason my camera didn't get much love during the trip. I only had a few pictures to use. For the second page instead of several small photos I used 3 larger photos and strips of red card stock. The photos are matted on tan card stock.  The quote says, " A special heartfelt memory meant to last for ages, will always become new again when found within these pages."

Thanks for checking out this layout. Hope you come play along with us at Let's Scrap.

Caradabilities #70

Hello,

We recently had my son's 2nd Birthday party. And of course he is spoiled rotten :) and received lots of gifts. That means Mommy needs to get busy and make some "Thank You" cards. The card I want to share with you today was inspired by Caradablilities sketch#70.

All the paper I used were scraps from my stash. The stamped image is a stamp from Studio G. I used purple glitter glue to decorate the blue circle and the top of the banner.

 I used the same turquoise and the flower paper in the inside of the card.

Thanks for taking a look at my newest card. Have a great day!

DT challenge 157

I'm so excited to be hosting my first DT challenge over at Let's Scrap. You can check it out here. The challenge was inspired by my love of St. Patricks Day. The rules are:

1)Create a layout using a Let's Scrap Card sketch. (Extra entry if you make a card from the same sketch)

2) Use at least 1 shade of green.

3) The word Luck must be used in your title and sentiment.

4) Add some sparkle! You can use glitter,rhinestones or anything that shines!

5) Include at least 1 piece of ribbon.

This is the sketch I used:

The picture I used in the layout is one my cousin took of me and my boys the Christmas before last. It was such a beautiful day and perfect for outdoor photos.

The bird stamp is part of recent purchase from the local dollar store. They always have fun scrapping supplies. In the branch I wrote "Lucky in Love".  The flower embellishment I made using 6 cicles left over from a previous project.

Here is the card i made:

There is sparkly ribbon behind the sentiment. The shamrocks are from the Create a Critter 2 cartridge. I added some sparkle to the one in the middle. 

 

Inside of the card

Thanks for checking out my latest post. Hope you come play along with my challenge. You have until March 21st to post your entry at Let's Scrap.

Let's Scrap 2-27-13

Hi all!
Today is the release for this week's sketch from Let's Scrap. One of the things that I enjoy about being on the DT is the challenge of having to use a particular sketch. Sometimes they are easy to use and others a lot of thought and trial and error comes in to play. This week's sketch was the latter. I must have printed my pictures 3 times in different sizes and colors and switched my paper around twice that many times before I found a combination I liked.

Let's Scrap 2-27-13



I really liked the cluster of photos and all of the embellies on this sketch. As soon as I saw it I knew that this sketch would be perfect for a bath layout. I had envisioned round photos that looked like floating bubbles with lots of cute rubber duckies. After playing around with different materials this is what I came up with.

I started with a sheet of patterned paper that is baby blue with white Polk-a-dots. Then I layered a piece of pale yellow card stock on top of that. Even though I used rectangular photos I still tried to get the cluster effect from the sketch. I liked the way the black and white photos looked against the yellow background. I used blue chalk to give the circles color and make them look like bubbles. Finally I finished off the layout by adding the ducky stickers. I felt like it was still missing something so I added 2 strips of white ribbon with a piece of cream in between, along the top of the page.

Thanks for taking a look. I hope to see your take on this fun sketch in the Let's Scrap Gallery this week!

Valentines Day Card - the not so sweet version

Hello fellow crafters,

I'm so excited to share my latest creation with you! I made a card for my Sweetie yesterday. He really isn't the romantic type so your average Valentines Day card just wouldn't work. I went for a laugh and a bit of vulgarity.

Front of the Card

I used a  heart shaped stencil and applied red chalk with a cotton ball. It gave the heart a soft airy feel. The hammer I cut out using the "Boys will be Boys" cricut cartridge. The nails I hand drew using a silver pen and then outlined using a black marker.

Inside of the card

I embossed the edges with a circle pattern then used a cotton ball and blue chalk to color around the boarder. The font is also from the cartridge. My sweetie laughed and shook his head at me :) Overall I think he liked it as much as his heart shaped french toast. Happy Valentines Day!

Let's Scrap 2-13-13, Our Lil Artist

Let's Scrap has another great sketch this week. I have been waiting to find the right sketch to scrap some pictures of the Tiny Human and his various painting adventures. The kid loves to paint and color. And this one is perfect.

 

 

Here is my take on the sketch. I switched up the number of strips from 8 to 7 to fit the rainbow color scheme. The block of paper under the pictures is actually a piece cut from one of the Tiny Human's projects. I really wanted to incorporate his art into the layout.

 

 

I used crazy cut scissors to create the edge on the black boarder around the middle section. The pictures are matted on white card stock with black inked edges. I colored each strip with crayon then added the corresponding colored card stock to each strip. Then added colored buttons, I didn't have all the colors so  I used a few clear buttons.

 

A close up of the first page.

 

I felt like there was a lot of whit space along the top of the pages so I added multi colored star stickers. I used a fine tip black marker to outline the stars and colored strips. I used the same marker to add stitches along each piece of the colored card stock. I also used a silver pen and added dots to the black boarders.

 

A close up of the second page.





The banner for the title was really easy to make. I took a strip of white card stock and cut the ends to look like a banner. I then folded over each end to to make the middle part stick up. I used red ink to ink around the edges and the ends. I used black ink and stamped the title, "Our Lil Artist". The journal square is a piece of white card stock that I put green, blue and purple stickers on.

Thanks for checking out my latest layout. Don't forget to head on over to Let's Scrap to play along with this weeks sketch and have a chance to win a prize from The Twinery.