Trena's Creative Ramblings

Crafting Party Update and PINTEREST CHALLENGE

2012-02-01T10:17:00.000-08:00

Our first crafting get-together was small. I think perhaps the date didn't work well in many people's schedules. I ended up with 4 braided head bands and 1 scarf by the time day was over. I still have a pile of tee's in my dining room and some other things I'd like to make, but not bad for an afternoon's work.

I love the scarf. My husband and I like to go salsa dancing. Won't this be a fun accessory?

Ok, Pinteresters. I've got a CHALLENGE for you! I have two close people I know of going to do a couple months of missionary work this spring and summer. My challenge to you is to use your Pinterest Passion for good! I am aiming to collect 75 headbands for girls in Honduras by March 31st, 2012! You can use any pattern or style for any age girl, but the idea/pattern etc., must be either an original design OR come from Pinterest!

We will have a second push later this spring to support an orphanage in Peru. More details on that later!

What an excellent way to bestow some motherly love on these girls!

Playing on the Walls

2012-01-25T06:54:00.001-08:00

I am embarking on a new project today. I took the 1980's wallpaper down from the last room in my house this summer and painted it instead. The bathroom now looks a little plain, so I am going to use some vinyl and original canvas artwork to spruce it up. I can't wait to get it done and to share it with you.

In the meantime, I have a couple of pics to share with you of some vinyl lettering artwork I did the middle of January over at my friend, Angie's, house. The first one is in her bedroom. We originally only did the "Wake Up" and "Wonderful" in the light blue, but it was a struggle to see them. Since I used the Cricut Craft Room to make the projects, all I had to do was "un"slant the lettering and cut again in brown. Now it looks like the blue is a shadow. The scroll work above was a metal piece she already had on the wall. The font is from Opposites Attract.

This one is on the back wall of her laundry room, which she completed as part of a remodeling of her home. I love the saying - it fits my friend's mothering style to a "t" (completely practical). It looks like the "n" in laundry is smaller than the other letters, but it isn't. All the letters were sized evenly in Cricut Craft Room, so it is an optical illusion. The scroll above the letters came from the Cricut Cake Basics. The center flower is from page 64 (filgree3). The trails to each side of it are from page 55 (swirl4). I used the "flip image" on the R one to create the mirrored images. The fonts are from Plantin School Book and Opposites Attract.

The two of us also did a Marilyn Monroe saying on the wall of her tween's playroom. The wall was brown and the vinyl was white and red with silver stars sweeping from the top L down to the bottom R of the wall. The saying was something about make-believe. She also has some hollywood glamour posters up in the room. I thought she was very creative in coming up with a way to update an older child's "play" area! Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of it.

Thanks for looking! Have a great day!

T-Shirt headbands

2012-01-13T14:39:00.000-08:00

I created these headbands during my December crafting frenzy. There are two different styles. One us a 5 section braid and the other is a plain band with flower. I have worn the flower one a couple if times. It is very comfortable and stays in place nicely. I wish I would have made the band just a little smaller though as it stretched even more than I thought it would. My crafty friend, Melissa, and I are hosting a simple crafting time in which we will show you how to make these.

We will be doing this on Sunday, January 29 at 2 PM. Melissa and I are going to create a group that will get together somewhat regularly for varied crafting. Given the recent fascination with Pinterest, we think there will be no shortage of ideas. Again, we will do SIMPLE crafts.

If you would like to join us, please contact us directly. Please bring your own old t-shirts. Stained, printed, faded are all OK and will not affect your project. You will also need the head circumference of the one you are making your bands for and fabric glue of some sort. I like Aleene's or Fabri-Tac by Beacon Adhesives. If you have a portable sewing machine, matching thread, rotary cutter or scissors, please bring them.

Purses Galore!

2012-01-01T11:55:00.000-08:00

I love to make my Christmas gifts for other people. That way, I know they are getting something one of a kind. But it makes for a bummer on my blog postings, since I have to wait until all the gifts are given so I don't ruin any surprises. This year, I was inspired by my friend Melissa to make purses. So with the help of my sewing machine and a couple of great patterns, I went to town! This purse was made for my son's first grade teacher. It's Simplicity Pattern #2396. It has a button and loop closure at the top. One side has three low pockets, the other has a single larger pocket. The style looks a lot like the hobo bags by tween daughter is into, but the fabrics make this a great purse for a holiday gathering.

I made two of these bags. It's the same pattern as the purse above, just without the gathering and yoke top. It has a snap closure. The sides of the purse get their shape from fusible fleece, which the fabric squares are adhered to. Seam binding is then sewn into place over the seams, given the purse a quilted look without the work of piecing. The one mistake I made on both purses was not double checking that I caught all the fabric when I sewed the binding into place. So when the purses were used and twisted, i had a little piece of fabric slip out from under the binding in the same spot on both purses. As opposed to disassembling the purses, I used a little dollop of Beacon Adhesive's Fabri-Tac to keep the fabric under the binding. These purses were for my mom and mother-in-law.

Last, but not least, I switched to McCall's Pattern 6045. This pattern is not for the beginner, but the purse is so stinking cute it is well worth tackling the project!

For your next teacher's gift, dump the apple and look to their classroom for inspiration. This is a room where teachers are able to express themselves and make their environment their version of home. This teacher's room is done in hot pink and lime green with zebra stripes. She frequently wears those colors as well. Someone had mentioned one of the sororities uses these colors, but I don't know if she belongs to it or not. While this purse is too young for my taste, it's perfect for the person it was made for!

Inside, both sides have 3 pockets each. The top is closed with a 14 inch zipper. The purse maintains it's shape with Peltex. This "fusing" has the consistency of fleece but the structure of foam. The last detail that just loved was the carnation flower. The best thing about this purse design was it allowed me to adjust the length of the purse and since its intended recipient is quite tall, I made the straps as long as possible.
I want to make this purse for myself - I already have a leopard print picked out. Now I just have to find the time to make it. Sighhhhhh. Too bad the sewing and crafting are easier than finding the time to do them! Here's to finding lots of time for crafting in 2012!

Album Cover

2011-10-31T20:20:00.000-07:00

I've been very busy the last few months with my scrapbooking. I wanted to share the original cover I created for the scrapbook album of our cruise to the Bahamas this summer. I am proud to say that only 14 weeks after our marvelous trip, the album is all scrapped! It's quite a large album. I am guessing it has probably 100 pages to it! I have a fear that someday I will end up with Alzheimer's and forget about all these fabulous things that have made my life so rich. I suspect that when I am gone, many of these albums will be dumped on my kids. The family albums will be meaningful, but the personal albums - well, "not so much" to use a popular phrase.

For the album cover, I modge podged two pieces of cardboard that come with my page sleeves/protectors. Then, I started layering images from the brochures I collected during our trip. It doesn't meet the criteria for acid testing, but it is one personalized - and may I say, ROCKIN'! - album cover!!! I was even able to use leftover luggage tags! I used my Cricut to cut letters from vinyl for the names of the places we visited on our trip. I used 3-ring metal binders for the spine/binding. I had to upgrade to a larger size ring as I kept adding more pages! In hindsight, I should have re-enforced the holes better as I have one top hole on the back (the middle picture above) that is pulling through. Nothing that a little more modge podge can't fix, though!

I have been doing other crafting as well. I hope to get posts up of that soon. I also taught both my daughters how to sew this summer and am working on birthday and Christmas sewing projects too. Hence, the blog becomes the least of my concerns. Thanks for looking!

Cupcake Party!

2011-05-22T22:56:00.001-07:00

My middle child wanted a cupcake themed party for her recent birthday. Aha! Another theme! So much fun!

I found cupcake necklaces and wooden cupcake cut-out for $1.00 each at Joann's. Then, I purchased baker's hats from Michael's and the girls colored and otherwise decorated the hats. I found a GREAT website/blog called http://www.bakerella.blogspot.com/. She even has a book recently published all based on her baking genius. We made cupcake bites (chocolate poured into candy molds, cake balls pressed into the chocolate and then the tops dipped into colored candy melts). Then, we made cupcake pops - cakeballs on lollipop sticks dipped in chocolate to look like mini cupcakes. We took regular cupcakes and turned those into milkshakes (strawberry cupcakes, ganache, icing to look like whipped cream, gumball to look like a cherry and two mini-straws). Really, what's the fun in making a cupcake look like a cupcake? Finally, we decorated plain cupcakes however we wanted. Using our baker hats and dress-up clothes, we strutted our best cupcakes down the runway in a cupcake fashion show.

Instead of a cake, the birthday girl wanted a cake made out of cupcakes. So, I came up with this. It was a hit!

In the morning, we had muffins and quiche cups to round out the cupcake theme. A great time, indeed! But also so glad it is over!

Capadia Design Challenge

2011-05-10T06:54:00.000-07:00

Diane over at Capadia Designs, http://www.capadiadesign.com/2011/05/some-inspiration-and-challenge.html, was hosting a challenge this week based on a take out box from a restaurant. I rotated the image on the box as my design layout for this page.

There wasn't much to journal about, the pictures say it all. So, I used the Rub A Dub nursery rhyme as a springboard to say something fun about these three cousins: Rub a dub, dub. Three cousins in a tub. And who do you think they be? The diva, the shaker, the cupcake baker, Turn 'em out knaves all three!

I used vellum for two of the medium sized circles and mulberry paper for the base behind one. It was fun to revisit these types of papers. They used to be popular about 8 years ago. I still had some in my stash - I used to think they were gold and saved even the tiniest scraps. The little dots running horizontal on each picture were self-adhesive glitter dots. I used buttons on the top L circle and braided, self-adhesive rope in lime green across the middle of the page.

One more page done in getting caught up with the Hailey album. Sigh.

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T17:05:00.000-07:00

I have had a terrific Mother's Day. After church, my husband surprised me by renting a pontoon boat on the lake less than a mile from our house. The whole family had a fabulous time eating the picnic lunch he packed, kicking our feet in the still-frigid waters and stretching out for some sun worshipping.

He also got me the Robotz Cricut cartridge and time this afternoon to play with the new cartridge. It has not only a bazillion of the cutest robots, it has a font with a shadow. This whole layout was done with the single cartridge. Although the pictures were four years old, it was fun to revisit them and finally get them scrapped. I wanted to prove that these little robotz weren't just for boy layouts and boy birthday cards!

I am about five years behind on my scrapbook for my oldest daughter, so I have committed to getting her caught up before our Bahama cruise this summer. Maybe I'm CRAZY for thinking I can get it done??? (Comments RE: my level of craziness WILL BE edited for content!) But maybe if I could sprout an extra set of hands like this robot, it wouldn't be out of reach! (get it?)

Have a great Mother's Day!

Paris Party (Part Deux)

2011-04-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

I previously posted details about last week's Paris Party held in honor of my daughter's birthday. In this post, I wanted to highlight all the things I was able to use the Cricut on to make this party a snap.

On our front door, I posted the word art "Paris" with the Eiffel Tower in it. I used vinyl that I am able to get from my brother's graphic design company for free. They frequently have leftovers from projects and he is kind enough to save them for me. So, this nifty little mood-setter cost me nothing, and came on my cartridge exactly as is. A punch of a button and it was ready to go.

Just inside the front door was the sidewalk scene (see previous post). On the French doors behind the scene were an Eiffel Tower and more word art. Hanging from the ceiling were an array of French inspired designs from the Summer in Paris cartridge. These included a shoe, perfume bottle, dress form, hot air balloon, and more word art. Again, all of this was done by click on Cricut. The only thing I had to do was decide my colors, glue the layers together and hang them up!

You know, no trip is complete without the classic t-shirt souvenir. Using the vinyl, I cut Eiffel Towers to use as stencils on t-shirts. I found these permanent fabric spray bottles at both Michael's and Joann's. The girls had a lot of fun with this and it was the easiest craft of the night.

In addition to the t-shirt, we also had table in which the girls made hairbows (see previous post on hair poms/rosettes for directions) and Eiffel Towers. Again, the 3-D Eiffel Tower came as a cut on the Summer In Paris Cartridge. I had cut the towers out before the party. The girls used glitter and gel pens to make designs on the cutouts and then glued them together using pre-cut notches.

I wished I'd had the cartridge 2 weeks earlier so I could have done my invitations with it instead of the stamp. I have to say, though, this cartridge paid for itself with all decorations and crafts it covered!

Paris in April

2011-04-05T09:31:00.000-07:00

This cake was made to celebrate my daughter's birthday. She has had a love affair with Paris for several years now. So it was only fitting that we had a Paris Party. I found a similar cake online for my inspiration. The bottom layer was a 9 1/2" triple chocolate round cake. The top were 2 8" French Vanilla layers. The best part was the topper which I found at Target for $2.50. I found a similar Eiffel Tower at Michael's, which was actually a candle. But the cost and weight of the tower were considerably more.

Dinner consisted of all things French - croissants, quiche, olives, cheeses, French berry soda (which I found at our World Market), truffles, French baguette bread with cheese and nutella spreads, apples, & grapes. For breakfast the next morning we served crepes.

I created these invitations (right) and thank you notes (left) from a stamp I found at Michael's. I used water color pencils to add color to the invitations. The front of each invitation was addressed to "Mademoiselle X". I used patio furniture to create a Paris sidewalk cafe scene. Each guest had her picture taken and I am printing those off today to go in each thank-you note. I also used the stamp to imprint the Eiffel tower on plain pink napkins. To enhance the French feeling, I checked out some CD's from the library that had either traditional French music or modern music sung in French (Belinda Carlisle had a beautiful sound track).

Of course, I had to put my Cricut to work. I ordered the Summer In Paris cartridge

and found multiple uses for it, including decorations, craft project and t-shirt designs. I will post more in it later.

All in all, it was a small, but lovely celebrations almost as beautiful as my daughter!

Bitten the Bug Challenge: Dog

2011-03-27T18:34:00.000-07:00

The challenge over at Bitten By The Bug 2 this week was to use a dog die cut. The specific one they were requesting I didn't have. But the girls there are always so good about allowing substitutions. This pup is from the Animal Kingdom cartridge. Unfortunately, the pictures are quite old (from my oldest child's preschool days), but I had never gotten around to scrapping them. This challenge inspired me to do a play on words and I found this group of photos with my daughter in some of her earliest social settings. Since I was using slang, I decided my dog needed to be more "dawg", so I gave him a little crown (cut from Celebrations cartridge), sitting lop-sided, of course. His blinged-up collar, nails and tails were done with Stickles. It wasn't until I was just about done with the page that I realized the one friend is carrying a stuffed dog. A dawg carrying a dog!!! Lol!

Christmas Leftovers

2011-03-27T13:26:00.001-07:00

Here's some leftovers everyone will like. I did so many projects around Christmas-time that I forgot to take pics of some of them, and then I lost the SD card on which I had taken the ones I did remember.

For both Thanksgiving and Christmas, I signed up for snacks for my kids' classrooms. I made the traditional Chex Mix minus the peanuts (allergies, ya' know). I made individual servings by putting the mix in snack size baggies. Using my Cricut, I added seasonal appropriate images for each snack baggie. Then I took a paper bad, but the top 8 inches or so off and folded the top down to get as much of plain brown as possible. Refolding the cut-off of the top, I was able to make a long handle which was stapled on the sides and then taped w/ packing tape to the bottom to reinforce the bag. Finally, I decorated the outside of the big paper bag w/ additional die cuts from the Cricut. I also added rafia to the Thanksgiving one giving it an extremely country rustic look. It was so stinkin' cute - and I forgot to snag a picture!

Then, I found these instructions for making these sock cupcakes on greenbean's crafterole blog. She even had the file for the wrapper which she created in Design Studio. So with a quick cut on my Cricut and a rolling of the socks, I had super cute teacher gifts. I even ordered some small bottles of Hemp Lotion which I ticked deep inside the roll. I found cellophane bags, which I think were created for treat bags for birthday parties. Ties 'em off with a ribbon and I was done. They were a hit. I watched my sales and got the socks for anywhere from $2- $3 a pair.

I guess "Better Late Than Never" is the right mentality on this posting!

Hollywood: Diva Heaven

2011-03-22T07:47:00.001-07:00

I had so much fun making the pom rosettes from the necklace and hairband (see previous posts) that I was inspired to extrapolate the idea to scrapping. I am STILL trying to finish our vacation pictures from July!!! So when the pictures of our day in Hollywood slid across my scrapping table landing on top of my fabric circles leftover from the poms I suddenly knew what the person who invented Reece's felt like! A perfect blend of two beautiful ingredients!

The gorgeous borders on the sides are cardstock border stickers from Glitz It Now. Since these pages feature my tween daughter, I thought doing some hand drawn doodling would set a nice tone for the page. The fabric circles used to make the flowers are left over from my pom necklace and headband projects. Originally, the fabric was used to make flower girl dresses a year ago. I LOVE getting so much mileage from my leftovers! The black ribbon is actually seam binding that someone gave to me because they didn't know how to use it. Actually, I don't know how to use seam binding properly, either! But doesn't it look nice as a stem for a flower?

I've discovered my key for creativity. I always thought the creative process started with an abstract free-standing idea that one brings to life. Those thoughts never come my way (unless it's a rare moment when I am in the bathroom BY MYSELF, and then they typically aren't centered on scrapping or crafting). But what I have learned is that I can take one idea or method and contort it into something new, either by changing my medium, method or application. These really are all big words for "stealing"! Turns out, I can steal pretty good!

Repurposing the Past

2011-02-22T12:58:00.000-08:00

My grandmothers passed away two years ago within five weeks of each other. My one grandmother had Alzheimer's and I had been caring for her for the previous six years. Needless to say, my attic has been full of her things, despite two previous auctions. The things left are things that I just can't part with or that I have no idea what to do with - a pair of water skis from the 1960's for example.

When cleaning out the attic this last fall, I came across a box of Grandma's costume jewelry. Luckily, I had been to visit a friend of mine a month before and had seen a necklace in which the artists used vintage beads and miscellaneous finds to create a new shabby chic styled necklace. I had a new vision for these old pieces of jewelry!!!

The ribbon and roses created from the ribbon are new as are all the big beads in the top strand. There are also three other new things on this necklace. Can you find them? I hope not! The middle strand of pearl beads were founds at the bottom of a box, the string on them broken many years ago. By re purposing her brooches, clip-on earrings, and broken bead strands, I have a new set of jewelry I adore. Not to mention the nostalgia of not just a time long gone, but also of my grandma.

Pom Rosette Necklace

2011-02-12T10:50:00.001-08:00

Little Miss Momma (see previous post) had other ideas for using the rosette pom poms. Again, using leftover flower girl fabric, I made a necklace. Since I didn't have the right kind of chain in my crafting supply, this project cost about $3 for me to make. This was a simple no-sew project. For instructions, click here:

http://littlemissmomma.blogspot.com/2010/12/pom-pom-bib-necklace-tutorial-lmm.html

Little Miss Momma made hers more into a v-shape and I'm wishing now I'd had just a little bit more curve to my project. Since it didn't have as much curve, I cut some white cardboard and glued it to the back followed by flat left-over fabric circle. So the cardboard is sandwiched between the felt and another fabric layer. I probably could have just cut a piece of fabric in the same shape as the cardboard, but why not use the fabric circle scraps I had left over??? Anyways, the cardboard gives the necklace plenty of structure.

One other change, my middle two rosette poms are smaller. I tried just making a smaller felt circle base, but it didn't make the top of the rosette smaller, just less full (took this "mistake" and made it into a headband!). So, to get these two smaller rosettes, I had to both make my base felt circle and my fabric circles smaller. Each of the larger rosettes is different as I varied the netting and organza combinations. The center large rosette is fabric only. It's my favorite. I wouldn't use the organza again - or at least not in that color as it made it too princess-y.

This project I'm keeping for me - hands off daughters! Now, if only I could figure out what to wear it with! Ideas???

Pom Headband

2011-02-12T10:18:00.000-08:00

I got this idea from a blog recommended to me by another friend. Check it out for a tutorial on how you can do this, too!

http://littlemissmomma.blogspot.com/2010/08/scrunch-fabric-flower-pom-pom.html

I used leftover fabric from the flower girl dresses I made last May. My middle daughter wants to wear it for the Valentine's Party on Monday. I might have to dig down and see if I can find some red fabric in my stash for the older one, although she's sick so we're just hoping she gets to make it to the party!

I varied this pom a little bit in that I added some netting - still in the same manner as the rest of the pom, but it added some edge and texture. I also used a no-slip rubber headband as opposed to an elastic one - just cause that's what was lying around in the house. This band cost me nothing - I just used fabric and felt scraps and a headband we already had! LOVE THAT!

Alternative to Trinkets and Bags

2011-01-20T10:15:00.000-08:00

I stole this idea from my friend, Melissa, after she sent my son home w/ a similar water bottle after a sports-themed birthday party. Since I abhor the cheap trinkets you get at carnivals and the like, I very much appreciated the idea. I would much rather send a kid home with one usable gift than a bagful of junk!

Spencer had a MIZZOU-themed birthday party this year. I used the Cricut and my basketball cartridge in the Design Studio to weld together each child's name. I cut this out on a silvery-white vinyl I got for free from a scrap pile at my brother's printing company. I then added Missouri stickers with a glaze of modge podge. The modge podge didn't stick very well. I think it will rub off with a few uses and then the stickers will eventually wear off as well. I do believe the vinyl will stick, though.

I filled the water bottles with football trading cards for the boys and Webkins trading cards for the girls, little Kleenex packets, a package of dry Gatorade mix to add to their water, and candy and stretchy bandz from the pinata.

The appliques on the water bottles may not last for years to come, but I KNOW they'll last longer than a cheap plastic bag filled with plastic junk! And the kids thought they were pretty cool!

Tile Coasters

2011-01-09T18:05:00.000-08:00

I had an afternoon to come up with a housewarming gift for someone I barely knew. I had no idea what this person's decorating style, color palette or needs were. So, I went to Cricut! Doesn't everyone love what comes from the Cricut? Here's what I came up with!

These coasters started out as plain stone tiles purchased loosely from home Depot. There was a set of 9 in the box and I paid less than $4 for the box. I made a set of 4. This will leave me with enough tiles to make a second gift at another time.

To get started, I washed my stones off as I have found that when I have worked with natural stones, as opposed to ceramic tiles, there is a lot more dust that interfere with the adhering of the vinyl. I cut my "H" at 3" from the Opposites Attract cart. After placing the vinyl, I covered it with a layer of Modge Podge. Finally, I put these clear nubbies on the bottom. The nubbies are actually designed and sold for the purpose of keeping cabinet doors from slamming. All in all, I have $5 tied up in this project.

The best part: When my hostess received her gift, she was thrilled. Their new home is much larger, and they had just bought a new table for a new sitting area, but were in need of coasters. She was thrilled. So was I.

Multi-fold cards

2010-09-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

These cards were actually timely (end of school and Father's Day). I'm just really late posting pics of them. I found the directions online for the "Teacher" one. The back was exactly the size I needed for a gift card. I loved the way the card folding hid some of the words and paper. Using this concept, I came up with the pull down card for Father's Day. From there, I needed a Thank You card, so I substituted picstures into the squares. The card was so stinking cute!

Hello, Mudder! Hello, Fadder!

2010-07-23T15:32:00.000-07:00

Here I am at Camp Scrapbooking. (Do you have the snappy little tune stuck in your head yet?) Thank goodness because it was virtual camp, I didn't have any rain, alligators in the pool, or lost comrades, as the song suggests.

Here's how it worked. Each day, camp "counselors" would post entries with scrapbooking challenges, design ideas, photography pointers, etc. They also posted camp food recipes. There were a total of 10 different badges up for grabs by completing the suggested activities. Because my family was so good to let me have some time each day, I was able to get all 10 Camp CK Merit Badges (virtual badges I was able to post in my signature line on the website that hosted camp).

So, here is a sampling of the projects completed from last week's camp. The photo of the flowers was from a photography challenge. The Chip n Dale was for the 1st Aid badge - this layout was in need of some 1st aid to punch it up a little bit. The orange layout is from a "nature-inspired" layout challenge. The key ring photo album is Spencer's and features the places we went on vacation. He helped w/ the stickering. Now he'll be able to take it to school and show & tell about what he did this summer.

Anyways, look for CAMP CK again next year and sign up with me!

Don't burst my bubble!

2010-05-31T14:21:00.000-07:00

Claire's birthday was the middle of the month of May. Our month was so busy we had to cancel a few things just to find time to have a party for her!

When we first moved to this house 4 years ago, I painted her room this yellow with a small section over by the windows the bubble gum pink. We decorated in Dora, but Dora was quickly outgrown. For the last 2 years I have been wanting to find a theme that would fit my decidedly less-than-frilly girl, but wouldn't require repainting. She adores Bobby Jack so this was a perfect fit for both of us.

I used vinyl in a teal, chocolate brown, golden, and bubble gum pink to create the wall decor. Obviously, the lettering and bubbles were simple cuts on the cricut. Bobby himself is made from circles and ovals as well. The only thing hand cut are his eyes and nose. But even the eyeballs were simple circular cuts. The lettering of the Bobby Jack signature came from the Opposites Attract cartridge. The caption lettering came from the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge, along with all the ovals and circles. I used the monkey on the comforter as my pattern. By employing some algebra, I was able to keep my ratios the same when I enlarged it onto the wall.

I had a lot of fun with this quick project. It took me about 4 hours to complete. Not a bad time investment to get a one-of-a-kind look!

A Whole Lotta' Sewing Goin' On!

2010-05-30T20:07:00.000-07:00

I made the girl's flower girl dresses for a wedding this weekend. Of course, their American Girls needed matching dresses from the fabric remnants! The pails that I posted a couple of weeks ago are also from the same fabric as the sashes. There's nothing better than feeling like a Princess in a beautiful dress. And having your dolly match is the icing on the cake!

Wedding Tile

2010-05-30T18:39:00.000-07:00

May is by far much busier than December ever thought of being! To add to an already full calendar, I have been getting ready for a friend's wedding that the whole family was asked to be a part of. So while I have actually been doing a lot of crafting and sewing, I've not had a chance to post any of it.

As the maid of honor for the wedding, I had to prepare a toast. Being the chatty one that I am, I made sure I wrote out my speech beforehand in order to keep the toast short. As part of the speech before the toast, I had a bible verse that I felt was particularly applicable to this couple. I used the Cricut to cut the verse from vinyl, along with the couples name and wedding date. I have learned that I must modge podge over the tiles or else the vinyl letters lift with time. This particular font was the "upright" from the "Opposites Attract" cartridge. On the back I tried something new. I modge-podged on a sheet of scrapbook paper to cover up the ugly back. Then I printed out a copy of the speech/toast to put on the back as well. I loved the way doing both sides of the tile turned out. I think the bride could even flip the tile over to the back and display that side if she ever wanted. Much better than the plain ugly back or adding just felt or cork!

Candles and flower Pails

2010-05-19T15:07:00.000-07:00

I have been very busy with too many things to mention over the last month. But I wanted to take a moment to post a set of candles I was asked to make for one of my daughter's girl scout troop. The words come from the Girl Scout Law. There are 10 candles, each one containing a part of the Law. The girls used the candles as part of their Investiture and Rededication Ceremony. I cut Cricut letters from vinyl, used the transfer tape and lit the candle. Nothing complicated, but very unique!

I have also been helping a friend get ready for her wedding at the end of the month. I included a picture of the flower girl pails. These started as galvanized metal buckets with wood colored handles. Gotta' love spray paint, fabric and hot glue!

Same cut, 2 ways

2010-04-17T15:23:00.000-07:00

I am working diligently on finishing my last few pages from our Disney trip LAST March. In playing around with the Mickey's house cut from the Mickey and Friends cartridge, I found out that my good friend Kelly has just moved in to a new home. While I miss her (she's now in Florida!), I am so happy for her. So, I began to wonder if I could kill two birds with one stone!?! I don't know that I am thrilled with the outcome, but it was definitely a challenge to see how different I could make the two look just by changing colors and finishings.

Simple Cricut Lettering

2010-03-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share with you some very simple lettering with the Cricut. I only have 2 font cartridges for my Cricut. I keep thinking I am going to invest in the Sure Cuts A Lot software that would allow me to use any font program on my computer on my Cricut, BUT I haven't done that yet. So, this was an experiment to prove to myself - and all those who have EVERY cartridge under the sun, that less can be more. These pages have all been completed in the last couple of weeks. I am ashamed to admit that they cover a vacation that happened a year ago. In my world, less has to be more because I keep getting more and more and wishing for less and less! Can I get an amen?

Starting with the top left 'Backlot photos", this was done with the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge, using the basic font in red and the shadow feature in gray. Next, I switched to the Opposites Attract cartridge. For the word "Zaniness" I used the upright round feature and then the Trapezoid feature for "Muppets". Instead of using the actual trapezoids, I used the negative space from the cut. This created a really nice contrasting line across my page. In "POP Century" I combined my two cartridges using the Plantin Schoolbook for the POP, with the shadow feature as previously shown, and then the upright lettering on the Opposites Attract cartridge for the "Century". Finally, on "Disney World" I used the basic lettering on Opposites Attract and then went back over the lettering with a glitter pen. I loved how closely this mimicked the Disney font without paying for a whole new Disney font cartridge. The point of this lettering is to create a feel, a theme, a look, and not to be an exact replica. For me, keeping $30 in my pocket is worth the "knock off".

What I am most interested in is ideas for adhering the lettering to my pages and cards. I have tried the mini tape runner that Creative Memories used to sell. It worked OK, but my understanding is that they have discontinued that product. The glue pens from Zig tend to be messy in my opinion. What I am using right now that seems to be working very well is the Xyron 1.5" sticker maker. The only downside to it that I can see is the time it takes to get the letters to align in there so you are wasting as little sticker tape as possible. If you have any other ideas or suggestions I would love to hear your comments!

For those Cricut Addicts out there, I have a chalenge for you: How many projects or layouts can you do using only 2 cartridges before you get bored or hit a wall?

Cupcake Girl Scrapbook Layout

2010-03-02T20:25:00.000-08:00

The gals over at the new BBTB2 blog have posted lots of cute cards using two different cupcakes from two different Cricut cartridges. So, I wanted to share my use of the cupcake with you. The cupcake is from the Celebrations cartridge cut at 4". After cutting all my layers, I spiced the frosting up by using Glimmer Mist - a newer product I was able to try out thanks to an Archiver's gift certificate from my bestest girlfriends in the whole world!!! (Hugs Jeana and Linds) The Minnie is made from my newest cartridge - Mickey and Friends - as are the lollipops on the journaling block.

These pictures are from our trip to Disney World last spring break. Considering that this Saturday kicks off Spring Break '10, I thought I should make those Disney pics a higher priority on the "to do" list. It's so much fun to relive the trip through scrapbooking. Somebody asked me today if we were doing anything as exciting as Disney for this year's break. Nope - going to my cousin's farm in Halstead, Kansas. But hey, she did promise me some scrapbooking time. So maybe it's a close second! Or not!

Thumbody Loves You!

2010-01-29T11:56:00.000-08:00

And that thumbody is Me!!!
I must be a sucker! I got roped into heading up the valentine parties at the kids' school. Truth be told, I LOVE to plan parties. But I don't love trying to get 20 different personalities to cooperate with each other. It's like herding cats!

But, something fun has come out of the endeavor. A little silver in the cloud linings. One of the classes found an adorable foam craft project at Oriental Trading Company, but the cost of the kits, especially for being only foam, was cost prohibitive. So, I took it to the Cricut.

I am limited on my cartridges, so I had to improvise a little bit. The base/pot is from the Celebrations cartirdge. That's right - the birthday cartridge. I used on page 117 and then cut the bow off to become the flower pot. I did it again on my patterned paper cutting off the bow and the top lip to give the pot dots. The grass is from Plantin Schoolbook, p. 69. The stem is a lollipop stick that I stamped with ink to get the green color. The petal itself is from Accent Essentials . Although I did find quite a few other flower heads on other cartridges so look and see what you can find. I chose this one because it most resembled the flower on the OT piece and the shape was nice with the thumbrpints. The saying is hand done, but when I go to do 100 of these, I will be printing them out on the computer. The heart is from the Plantin SchoolBook again.

I hope this will delight our 100 second graders and their "thumbodies special."

Fast Room!

2010-01-27T20:33:00.001-08:00

Little Man wanted a Big Boy Room for his birthday. So in lieu of a big party, we re-did his room. We had to - he'd taken taken his old stuff on his own! The bottom is Lightening McQueen Red, the top is a bright racing blue (it appears sky blue in the pics, but is actually more intense). We found some vinyl "stickers" with the Cars characters to put on the walls and dresser. I got a lamp/alarm clock combo off of Craigslist.

Someday this might be a pain in the rear to paint back over. But I just came from the hospital where we learned that a friend from my teenage years is brain dead. So in this moment, I couldn't be more satisfied with having taking the risk of the bright red. I love the room and so does Little Man. And I am incredibly thankful to God to have had the privilege of making him happy in this way! Take a risk and Start Your (creative) Engines!!!

in this way.

Ultimate Batman Cake

2010-01-04T12:18:00.000-08:00

Little Man wanted a Batman Themed cake for the big #5. To keep costs minimal (since what he really wanted was a "big boy room") we had just a couple of friends and family over to celebrate and I made the cake. Not bad for 4-H learned skills! To add to the fun, we pretended the Riddler had stolen the cake and he had to search for his cake.

Mastercard Commercial Quality Gifts

2009-12-26T11:04:00.000-08:00

I needed new gift ideas for teachers & friends who had already received my standard glass light block (see previous blog post). So, I came up with these tiles, which I already had in my basement left over from some past projects. I used the Opposites Attract Critcut cartridge to cut the letters for the Girl Scout Tiles. The Girl Scout sayings are part of the Girl Scout Law. The teacher's tile was adapted from a plaque I saw in a store that was actually intended for families. I used the Plantin School catridge to cut my letters and the Locker Talk cartrisge to cut my globe.

A couple of thoughts if you are going to do these projects yourself. The multi-colored tile is unsealed slate. Even though I washed the slate before I added my lettering, I still had difficulty getting the lettering to stick. After laying my letter down, I used modge podge on the whole tile, using a criss-cross motion so that in case any streaking showed, it would look intentional. This sealed both the lettering and my tile. There was some slight show of the modge podge, but the criss cross pattern actually made it look professionally painted.

Need help with sentiments for your tiles? Go shopping! Premade greeting cards, plaques at local hobby stores and home furnishing sections. You can find so much online as well. Then personalize the sentiment in some way. Making something you can't buy anywhere else will make your inexpensive gifts priceless. Isn't that what makes the Mastercard commercials so great??? 1 tile: $.90. Vinyl lettering: $2. Stand: $3.99. A gift made only for them, priceless!

Season of Lights - One "Upped"

2009-12-26T10:44:00.000-08:00

I LOVE the glass blocks with the Christmas lights inserted into them and have found they are great, low-cost teacher gifts with high impact. My daughters' teachers still display them in their classes every year and the girls take so much pride in saying, "I gave that to Miss X when I was in her class 2 years ago." But this year I have the Cricut. Which means the blocks have to be taken up just a notch.

My husband is an avid Missouri fan. And if you are from the midwest, you know that MU does NOT mix with KU. We have the Borderline Showdown every year here in KC to prove who is top dog - "bragging rights". My husband's boss is one of those "detested KU people", as was my own grandmother. So for Christmas this year, he broke down and had me make his boss a KU lightbox. I found the ornament at WalMart. The jayhawk is actually a face tattoo. It had great adhesion and a transparency that most stickers do not have. The other KU letters are vinyl cut with the Cricut (plantin schoolbook text).

His boss loved it and has plans to incite other KU fans in the office against my DH!

Turkey Time Napkin Holder

2009-11-10T20:07:00.000-08:00

The gals over at Bitten By The Bug Blog do these challenges. The current challenge was to use any cut from the Cricut machine to create something about blessings, turkeys, thankfulness, etc. You get the idea. This napkin holder was created exclusively from the My Community cartridge and layers.

To make this, cut 2 base turkeys at 10". Cut one layer of the turkey at 10" (I cut mine in orange and cut a second at the same size in green). Cut the second layer at 9.5" (I cut mine in a yellow pattern). For the frame of the napkin holder, take a child's size wire hanger. Holding the hanger at the two pointed ends (which would slip through the armholes of your clothes) and the hook towards you stomach, bend the two pointed ends towards you. This should cause the center of the hanger (which would normally hold slacks) to move out and opposite from the hook end. Your hanger is diamond shaped. Bend the new top of you diamond up 90 degrees from the rest of the hanger. This end will insert into your tail of the turkey. I also found that I needed to cut the bottom of my longer tailend level so it would sit flush on the table.

Now bend the hook of the hanger up 90 degrees as well and then twist the hook 90 degrees. To add your turkey cuts to the hanger skeleton, cut the head and body off of one of your full turkey cuts. Cut the feet off both. Add on your layers of colored tail feathers. Glue your two tail pieces together at the edges leaving a pocket that will slip over the non-hook side of your holder. The tail that you added the colored tail feathers to will be the one to face in on the holder. The other one will be shorter because you cut the head and body away. This shorter one will be to the back side of the holder.

Add your layers onto the beak and neck. To help with the 3-D effect, I continued my cut around the neck of the turkey. The head and body are actually only taped onto my hook at this point. For the sake of the picture, I folded my napkins in half. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Pillow cases and matching baby dolls jammies

2009-10-24T17:39:00.000-07:00

I've been on a kick of creating personalized pillow cases using my sewing skills and my super fun Cricut machine to add names of lucky birthday girls to the side margins. I've also used scraps from the projects to make pajamas for American Girl dolls and Bitty Baby dolls and matching pillows for the babies. This idea works great, so long as I get the invite within a week's time!

Stepping Out

2009-08-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

I am a late bloomer. Last in my class to shave my legs. Last girl to brag about the first kiss. Nearly the last one to get e-mail. But after being tempted by what going on on the "Bitten By The Bug" Blog, I decided I couldn't miss out on any more fun and be the last to start blogging!