Boo Baby Card

Here's a baby card I made for Leah (her shower was yesterday (what fun!) I used the papers from her shower invitations and another of the Boo Bears fom Go Kreate available at The Scrapping Cottage. I usually prefer to make my own shaped cards using Design Studio but thought that this carriage from Wildcard would combine nicely with Boo. It also had the added plus of a matching envie. I used the "Boo for You" die and cut him once out fully and a second time with just his head. Inside I cut an oval from the mat with my Nesties and outlined it with the cut out scalloped oval so he wouldn't look like he was just floating in there. (and it matched the invitations.) He is positioned so his body doesn't show from the front but his head would be in a good positon for another head to be popped on as if he's peeking out of the buggy. It bothers me that there are no shadows on Wildcard so I cut the carriage body slightly smaller, cuttled it with the larger dots folder from the Baby cardmaking combo and popped it on the front. Alpha Beads spell out welcome.

The rattle is also from the Wildcard cartridge with a "lil guy" epoxy sticker on top. The inside embossed heart and "blessings" is also Cuttlebug. Thank heaven I had a leftover piece of matching blue scalloped card stock for the back. I realized Leah still had my threading water punch so I adhered that to the cut back of the card. This did make it a bit larger than the original so to accomodate the extra size I cut the envie 1/8" larger than I cut the card. I would have liked to cut it larger still but 6 1/8" was as large as I could go on the mat. It still managed to close though so I was a happy camper.

Recycling from a Catalog-Another Joy Fold

Yesterday was one of those days. I've got tons of Design Team and personal projects in the queue but for some reason I just couldn't get going on them. I still felt like creating though and when I looked down on my messy table I saw a cover from a Nordstrom catalog I'd saved since March because I thought I could use it on a card. I carefully cut around the lovely image. She reminds me of a wood nymph or a fairy and her floral headpiece really begged for more embellishment so I added some gorgeous Primas. I loved the Joy fold card I used yesterday and adapted the dimensions to fit the image. I have no idea what I'll use this card for but I had a good time making it. Now back to the drawing board.

Paper Blooms Emboss Resist Challenge

I love Wednesdays because that's when Paper Blooms comes out with their new challenges. This week it's emboss resist. I have to laugh that I stamp so seldom (even though I've got WADS of stuff) that I had to go to guest designer Tracy's blog to actually find out what that meant. Well the point of a challenge is to be challenged so I thought this would be fun, especially since I had bought a whole bunch of distress ink at M's on Memorial Day. I checked out my stamps and found this leaf block by Stampendous and stamped away. I couldn't figure out why my embossing looked so dull and difficult to see until I looked at the powder and realized I was using clear on white paper. It turned out much better when I switched to opaque white. Then I scanned my Paper Blooms, inks and papers and came up with this color scheme. I soon realized I do not have the right tool to rub the ink on the paper without making streaks or globs so that's why the color is so subtle behind the embossing. I used Dusty Concord and Weathered Wood Distress Ink.

Then I had to come up with some layout. (Where are those sketches when I need them. LOL)My dear friend Lillie and I had been talking about the Joy Fold card from SCS and I thought that might work. I looked all over the place but could only find the gallery so I had a basic idea but no actual dimensions so I cut the card to fit my stamped pieces. To hold it closed I used a length of ribbon instead of the raised label or little metal thingy (Man, my mind it drawing a blank here) and I gussied it up with a gorgeous double layered Paper Bloom and some MS punched butterflies embellished with adhesive rhinestones. The inside sentiment is Stampin'Up. Lillie helped me finally find the directions for this card AFTER I had made my own version but if you really want to see a Joy Fold card check out Lillie's Blog HERE. And be sure to stop by Paper Blooms to see their beautiful examples of emboss resist. Thanks for a great challenge Leah, I'm definitely gonna play more with this technique.

PolkaDoodles Challenge -"Thank Ewe"

There's a new challenge blog called Polka Doodles that is very exciting and some of my dear friends are on the Design Team. You know me and sketches, but I really wanted to participate and when I saw this new printable background stamp "Thank" and darling little"ewe" from The Cutting Cafe I thought it might work for this challenge. I printed the background stamp on patterned paper and did the same for the ewe. I also printed her on white and colored her face and feet with my Copics and paper pieced her together. Then I tried to pretty much follow the sketch using my Nesties, Prima flowers and Sizzix die cut fence. The flower brads are from Queen and Co. This fun background is one of four new sets from The Cutting Cafe. These backgrounds cover a full 7 1/2 by 8 3/4 inches and the accompanying stamps comes in 2 sizes so you can imagine how versatile they will be. Thank EWE, Regina!

The Cuttlebug Spot Color Challenge

This week for The Cuttlebug Spot we were asked to make a card using either a brown and blue or brown and orange combo. I received this paper with my Stampin'Up order and just opened this new Cuttlebug folder so I thought they would make a great male card. I inked some of the words in brown and others in blue and sanded some of the others for emphasis and distressed the edges.

I added a strip of brown behind wound with some cording. Then I embossed a smaller piece with the "You" and tore it out and popped it on top. I thought this could be used for a number of occasions including Father's Day or a birthday depending on the inside sentiment. Wow, how quick and easy was that! Be sure to stop by The Cuttlebug Spot to see the lovely creations by my Design Team sisters and how about joining us this week? We'd love to have you.

BBTB AK Bookmark challenge

Happy Memorial Day to you all! Hope you've got your flags flying and the weather is perfect for the kick-off to barbeque season. This week at Bitten By The Bug Regina asked us to use the Bookmark from the Animal Kingdom cartridge. We could use this cut any way we wanted so instead of choosing one of the animals I decided to use the book stack with the apple on Hello Kitty Greetings which I welded in Design Studio to the plain bookmark. I used bright primary colors and my favorite BoBunny double dot paper for the base.

My book worm is actually the caterpillar from Stretch Your Imagination with his legs cut off. I also cut off his head to reattach it at a different angle. (No I didn't torture bugs as a child, this is in the name of art. LOL) I inked and accordion folded the body and added some small pompoms, then reattached his head with some button glasses and google eyes so he'd look studious.

Naturally all of the cuts were pop dotted for dimension and I did a bit of doodling with a white gel pen. For some reason I couldn't get the flap that fits over the page to cut although it showed at least little score marks for placement (but it didn't cut those either, GRRRRRR!) The 2 small starting holes did cut however, so I ended up cutting the flap by hand with an Exacto knife. You'll be amazed at all of the adorable bookmarks my DT sisters made for this challenge so pop on over HERE to see them in all of their glory. Maybe we can inspire you to play along, or at least pull out a good book! Hugs!

Smarty Pants Word Bubbles from the Cutting Cafe

So as I hop from blog to blog I see all kinds of sweet Tilda's and Willows smiling back at me, and what do I order?..these funky (and a bit scary) stamps by Daniel Torrente from Stampotique. LOL These just cracked me up and their attitude made me run immediately to The Cutting Cafe to download Regina's Smarty Pants Word Bubbles. Tell me they are not PERFECT for these images! These are just three of the hilarious assortment available, perfect for teens or whenever YOU are in a mood (notice I've colored them all with red hair LOL) and they come in both right and left facing so they work with any image. I just love them and I had a ball finally using some of the paper I've been scratching my head over and asking myself "why did I buy this?" (Because it was 60% off at an LSS going out of business sale, of course) Be sure to visit The Cutting Cafe to check out the rest of the 20 fun sayings available with this set.

Paper Blooms Red, White and Blue Challenge

In honor of Memorial Day this week's Paper Blooms challenge is to use red, white and blue. I used a premade red 5x7 card, matted it in blue and then cut a light blue stars mat and coordinating strips from 2 different designer papers from Creative Imaginations. The flags are toothpicks, the dimensional star stickers are EK Success, the small star flower centers are raindots, and of course the gorgeous hand crocheted flowers are Paper Blooms. I love these challenges at Paper Blooms and am happy I was able to participate this week. Check out the gorgeous Design Team creations HERE, and remember you don't have to use Paper Blooms to join in but once you get some of these gorgeous flowers you'll be hooked just like I am.

And the Winner Is.....

We have a winner of the BBTB Blog Hop Cutting Cafe square box with dividers file.
Well, I thought we had a winner. Honestly I'm just not computer savvy and I've been on the phone with my dear friend Lillie AND her daughter trying to explain to me how to post this Random Org thing. My DT sisters manage to figure this out, but can I???...Noooooo!!! I did the selection on my desktop but for some reason when I try to post it here with the number all I get is this blank box so you're just gonna have to trust me. The number generated was 75 which is Chrissy. Congrats Chrissy and thank you everyone for making this blog hop a success. Please email me Chrissy so I can send you the file for this fun box.

The Cuttlebug Spot Emboss Anything but Paper and Paper Blooms All Tied Up Challenge

This week at The Cuttlebug Spot we were asked to emboss anything but regular paper or card stock ie: acetate, vellum, grungeboard, cork, metal, you name it. I had purchased this pretty pink metal at the last Scrapbook Expo and was dying to give it a try. It was the perfect shade to match one of the metal mailboxes I'd purchased for $1 at Target around Valentine's Day (and never got around to embellishing) so I thought it would be lots of fun. I chose the floral folder that came with the Cuttlebug With Gratitude set because it is an even design and my metal strip was longer than the folder.

I then used the end piece as a template to trace around and then cut it out with just regular scissors. That piece I ran through the Cuttlebug with Swiss Dots folder but it looked a little plain so I double embossed using one of the small flower folders. I used a small square of plumber's 1/4" gasket rubber just where the flowers were to avoid getting folder marks when I ran it through to emboss.

I've been missing participating in the challenges at Paper Blooms the last couple of weeks so when I saw that their challenge required using ribbon as a focal point for the project (maybe it's not exactly the focal point but I tried) I trimmed it out in two diffierent ribbon patterns and tied a bow with 3 more. The beautiful crocheted flower on the flag is hand done by Leah at Paper Blooms and really adds a special touch. Visit her Etsy store to purchase some of these gorgeous flowers which come in all sorts of colors and several different shapes. I thoroughly enjoyed working with a material other than paper for this challenge and so did my Design Team Sisters. Be sure to visit The Cuttlebug Spot so see just what they came up with and we invite you to play along.

Blog Hop for BBTB and The Cutting Cafe

Welcome to our Blog Hop! This week at BBTB each Design Team member was asked to choose a printable stamp or template from The Cutting Cafe and combine it with a frame from the Storybook cartridge. I chose this fun and versatile Square Box with Dividers and made it with adorable double sided paper from Heidi Grace. It went together in a snap and there were options on how to configure the dividers so it would be great for all kinds of little gifties, and the coordinating rub-ons and embellies made the project so easy to decorate. I actually chose two different frames from Storybook and made shadows for them using Design Studio. The busy bee and flower was cut from more of the Heidi Grace paper. If you are following our little hop your next stop is my DT Sister Laura. Click HERE to continue but be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win the template for this fabulous little box. If you happened upon this post by accident and would like to start at the beginning of the hop click HERE. Have fun and good luck! xxD

Boo Up the WaZooo!

I'm feeling bad that I haven't been able to participate in challenges other than for my Design teams lately but here's why. I promised to make Baby Shower invitations for my dear friend Leah (BeeCherryLady on the Cricut message board). I am a notorious procrastinator and known to change my mind numerous times when designing a project besides being an EXTREMELY slow crafter so there you go! Fortunately Leah wanted to help with assembly so they are now finished and in the mail! WooHoo!

I've been sort of stuck on the popped mat with scalloped frame design for awhile and wanted to do that for the invitations. The striped mat is cuttled with Swiss Dots and I used the Argyle folder behind Boo. The adorable bear die is "Boo on his Bum" made by the UK Co. GoKreate. He is available at The Scrapping Cottage which is one of only two companies carrying these dies in the U.S. However, after doing the prototype we realized that by just popping Boo's head and feet it was still cute and really saved on time, money (for the bazillion dimensionals), and extra postage. "A Baby Shower" is from the Cuttlebug Baby set which I cut twice for a shadow effect and the bottom mat is scalloped with my threading water border punch. Bo is exhaused from overuse and plans to retire for awhile. Trust me, no matter how much you like a design, 26 is alot of one thing to make.

My sweet kitties surprised Mommy with a new printer for Mother's Day so I was determined to figure out my Greeting Card Factory program and print the inside in matching blue matted with yellow. Forgot to take pix but I couldn't have done it without it. Mama loves you Goliath and Jezebel (Daddy too)! xx

Look Through our Window The Cuttlebug Spot Challenge

This week's Cuttlebug Spot Challenge is "Look Through Our Window" which means you must use a window or frame on your card. OOOh goody! It just so happened I had yet another (actually 2) new Cottage Cutz dies available exclusively from The Scrapping Cottage; a window and adorable kitties. I also used a Sizzix Hello Kitty die for the fence, larger flower and leaves and the smaller flower is part of the Cottage Cutz window die.

I started by finding a Nestie that was the perfect size to cut and opening in the card so you could look all the way through. I matted in blue and then cuttled a white piece with my Cuttlebug Weathered Wood folder so it would have a cottagey feel. The window die was cut multiple times so the frame and drapes are on both side of the front. The patterned paper on the inside is from a 6x6 pad of Urban Prairie by Basic Grey. I often find that the smaller pads have a better scale for my matting my cards. The kitties were colored with my Copics to resemble Goliath and Jezebel although they refused to model for Mama. The "Welcome" is a rub-on framed with Nesties and of course I used a few dimensionals for pop.

Some people have asked why I buy die cuts for my Cuttlebug when I have my Cricut. As a member of The Cuttlebug Spot Design Team I try really hard to show just what it can be done with that little machine so I strive to use Cuttlebug exclusively if at all possible for these challenges. Often times the die cut is more intricut that what you can do with your Cricut without ripping the paper to shreds, and I think it's a fabulous excuse to buy more crafting items. LOL Oh, and BTW, does anyone else remember the song "Look Through Any Window?" I think it was by the Hollies. It sure brings back memories and I can't get it out of my mind. (Fortunately I loved the song. ) So pop on over to The Cuttlebug Spot. My DT sisters did an amazing job with this challenge and it's a fun one so come and play along.

BBTB Smiley Face Challenge

This week at Bitten by the Bug the designers were challenged to use the smiley (or frowny) face from the Wildcard cartridge. To be honest, I wasn't all that excited about this challenge because when I was in school nobody could sign their name without adding a smiley face to their signature. They were on tee shirts, on cars, they were EVERYWHERE! Smiley face OVERLOAD! NO, no, no more smiley faces! But that's what a challenge is all about, right?
Well I've got to say that once I got into it my spirits lifted and this turned out to be one of my favorite cards yet. Pretty simple and almost cartoony with no chalking, no bling (plenty of dimension though, LOL) I welded "Smile" and some flowers from Walk in my Garden to some clouds from Paper Pups, and the sun from Wildcard as a base for my smiley face. I cuttled with Swiss Dots, D'vine Swirls, and one of the butterfly embossing folders from the Cuttlebug Butterfly set (my dear friend Margie taught me that, cool huh? You need to have a fairly small cut, but you just place it in the tiny dot buttlerfly folder and you have a texture that's closer together than Swiss dots. Be sure to pop over to her blog to see all the fabulously creative things she does!) Of course there are lots of layers so I could pop to my hearts content and the BoBunny polka Dot paper really added to the design but all in all I'm really pleased. Thanks Regina for turning my frown upside down! Hugs!

Now pop on over to Bitten by the Bug to see all of my Design Team Sister's fabulous creations. They're sure to put a smile on YOUR face!

I've been tagged!

I've been tagged by Laura and the game was to post a picture of your very first scrapbook layout, write a few word about what you were feeling at the time, and pass it on to 5 others. SURPRISE! I've never done a scrapbook layout. Not EVER! LOL Well, I still think it sounded like fun so I will post my first ever cards. It has been a year this week since I got my Cricut and I made these thank you's to send to my friends for my birthday 'prises. I was so excited to make my first post to the Cricut message board because I had joined even before getting my bug and felt pretty proud of myself. I still don't think they look half bad. Thanks Laura for thinking of me even if I did have to bend the rules a bit. Now I will pass this on to Aymee, Jen, Shelly, Sandy and Jeannie. I know the first 4 of you do scrap. I'm not sure about you Jeannie. If not I'd LOVE to see your very first card!

P.S. I know I've been terrible about posting a number of lovely awards. Please don't think for a minute that I don't appreciate them. I will get around to it but I'm a bit stressed with a number things being due in a short time so please bear with me. Hug! D

Mother's Day Door Hanger

Okay, here's the last of my designs that are available on Custom Crops site (for now). I thought my door hanger idea would be nice for Mother's Day because it could be left out as a decoration long after the holiday is gone. I know Mother's Day is tomorrow, but I really think this would be appropriate for lots of occasions with a different sentiment on the back. The cut file is available with a direct link HERE. As always, comments are greatly appreciated and if yo hve any specific requests for something I'm all ears. I think eventually there will be individual emails for Design Team members on the Custom Crops site if you have any questions about the articles and designs but this is all so new that they haven't gotten there yet. We're all just learning. Hope you like!

Ladybug Free Cut file

This is probably one of my favorite cards I've ever done, and WooHoo, for those of you who love ladybugs the FREE cut file is now available on the Custom Crops website along with detailed instructions on how to assemble it. The direct link is HERE, but you can also find it on the sidebar when you visit Custom Crops and scroll down to "All Articles" or "Cricut Design Studio." There will eventually be lots of good stuff available from all of the team but they're just sort of working out the bugs. I think the official announcement will be Tues the 12th by email so if you haven't signed up at Custom Crops you might be interested.

I just found out that our bios are available there as well by clicking on our names in the upper right hand corners in case you want to see me up close and personal. LOL (WARNING! Scary pic complete with major crows feet and what's up with my teeth? Honestly, they're pearly white IRL) This has been great for me to be able to acquaint myself with the Design Team Sisters I've never met and learn a little bit more about them. Also, comments are always appreciated, both here and there. I'm trying to get a feel for what readers enjoy so I can design accordingly and so are they at Custom Crops. It was pointed out to me that you have to sign in to your account to comment. Creating an account takes only a second and really isn't any different than signing in to comment here or on the various message boards so I hope that doesn't stop you. Thanks soooo much! HUGS!

Custom Crops Design Team 1st Post! (Free cut file available)

I'm excited to announce that I am a member of a new Design Team at Custom Crops. The articles and designs will be available on the Custom Crops site and will offer free cut files for the projects posted there. This is an exciting opportunity for me and I'm happy to be sharing my work. This little watering can shape card with the pull out flowers is the first my my designs. Click HERE to view the article and please be sure to leave a comment on the Custom Crops site if you like what you see. There will be lots more to follow from me and my Design Team sisters. And while you're at it be sure to do a little shopping. Custom Crops has added lots of new products and offers super deals on everything imaginable so sign up for their emails so you don't miss a thing.

Note cards, a Total Scraplift

I needed something pretty but not too time consuming for a Mother's Day gift for my MIL. I saw this design on the Cricut mb from a post from SusieB but she said she scraplifted it from my Cuttlebug Spot DT leader Nilda so there you go. It is a combination of the leafy branches Cuttlebug folder and a Stampin'Up Sissix folder. I used colored parchment paper from WalMart. I really love how it turned out and plan to make some for me as well.

Because I'm so late I used an acetate box and quickly embossed a top strip of paper using a Cuttlebug border embossing folder for the top, added an organdy bow and a ring with pastel Alpha Beads spelling out "Mother". Hope she likes.

BBTB Mom and Flower Vase challenge

This week at Bitten by the Bug Regina asked us to use the flower vase cut and Mom (or Mum )from the Beyond Birthday's cartridge. I welded "Mom", the flower vase, and 2 hearts from George to a rounded rectangle. The "Mom" was stretched and skewed until it worked with the design.

All of these cuts were welded in shadow so I could pop the additional layers and still have an outline. The fresh pretty background paper (DCWV Spring glitter stack) dictated the color scheme and the fairly simple clean lines kept me from embellishing too much. (Tough for me. LOL) I did use primas for the flowers and some pearls and ribbon but that was it.

Please stop by Bitten by the Bug to see the fabulous creations by my Design Team sisters and we'd love you to play along. Hugs!

The Cuttlebug Spot Mom's Day challenge

This week on The Cuttlebug Spot we were asked to do a card for Mom or Grandma. Let me be the first to say that I LOVED doing this card and was pretty pleased with the results. I finally got a MS Lattice punch that I used along the side of a premade card from M's. I was dying to use the hummingbird and flower Cottage Cutz dies available exclusively for The Scrapping Cottage. (Okay, I confess, I bought the entire Feb. release and now I'm saving up for the April one. Don't tell DH. LOL)

I cut them in white cardstock so I could color them with my new Copics (one of my fab B-day 'prises from DH) This was my first attempt at Copics but I my dear sweet friend Sandi had sent me some brushes, card and GORGEOUS tag with a hummingbird she had colored using alcohol inks so I used it as a guide when coloring my own. Click HERE to see her beautiful creation. Thank you sooo much Sandi! xx The flowers looked like morning glories to me so I colored them appropriately then went in search of a coordinating paper.

I used some from Basic Grey's Two Scoops (the 6x6 size and cuttled it with the Textile Texture folder. The frame was cut with my Nesties and I used Swiss Dots in the opening. I popped the frame, birds, and flowers for dimension and cut "Mom" twice with my Cricut using the Beyond Birthday's cartridge out of shimmery cardstock from Wal-Mart. I also used it for matting, along the edges to enhance the lattice and inside. (Again cuttled with Swiss Dots! Honestly, what would we do without that folder?) The pretty corners are a Sizzix die set. I left the sentiment oval blank for now because I've already made my Mother's Day card for my MIL and this may turn into a birthday or Thinking of you card. A few pearls and ribbon and there you go. Doing all of these Mom cards has been kinda tough because my Mom's been gone almost 15 years. My dear MIL is set for life though. LOL

Please go visit The Cuttlebug Spot to see the amazing contributions from my talented Design Team sisters and we'd love if you played along. There's a fabulous prize this week!