A Super Quickie for Bah! Humbug!

Yikes! My little anniversary trip threw me all out of whack for my fave weekly challenges so here I'm am scrambling to sneak this week's Bah!Humbug! Xmas Sentiments/Text Challenge. I actually had a much more elaborate card in mind, but at this late hour, there is no way I'd be able to finish it so I pulled out my trusty Cuttlebug, embossed with the Joy and Cheer folder (that I've had FOREVER, but never used), stamped a Hero Arts sentiment with Blazing Red StazOn, cut a scalloped rectangle in the mat with my Nesties, popped them both and there ya go! Don't even know if I'm technically under the wire, VERY CAS, but it's done! I apologize for the pic. Hard to photograph when it's still dark out. LOL

Bah! Humbug! Beads and Whimsicle Wednesdays Use Your Scraps Challenge

Wow, my DH has been gone backpacking for 4 days and I really thought I'd be crafting up a storm but I sort of got lost in other things. I went to the Farmer's Market, I gardened, I chatted with friends, I cleaned house, I did laundry. What got into me? But I finally managed to do a really CAS card for the Bah!Humbug! Beads challenge. The only difficult part of this card was stringing the beads because the eye of the tapestry needle I used didn't want to go through the Alpha Beads. I ended up using pliers to pull, which finally did it. I planned to play along with the current Whimsicle Wednesday Use Your Scraps Challenge, as well. I always have white card stock of various sizes all over my table from digis and computer generated sentiments, border punches, etc, so that was a cinch! The red piece had been knocking around for weeks and had all sorts of junk cut out of it, but thankfully, there was space left over for a 4 3/4 " square. The embossed wreath is a Cuttlebug folder and the doves, a Martha Stewart punch. P.S. the red ribbon the beads are strung on is a scrap too.

I popped the wreath and the doves (which I punched once in white and once in red to create a bit of a shadow) and that was it. Im also entering this in the Christmas Cards All Year 'Round July Challenge which is to do a card that is mostly white and the Winter Wonderland Holly and Ivy Challenge because if you look closely at the embossing, you'll see that there are holly leaves in the wreath. Be sure to stop by all of these fab challenge blogs to see the wonderful inspiration by the DT's.

Winter Wonderland Blue and White Challenge

Here I am scrambling again. Maybe an hour left in The Winter Wonderland Blue and White Challenge. I'll admit to being quite the procrastinator, but that was not supposed to be the case this time. I'd designed a semi elaborate shaped card that had bells for Bah!Humbug! that I was planning on doing in blue and white to do double duty but I got sick Tues night and all day yesterday so that idea flew out the window. When I got up this morning I noticed a still had a little time left for Winter Wonderland, and I'd done their fabulous birthday blog hop and followed all the rules (except making the card) so I pulled out my trusty Cuttlebug and went to work. Had a bit of a time photographing it. The stickles on the Snowy Village embossing aren't dry and the silver mirror card stock is always a PITA but I hope you get the idea. The framed mats are done with my Labels Four Grand Nestabilities on my Grand Caliber.

Here's a better close up of the embossing. I just love this folder!

The bottom snowflakes are done with my Tim Holtz Alerations snowflake border cut once in silver, and once in white. The frame is popped as is the border for dimension. The sentiment is a peelie by Stampendous. The top right snowflake is a MS punch (again punched twice) and popped and the remainder of the snowflakes are Jolee Stickers. Okay, better get this linked up. I'm also adding it to the Christmas Cards Challenge which is snowflakes this week and the Christmas Cards All Year 'Round challenge which is Anything Goes. I do have to say I feel just terrible missing my Bah!Humbug! Challenge for the first time this year. I'll probably do the challenge anyway because I like the design I did and perhaps it would look better in different colors anyway.

Pretty Kitty from Peggy Loves Vintage

Peggy Loves Vintage has released a whole bunch of darling new Cut Outs and I just couldn't wait to play. So many adorable Easter Cut Outs, and children and animals and especially KITTIES!!!! You know how I love KITTIES! But which kitty first? Well, this one looked so much like my Jezebel that I couldn't resist! She's from the Cuties Animals 2. And sitting in that bunch of flowers she looks like she's perched in a window box. Seriously ADORABLE AND I got a chance to use my new Decorative Window Scene Die made by Spellbinders for Heartfelt Creations. I fussy cut the kitty, cut and embossed the frame and decided the beautiful bright colors would just pop against an all white card. The background is embossed with my new Sizzix Ornate Frame #2 from the newest Ornate Frames set and I saved the pieces from the Window frame cut out and embossed those with Swiss Dots. The tag was cut with my Cuttlebug Embossed Tags folder and the sentiment is a peelie.

Besides the variety of texture, I think popping the elements for an all white card gives added interest so I popped not only the kitty, but the tag, frame, and entire first mat as well. I LOVE this card and Jezzie thinks she's quite the star. (I didn't have the heart to tell here it isn't REALLY her.) You can see the entire collection of new Cut Outs on the Peggy Loves Vintage Blog and they're available for purchase at her Web Shop, Etsy Store, and on Ebay. Peggy is also sponsoring the challenge at Craft Us Crazy so be sure to check it out for a chance to win free images.

The Cuttlebug Spot Oh So Soft Challenge

Were rounding up our month of embellie challenges at The Cuttlebug Spot. And I'm sad to say it's the last of our challenges for awhile. The Cuttlebug Spot will be taking a bit of a break but don't forget us, WE'LL BE BACK! Our final challenge is Oh so Soft featuring felt in our designs. I was particularly excited about this one because I'd been dying to try my MFT Die-namics dies with felt. I use the Rolled Flower and the Rolled Rose. They cut quite easily in the Cuttlebug, but in a few cases I did have to snip through a few reluctant stands of fiber. You use the same sandwich as with Nesties; A plate, C plate, die, felt, and B Plate. Then I rolled them up and glued them using Zip Dry glue to a small punched circle and added adhesive pearls to the centers. The leaves were from the Spellbinders Nested Leaves dies. Pretty pretty, huh? The background embossing is done with an old style Fiskars Basketweave Texture plate. I'd never had much luck with embossing with these, but while at the Scrap Expo I came across Lucy McGoo's Wonder Goo which, when sprayed on card stock is (among other things) supposed to enhance embossing. Still not as crisp as a folder, but a definite improvement. The eggs were cut with my Spellbinder's Nested Eggs dies, and embossed with my new Sizzix Country Foliage folder. The bottom scalloped border was not punched, but rather cut with the Scalloped Scallop Die-namics Die from MFT. "Happy Ester was computer generated on a little banner cut with my Stampin' Up Bigz Petal Cone Die (Thanks Lilllie!) I'll be using that whole die in the near future.

So, it's a simple Easter card, but ALL Cuttlebug. Here's a pic of all of the goodies I used. the Design Team has all sort of inspiration using felt, so be sure and check out The Cuttlebug Spot and please play along. Last chance for awhile. You might want to consider subscribing so as not to miss our return. Don't forget us!

The Cuttlebug Spot Buttons Challenge

Continuing our focus on embellies this month, our weekly challenge at The Cuttlebug Spot is buttons. I knew immediately I wanted to use the adorable La Mode dragonfly I'd gotten at J's awhile back and set about looking for a good embossing folder to use with it. I decided upon the folder from the Cuttlebug Friends Forever Card Making Combo and the "hello" sentiment from the Everyday Greetings set, both still available, and on SALE at Custom Crops. I fashioned antennae from fun wire I had strung though the holes in the dragonfly's body and took the colors from the wings and chose tiny buttons by Fabulous Findings (also from J's) to glue onto the embossed flowers. The sentiment was cut twice and glued slightly offset and I added a polka dot mat and it was done! Super simple but I love how it came out. Be sure to stop by The Cuttlebug Spot for more inspiration from the rest of the team. I'm also entering this in the My Partner In Crafting Crime Challenge which is conveniently, BUTTONS! WOW, short post! How about that?

The Cuttlebug Spot All Tied Up Challenge

We're all tied up at The Cuttlebug Spot as this week we used string or twine on our projects. I decided to do something a little different for a change. I've been dying to try the faux leather technique using the Cuttlebug and came across this wallet project on SplitcoastStampers. I followed the measurements, but wanted to make a more "tooled leather" Western look because I wanted to lace around the edges of my wallet instead of machine stitch. I started with kraft paper and used the Cuttlebug Floral Fantasy folder which is an oldie, but is still available at Custom Crops. After embossing my cardstock, I inked the embossing a bit with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink and then the entire thing with Versamark and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. OOOH, COOL!

The inside is lined with bandana print paper by MS that I though captured the Western feel. It is held closed with tiny thin magnets from Basic Grey. They are really strong little suckers and had to be attached with Glosssy Accents and left to dry a long time!

Besides doing the lacing rather than machine stitching, I changed the orientation of the gusset pieces so I could lace through them too for reinforcement. I used my MS Score board and piercing tool to pierce evenly around almost the entire wallet. I did it flat first before adding the gussets. Then was kinda tough to get through the gusset pieces because they had to be taped in place before piercing through them as well, but I used the already pierced holes as a guide. I managed by piercing into a small rubber eraser so as not to tear the card stock and voila! the final embellishment was a metal button brad by Recollections that I had to glue on because I forgot to attach it before I taped on the inside lining. Still worked though. LOL Be sure to have a look at The Cuttlebug Spot for more fabulous DT inspiration.

Bah! Humbug! Embossing Challenge

Well, since I still was in an embossing mode, this week's Bah! Humbug! challenge was a snap. Finished it before breakfast and I didn't even get up all that early. It was sort of a bite to photograph, however, because of the foil card stock but I can honestly say this one looks much better IRL. The Cuttlebug Hanging Ornaments folder was from a 2009 limited edition release from HSN. The sentiment was cut from the Season's Greetings folder (also from 2009).

The popped ornaments are from my new Nesties 2010 Heirloom Ornaments. (Yes, I'm still buying Christmas stuff. LOL) The card is done in a combination of gold and silver but it doesn't really show in either pic. All I added was a ribbon and some adhesive beads on the ornaments and across the top to balance the design. The gals at Bah! Humbug! have plenty of eye candy for inspiration over there and this week there's a prize! Let's see if Margie plays along. LOL I'm also entering this is the Craftyhazelnut's Christmas (CHNC) challenge which is also embossing this week. This is a new challenge blog for me and it' looks like loads of fun too!

Oh So Charming at The Cuttlebug Spot

Continuing our month of embellies, The Cuttlebug Spot is featuring charms this week. I was really pretty excited about this one because I knew immediately what charm I wanted to use. I got these cherries in the clearance at M's awhile back for a buck and they had originally been $19.00. Apparently to go on a bracelet with a clip on clip so it's removable on my card. I figured I'd FINALLY get to use my Spellbinders Cherry Pickin Frame so I had that cut, embossed and colored with gel pens very early on. I'd just gotten new Cricut blades, too so I decided to cut the sentiment from Just Because Cards on my Cricut at 1 1/4", a size I wouldn't normally attempt for a delicate cut like this but it cut like butter and I was on a roll (or so I thought). I pretty much thought I was WAY ahead so I put my card aside to work on some of my other DT things and picked this back up yesterday figuring it would be a snap. Not so much!

Here's where things got tricky. You might want to pause here and get a cup of coffee or glass of wine, depending on what time of day it is in your neck of the woods because I'm gonna ramble again, or you can just skip it all, look at the pix (there are more than usual) and of course leave me a comment (hopefully) and go about your merry way. This card took FOREVER (all day and into the early evening, actually), even though I had all of the major stuff done. It's because I put so darn many self imposed rules and restrictions on my DT cards. I take my DT positions VERY seriously. I try to do each in a style that suits the particular challenge blog be it Cricut, or stamping, or vintage, or macabre or CUTTLEBUG, so you're not gonna see a Cricut card or stamped card with a teeny bit of embossing thrown in as an afterthought because I really want to showcase the Cuttlebug and perhaps show you a different technique, new goody or whatever. Now that's just me. Basically, the challenges are good as long as you use your Cuttlebug somewhere, but I challenge MYSELF with this (and hopefully encourage you to explore your Cuttlebug capabilities a bit more in the process). So I didn't just want to slap this stuff on a card and call it done. I wanted to incorporate more folders, a new card fold, you know, something different but was stumped.

I wanted to use, in particular, a folder from the Cuttlebug Preserves Cricut Companion set because it had cherries on it and also something that looked like a basket (finally decided on the Sizzix Plaid folder from one of their Basic Grey Christmas sets, both on SALE at Custom Crops) but that cherry frame was pretty BIG. I got it in my mind to do one of those sort of petal cards (a square in the middle with half circles at each side that fold up sequentially). Not really sure if I explained that right, but I did designed and cut one on my Cricut and embossed every other one with the 2 folders I mentioned but them couldn't decide what to do with the frame. Put it inside? Obviously this was a no go, because I ended up cutting off 2 of the flaps that WERE embossed with the Preserves folder to stick on version 2 and this is what was left. Hopefully I can use it for something else in the near future.

So on to a regular gate fold card but the thing wouldn't stay closed so I made a band and stuck the frame on that and took this pic but I didn't like this either. the band hid too much of the embossing and was a pain to slide off so I tried again...

ripped the ribbon off, taped it to card stock the same width and attached the frame again. Better, but with the band off the card was so darn plain... so I abandoned the band idea completely. (I do love that cherry ribbon though)

Ripping that frame was pretty difficult but I managed so here's how the final version opens. The colored part of the frame is popped on one side of the gate fold (reinforced with a second frame glued to the back for strength) the the sentiment side is attached directly to the other. Conveniently, when the 2 sides intertwine, the card stays closed. WooHoo! So you see, many times my designs turn out nothing like I originally planned, often take 5 times longer than anticipated, and drive me to drink at the end of the day. I wonder if any of you STILL want to get inside my head while I'm crafting. Bet not. LOL Now go have a peek at my my fabulous teamies have done with this challenge and why not try a hand at it yourself?

The Cuttlebug Spot Hat Pins Challenge

This month The Cuttlebug Spot is all about embellishments and our first week features hat or corsage pins. Some of us (like me) used manufactured pins (my little hearts are from Maya Road) while others made gorgeous ones using beads and pearls. Our own Theresa has a wonderful video on making your own right on The Cuttlebug Spot this week. My card is a sort of "Welcome Spring" card using the pyramage technique. I originally saw this technique on Sherry Cheever's Blog and she has a video HERE. The image was a freebie from ? and I used my Nesties Lables Nine for the layers. The embossed frame is from the Heritage Cuttlebug Companion set . The pretty velvet leaves are from 7 Gypsies.

I inked the frame to bring out the embossing a bit and popped it. Usually when I cut a frame in a mat I use a larger Nestie so the underlying mat shows around the image, but I'd used all 5 of the Nesties in the set for my image so I had nothing larger. I still like the fact that it is slighty recessed, though. The rest of the team has done a fabulous job with the challenge so stop by the Cuttlebug Spot and we invite you to play along for a chance to win a $ 20.00 gift certificate from Custom Crops. But remember, although the challenge is about embellishments, we still expect you to use your Cuttlebug or similar machine somewhere on your card.

The Cuttlebug Spot Pop Up Cards

Oh I sure have enjoyed this fabulous month of card folds with The Cuttlebug Spot. Our last inspiration is Pop Up cards and again, there are so many different kinds to choose from. I decided to go with the Surprise Pop-up found HERE on Splitcoast Stampers. I basically followed the tutorial, but wanted to make it a bit more special by using a Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page mat which caused be to modify the pop up dimensions slightly. The white mat is embossed with the tiny hearts from the With Love Card Making Combo and the pop-up sentiment is from the Sizzix Baby set.

I wanted it it to be as pretty closed at open so I started with a 5x6 3/4" rectangle and punched around with the Swirling Lace set. I added a 4x 5 3/4" yellow mat on top of that and then cut the width of the pop up top at 3 3/4" instead of 4 1/4" and cut the side slits for the slider at only 1/2" rather than 3/4" from each side. The pull tag is 3 1/4" wide. Because of this, I could only use 1/8" tape to adhere the top to the back to leave room for the slide tag.

In order for the pop up to slide easily it is best to stamp, or print your sentiment. I used rub ons mostly from Melissa Francis. The little hand and feet are brads from M's. Too cute, eh? The Cuttlebug Spot DT has come up with fabulous stuff this week (as always) so pop on over and be inspired!

Jezzie's Valentine for Daddy

OOps! Almost forgot to post Jezebel's Valentine for her Daddy, a real quicky since she came in all upset last Monday morning asking where her card was. Eiyiyi! Had to improvise because I needed it done before breakfast. Fortunately I had a side step base laying on my table that I'd rejected for my Cuttlebug Spot card. Then I scrambled to find my Hello Kitty Sizzix Bigz die (Jezzie LOVES Hello Kitty). Thought the bee outfit would work for "Bee Mine" and I'd never used it. (Big surprise) Thought the die would be quicker than my Cricut, but not really. You have to sort of cut apart the die cut, which is just one layer, to do any layering but I managed. I added a few Nesties Hearts and a punched one to her hand.

The sentiment was spelled out in Alpha Beads and the hugs and kisses were cut with my Cuttlebug die out of craft foam. (Cuts like buddah!) Jezzie was none too pleased that Hello Kitty was neither flocked nor glittered but I told her Mommy needs more time for that so I appeased her a bit with a tiny amount of stickles on the wings and by using an Action Wobble for her head. Now that she LOVED! (So did Daddy, but he loves anything from Jezzie, even hair balls. Well, maybe not.)

The Cuttlebug Spot Opens the Gates

Our challenges all month at The Cuttlebug Spot are highlighting unique card folds and this week we're opening the gates with gate fold cards. I wanted to try something a bit different by making my gate fold card look like a gate so I used my Spellbinders lattice border (the one that cuts on only one side) to cut and emboss the top of the gate as well as the front pieces that open. I started with a piece of white card stock that was 6x11" and scored it to make a gatefold. Then I cut down the scores to where I wanted the top of the front of the card to end and then cut it across. Then I used the border along the top back and turned the card over and aligned the die at the fold of each side and ran it through the Cuttlebug again. (Again, hope this makes sense. I haven't really had time to do a tutorial, sorry) Then I cut blue mats and white mats which I embossed. The front panels are embossed with Swiss Dots, and the inner panels with Formal Squares.

The top of the inside mat is embossed with the Cuttlebug border folder from the Organic Flourish set. I scored a line and then embossed the remainder with Swiss Dots. The ribbon which is woven through the lattice on the front and holds the card closed is captured by the inside mats. Of course I added a few adhesive pearls and some butterflies punched with MS punches for embellishement. I haven't finished the inside because I'm not sure of the occasion. Wedding or anniversary, perhaps? Well, there are lots more fabulous gate fold cards at The Cuttlebug Spot so why not check them out and have a go yourself?

The Cuttlebug Spot Step Card Challenge

It's our second week of unique card folds at The Cuttlebug Spot, and today we're steppin' it up with Step Cards. Again, there are loads of possibilites for this type of card and I decided on a Center Step card that I found (Oh, oh, I can't seem to find it). I'll keep looking, but basically it's the same as a side step, but there are tall pieces at both sides. I started with a piece of card stock that's 7 x 8 1/2 inches and the cuts are 1 3/4" in from each side. When it folds it'll fit in a 5 x7" envie, considering the Nesties Beaded Oval I used for the back panel.

The stamped image is from Heartfelt Creations Hydrangea/Posy Branch PreCut Stamp set that I colored with Copics and fussy cut it out. These images coordinate with Nesties, in this case the Posy Patch Flowers PreCut Stamp Set for the 5 popped blooms on the branch that matches the Spellbinders Posy Patch Die. The tiny flowers are a bit challenging to line up with the Nesties but there is a video to help with that HERE on the Heartfelt Creations blog.

The green panels are embossed with the Cuttlebug With Love Border set and Swiss dots behind the Nestie, and the pink side panels with the Crafts Too Daisy folder. the sentiment is a peelie mounted on a Fancy Label from the Cuttlebug Emboss Plus set mounted on a Petite Scalloped Nestie. The butterfly is a MS punch. Now be sure to take a look at the fabulous variety of Step Cards by my super creative DT mates and play along for a chance to win a gift certificate from The Craft Barn.

The Cuttlebug Spot Tri-Fold Card

This is my second post of the day, so please scroll down for my Tiddly Inks card, and don't forget the BBTB2 blog hop (in case you missed it yesterday. There's candy involved.)

All month at The Cuttlebug Spot we'll be focusing on card folds. This week it's tri-folds and because it's fast approaching, we're to make one with a Valentine's theme. When Googling tri-fold cards I came upon a number of different styles but I finally settled on a "Swing" tri-fold. I've made several of these before and followed the video HERE to do it with my Cuttlebug and my Nesties Scalloped heart.

I wanted an unabashedly romantic, vintage style Valentine and needed a larger folder to emboss the inside mat and found these gorgeous roses and birds in the Cricut Companion Rock Princess Cuttlebug set. The center of the folder has the word "Rebel" on it (which may be appropriate, but wasn't exactly what I had in mind for the card) so I made sure when I placed the mats in the folder that the hearts would cover that part. A little note on the front mat. If you choose to have one, you should use removable tape to tape it in place on the front of the card before cutting it with your Nestie for a perfect fit. the Nestie easily cuts through the two layers. Then you can remove the colored mat for embossing and permanently adhere it later. (Hope that makes sense)

All sentiments are computer generated and the pink hearts (also Nesties) within the scalloped ones are popped for dimension. The label is cut and embossed in one step using the Cuttlebug Emboss Plus Fanciful Labels folder (LOVE it!) and adhered half way to the left of the front of the card only, so it will swing when the card is opened as well. The little dove on the front is a MS punch. As you can see, when the card is opened, the heart swings over. Don't you just love a card with a little movement?

Fully opened, the rest of the sentiment is revealed. All it needed were a few adhesive pearls. Yikes! It certainly is PINK, isn't it? and so's my background! May have to change that, but for the moment, I wanted to get the message out. Well anyway, you'll be amazed at the variety of tri-fold cards the DT has made for this week's challenge so be sure to check them out HERE and we'd love you to play along to win a $20.00 gift certificate to Custom Crops. (You need to make Valentine's anyway, don't you?) xxD

The Cuttlebug Spot Be Inspired Challenge

If you've been following The Cuttlebug Spot this month, you 've noticed each challenge was to "Be Inspired". This week is no exception, with the inspiration being a magazine ad. With all this crafting going on, I've let most of my mags expire but I did find a copy of Architectural Digest which saved the day. (Not much goin' on in BonApetit, I must say). My interpretation is a bit feeble, but I did manage the colors (sort of) and was able to use another of my Cuttlebug Emboss Plus folders called Perfect Perennials. I cut using kraft card stock and went over the embossing with my Copics. Behind the cut out I used Birds and Swirls. The butterfly is an MS punch and the "Thank you" is from the With Gratitude Card Making Combo. I added a few Prima flowers and some adhesive beads and that was it. Pretty simple. Now go have a look at the creative designs by my teamies. We hope you'll be inspired to play along.

The Cuttlebug Spot Inspired by Children's Games

We're being inspired all month at The Cuttlebug Spot and this week it's by children's games. I've chosen Twister because I've always loved bright colors against a white background and dots to me mean PARTY! The background is embossed with the 5x7 Polka Dots Cuttlebug folder, and the 24 colored dots are embossed by the various textures from the Snow Fun 3x3 combo.

I actually punched the dots because it was faster, and I was able to emboss 4 at a time using the folder like this. Easy, peasy. (The hardest part was gluing them on straight.)

The birthday 'prise ( read "surprise") is cut twice from the Beautifully Boxed 3x3 combo. The yellow ribbon is cut and pasted directly over the white for contrast. I was really happy with the simple design that I think would work for guys or gals of any age. The DT came up with some really creative ideas so be sure to check them out HERE and play along for a chance to win a $20.00 gift certificate to Custom Crops.

The Cuttlebug Spot Inspired by a Song

This week at The Cuttlebug Spot we're taking our inspiration from a song. I immediately knew the artist, Eva Cassidy, but as she's my fave, the decision of which song was pretty daunting. Eva has the voice of an angel and unfortunately she's with the angels now, having passed away at a young age from melanoma. She did not sing original songs, but was a genius at arranging the songs of others. Keeping the Cuttlebug in mind, I finally chose "Fields of Gold" which is fitting because it was the first song I ever heard her sing over the radio and I actually went online to the radio program listing to find the artist, it touched me so. I'd never particularly liked Sting's version but Eva's is magical. Her voice takes me away to a special place I hold in my heart. Please have a listen.

I made a shaped card using the frame from Accent Essentials, hiding the inside contours and welding them together. Usually I try to do my Cuttlebug Spot card with only the Cuttlebug, but I noticed on the Bontanicals Lite cart there was a sheaf of grain that I wanted to incorporate, so I used the frame again and welded that shadow of the grain to it. I thought this made a lovely foreground. My fields of gold are embossed with the Bird Call Cuttlebug folder that I fussy cut and popped. (I also cut off the bird) I used the Sizzix Tim Holtz Rays folder for the jealous sky and a Nestie Inverted Scalloped Circle for the sun.

To add a bit of texture to the sheaf I used the small dots from the butterfly cut and emboss combo set just at the tips.

I did quite a bit of popping to get the the amount of depth I wanted and inked everything in warm tones of Distress Ink to help enhance the embossing. The sentiment, of course, are words from the song, computer genterated and cut with Nesties Label One. The inside sentiment is also lyrics from the song that I need not share. You know...

I have no music on my blog but if I did, it would probably all be Eva. I hope you listened while reading about my card, and if you have a chance, find more of her music to enjoy. Now pop on over to The Cuttlebug Spot to see what inspires my fellow teamies. I'm anxious to find out myself. (I usually wait until the new challenge is up to post but I was anxious to share this one. Sorry if I jumped the gun.)

BBTB2 Lyrical Letters Hummingbird Challenge

Yikes, I'm still running WAY behind. We're finally back from break at BBTB2 and this week's Hummingbird Challenge was chosen by our sweet DT Sister Karen. One of the reasons I love BBTB2 challenges is that I often find cuts I never knew existed on the various carts and this was no exception. I looked for flowers for my hummingbird and chose another cartridge I'd never used, the Lite Cart Botanicals.

I chose one of the card cuts and then used Design Studio to elongate the card and weld the hummingbird off the other side so it would fold in to the flower. The light green mat is embossed with the Cuttlebug Bird and Swirls folder, the flower itself, with Swiss Dots. In some ways this looks more like one of my Cuttlebug Spot cards, but the hummingbird had no shadow so it lended itself to a more simple design. However I'm noticing now that the embossing just barely shows up in the pix. What's up with that?

There isn't alot of space for a sentiment with this style of card and I was originally going to do a sympathy card, but I found both the "So Kind" and "Thank You" on the Cuttlebug With Gratitude Cardmaking Combo and they fit so that's what I went with. All that was left were adhesive pearls and a ribbon to complete the embellies. (Big surprise! LOL) Now pop by BBTB2 to see the marvelously creative ways the rest of the team used the hummingbird cut and remember, if you don't have Lyrical Letters, you can use a hummingbird cut from any of the carts.

The Cuttlebug Spot Inspired by a Book Challenge

Yea! The Cuttlebug Spot is back and we're full of inspiration, both for our readers AND the Design Team. Each week this month we are asked to be inspired by something and today's inspiration is a book. Of course my mind went immediately to "Alice in Wonderland", but I thought I'd branch out a bit and used some of my new Cuttlebug goodies so I chose "Bambi" instead. (Yes, it was a book before it was a movie.) I actually have 2 new folders that feature a deer but decided that this Sizzix Dearly folder by Basic Grey was the way to go. It's actually a Christmas folder and has some snowflakes, etc. on it so I did some major fussy cutting to extract the deer and swirly foliage from the background. The fabulous frame is the new Cuttlebug Carly Emboss Plus Folder and I've colored the embossed areas with a white gel pen.

The frame is popped for dimension and I added two Nesties Petite Scalloped Oval layers around the opening. There's additional texture with Swiss Dots (a new folder, I actually WORE OUT the old one) behind and the sentiment is a clear stamp from the Oh Deer! Technique Tuesday set, mounted on Nesties Mega Ovals and Scalloped Mega Ovals LG. (Do you believe all of the Ovals they have? VERY confusing!) Final touches were some butterflies punched with an MS punch and the ever present adhesive pearls.

I'm getting somewhat anxious here since I've got lots to do today, so I may have jumped the gun a bit by posting before the new challenge is on The Cuttlebug Spot blog, but be sure to pop by later to check out the fab new creations by the team. I'm also entering this in the Sentimental Sundays Celebrate Friendship (plus sentiment) challenge.