Be My Valentine

It's that time of year again when love is in the air! No it's not yet Spring but it's a prelude to it.

The Cricut Cardz Challenge this week is to make a card for Valentine's Day using any cartridge or colours you like. I bought a Valentine's paper pack from Michael's and used four of the designer paper. I cut a filigree heart in bright pink and layered it on red and white paper before using dimensionals and mounting it on the patterned paper. From another pattern paper in the pack, I cut two small hearts with different messages and added them to the heart. I love the red gross grain ribbon too. Inside I used a simple sentiment stamp with red Tsukeniko ink.

I thought this Valentine's Day card was a bit more exciting and jazzed up than what you normally see in the stores. I hope my hubby enjoys it too. Please join us for this challenge as we'd love to see your projects. See you there!

Just Chillin'

It's January and baby it's cold outside! Making an igloo with penguins brings the message home loud and clear.

I cut the igloo and phrase using my Create A Critter Cricut cartridge and applied Stickles for that touch of sparkle. The penguins were cut using the Christmas Cheer Cricut cartridge and don't they look very trendy in their lime green hats. Googly eyes add a bit of fun to these cold loving creatures.

I made these images for a friend of mine who teaches grade school. She will put them up on the bulletin board for her January display. I made lots more penguins which the children can 'earn' when they do something nice for someone else. They get to print there name on the penguin's tummy and add it to the bulletin board display. In December I made mittins for the winter display which can be added to this display for added fun and colour. I know the kids will love these characters and it will make the classroom a fun place to be even though it's cold outside!

Remember When...

It's June in January! That's the challenge this week at Cricutz Card Challenge. You can use any cartridge or colour but it has to have summer as your theme.

My first thought was ice cream. Of all the images of ice cream cones, the one on the Doodlecharms Cricut Cartridge is by far my favourite. Then I went to my newest Cricut cartridge, Phrases, and cut "Remember when" from a bright turquoise paper backed in brown cardstock. Everything was then placed on some polka dot designer paper from the Granny's Kitchen paper collection made by SEI. I just love polka dots! Pink gross grain ribbon finishes the card nicely.

I think this card has a retro and even nostalgic feel but maybe I'm biased. Want to get a warm feeling right now??? Then go to your craft room and make a card that feels like summer and join us in this challenge.

Can you help me? Everyday Pop Up Cards Cartridge

When I bought the Everyday Pop Up Cards Cricut cartridge, I envisioned making fabulous 3-D cards that would light up children's eyes and put a smile on adult's faces. Little did I know how difficult they are to make.

I wanted to make a 3-D cupcake card for my niece-in-law. I started by reviewing the cartridge booklet and then going on YouTube and looking at some of the videos posted. It was funny, one of the crafters on that post had an awful time trying to figure out how to place the 3-D image and never did finish the card. It looked pretty straight forward so I tried making my own card.

The 3-D cupcake has 4 pieces. I understand how three of them work but not the fourth one. I tried and tried and tried some more before I threw up my hands and gave up. I changed my mind and cut the 3-D phrase. I couldn't even figure out how that went. The problem is, the cartridge booklet doesn't give you any hints as to what direction the card should open up. Why would you start with a tall A2 card and when you open it up having to turn the card the other way to view the pop up? It doesn't make sense to me but what do I know. Maybe that's the way the card is supposed to open.

I devoted a while to making this card so I could pop it in the mail. I totally gave up, made the cupcake and the phrase and pasted both on the front of the card! Gosh - it didn't turn out as I had envisioned. No children will light up their eyes and no adults will smile when looking at this card - for sure!

Can you help me? What an I missing? I know that the tabs are for gluing on the card and the image collapses on the fold but what do you do with that fourth piece? It's the piece that has 4 tabs and one fold. Can't figure it out. Any assistance would be appreciated. Otherwise, I am destined to making 2-D cards forever!

Thanks.

I've Been Busy!

Here it is ... finally! My latest quilt that I have been working on for an embarrassingly long time. I made it for a friend's baby intending it for her first birthday. Now she is one and a half. Oh well, at least she is still young enough to enjoy it!

This quilt is called The Cat's Meow. I chose colourful fabrics because it is not just a quilt for a baby but I wanted it to grow with her. I hope this quilt is something that she will enjoy for many, many years to come. Both sides of the quilt are fun particularly if you like cats as I know all little girls do. The fabric, manufactured by South Seas Imports, is sold in a panel where you cut the framed pictures of various cats. Each cat is cut out and sewn in long panels separated by blocks of other fun fabrics. These panels are assembled with long sashes between them and sewn together. A border of small squares is added to the whole quilt. The back of the quilt is a bright lime green fabric with the cats on it bound by a lovely sea blue border. I added a striped binding and I really thing it adds another bit of fun to the quilt. I finally chose to sew a lovely quilting design made up of daisies that were chained together. I think this adds a bit of whimsy to the overall project. I loved the look of both sides of the quilt.

I enjoyed making this quilt and I know that the little girl who receives it will have loads of fun using it. I'm glad that it's going to a forever loving home!

Welcome to 2012!

I made this card to celebrate the New Year and also for Cricut Cardz Challenge#99.

I started with the idea of a snowglobe. I just love them, don't you? You can just imagine turning it upside down and watching the snow float softly down to the bottom. After all snow is what we expect in January.

The snowglobe itself was cut using the Dooblecharms Cricut cartridge with a mid blue cardstock. I then added some shading with Copic markers. The Happy Hew Year 2012 greeting was computer generated using just Microsoft Word and a shiney snowflake brad anchors it in mid air inside the globe. White embossing powder was used to imitate snow inside the globe. To finish it off, I made another globe from an old plastic page protector and this gives the look of glass and adds realism to the globe itself. A simple organza bow in the same mid blue gives the card its final touch.

I'm sure a lot of you made cards for the new year. Why not go over to the Cricut Cardz Challengesite and join us in this week's activities.