Monograms

Hi Crafters,

When I saw the font on the Martha Stewart Elegant Cake cartridge I knew it would be perfect for all my monograming needs.  I used a frame from the Cricut Cake Basics cart and the font from the MS elegant cake.  The gypsy made this project possible and allowed me to weld the letters together an to the frame.  I made these card sets for my college roommates.  I made them two of each of the following colors for a nice little 6 card set.  I used this tutorial A2 Gift Box to make boxes and I put the monogram on the front of the box as well. I was shocked at how smoothly these monograms cut.  I used Martha Stewart cardstock for the monograms.

They seemed to like them, this will be a gift I will make again.

Happy crafting,

Anniversary Festivities

Hi Crafters,

I promised pictures from my first uses of my kitchenaid mixer and cricut cake mini machine.  Overall, I learned some things which is always good!

I just used a simple cake recipe, royal icing recipe, and the wilton pre-made fondant.  I used a wilton roller with guides on it which helped to get the fondant the right width.  I put it in the freezer while I used my gypsy to design my mats (I went ahead and did two).  I put the pressure on 3 the first time and that was not quite enough I put it on 4 the next time and that seemed to help.  I did keep it very simple! I had heard from the cricut.com forums that more intricate designs do not work as well, especially for cup cakes!  My best friend got me this FANTASTIC cupcake tree and a bunch of fun cupcake liners to go with it.  Our wedding colors were black, pink, and silver so I used that motif for my inspiration.  The font is from Martha Stewart Elegant Cake. The hearts are from sweethearts and george.  The double rings are also from Sweethearts.

This is my husband's anniversary card from me.  I did not cut the brown metallic paper (although I think there is a cut similar to this on Plantin Schoolbook). I embossed the half circles with the textile folder.  The scalloped oval is from A Child's Year.

Happy Crafting,

3 Years Ago...

Hi Crafters,

I totally "blog lifted" this idea from Heather's Ramblings when she posted a sweet anniversary post a few weeks ago.

Three years ago today I was sitting in my parents' kitchen getting my hair done and getting ready to marry my husband. It has been a wonderful three years!

Last week we took an early anniversary trip back to where we honeymooned.  We went to Snowshoe, WVa to get away for a few days.  The skiing was great and we had a fantastic time!

I just made anniversary cupcakes with my NEW kitchenaid mixer my parents gave us for Christmas.  I plan to decorate them with my NEW cricut cake mini when they cool.  I will be sure to post pictures later. 

Happy Anniversary CraftyMr!

Happy crafting,

Merry Christmas

Hi Crafters,

We have been blessed with a few extra days of Christmas break due to snow! I have to admit I only did a bit of crafting with my extra time.  I am at the stage where I have a few on-going projects and not much else going on.

I was able to get out the rest of my Christmas cards today.  I was pleased with the way they turned out.  I was browsing through Joann's mess of a clearance section over the summer and found 10 packs of red cards with matching envelopes for .35 over the summer.  I snatched them up and started turning the gears of Christmas cards!

I used a small Die Cuts with a View Christmas pack so the backgrounds varied throughout the cards. This adorable reindeer is from Christmas Cheer.  I outlined him with a brown cricut marker for a bit of definition and pop dotted him off the cream paper. I then used a corner rounder on the cream paper and layered it on patterned paper.  I rolled the red card through the cuttlebug with a folder I got in a value pack from www.ohmycrafts.com this past fall.  I thought this embossing folder looked like a candy cane stripe.

I cut a scalloped oval from Gypsy Wonderings.  I then used a Studio G stamp and spring green ink pad with clear embossing powder for the sentiment.

Merry Christmas...may your stocking be filled with crafting goodies and your Christmas Season filled with the spirit, blessings, family, and love.

My Favorite Cartridges

Hi Crafters,

Here is my Top 10 Cartridge List:

10.Camp Out- My husband is an avid outdoorsman.  This cart has some great camping, hunting, fishing, and other outdoor country life images.

9. Mini Monograms- This has some great font options.  They don't always match up but they are great for monograming and cake carriers.  I also use the scallop circle and square on this cartridge frequently.


8. Life's a Beach- We go to the beach every year, but even if you are not beach goers it is worthwhile.  It has a great tiki hut font.  It also has some great summer time images and phrases as well.


7. Paper Doll Dress Up- I will be honest and tell you I have never used this one to actually cut a paper doll! I got this and kept it purely for the extras on this cart.  It has lots of great accessory items hidden within the buttons.


6. George and Basic Shapes- I am not super crazy about the font on this one but the basic shapes on this one are great!  It comes with the standard circle, square, rectangle, but it also has some rounded edges and some funky shapes too.


5. Plantin School Book- 1 word...Endcaps! I use this creative feature the most on this cart.  It's great for tags or when you don't quite have enough time to place a bunch of letters. 

4. Storybook- Great fonts and gorgeous flourishes.  The plainer font is great for either gender but it has a swirly embellished font that is great for the feminine flair!


3. Give a Hoot- Great animals and flourishes

2. A Child's Year- Oh I could go on and on... First let me say I do not have children and still this is one of my favorites!  First, the silhouettes on this cartridge are beautiful.  They really paid attention to detail with these images down to the outline of the shoes and hem lines on clothes. This also has a great every day font.  It's not the typical "times new roman" but it works for just about anything.  Lastly, this cartridge has great extras as well (graduation cap for example).  If I am searching for inspiration for something this is probably my first stop.


1. Lyrical Letters- This is one I paid the most money for.  It was one of my first cartridges! This one has 7 great fonts (they are all very different).  It also has great extras for all the holidays and every day events in your life.

What are some of your favorites?

Happy Crafting,

Quick Card

Hi Crafters,

I made this quick simple card for some ladies from church.  They helped out with our retreat a few weeks ago.  It came together so fast and I really like the way it turned out.

The paper is from the glitter DCWV stack.  I cut a strip of brown and a strip of cream and stamped with a pink studio G pad.  I added some bling with my Jolee's heat bling applicator.

Happy crafting,

Glitter Ornaments

Hi Crafters,

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We are about to put up the tree and I am in complete denial about returning to school tomorrow!

Here is one of the few projects I worked on with my time off!  I had seen a lot of tutorials on the Pledge floor wax glitter ornaments and really wanted to try it (http://www.cricutholiday.com/2010/09/christmas-cricut-crafty-gift-tuesday.html ).  I did it the first time with my Youth Group on their retreat a last weekend (we had glitter EVERYWHERE)!  The middle schoolers and high schoolers both enjoyed this fast and easy craft.

We used heart shaped ornaments to fit our theme (Crazy Love).  We had several colors for them to choose from.  Most of them mixed several colors together.

 This cricut green one is for one of my dear crafting friends.  We get together often to craft. I appreciate her so much!

 My sister is graduating this school year.  I have to admit I'm not sure I love the 1/2 and 1/2 but it was appropriate for the theme.

 This one I made for my mom. She loves red!  I saw this glitter color and knew it had her name all over it! The other side has the last name on it.

You didn't think I'd leave out my niece did you?!  I'm also sure you are shocked at the purple selection for her anti-pink mom!

I got a glitter pack from Michael's that had 12 different colors of glitter in small viles. I would say you could get at least 3-4 ornaments from each vile.  I have 4 more glass balls that are itching for some glitter!

My Christmas greetings are almost finished being assembled.  I'll post updates with those soon!

Happy Crafting,

Michael's Holiday Weekend Coupons

Obsessed with Scrapbooking

Click the above link for coupons for this weekend! Happy shopping.

Gift Card Holder

Hi Crafters,

Here is a quick easy way to make a gift card or candy holder. This is great for Christmas coming up but really a nice fix for ANY occasion.

Happy crafting,

My first blog award!

Pig Tails and Paper Trails gave me this award! Thank you so much. She always has such sweet comments.


We just got back from our annual Youth Group retreat this past weekend.  It was a wonderful weekend. I will post pictures of the craftiness that occurred there with 25 middle and high school students later!


Here are the terms of the Award1.Thank and link to the person who awarded you this.
2.Share 8 things about yourself.
3.Pay it forward to other bloggers that you have recently discovered.
4. Contact those bloggers and tell them about their award.


8 Things about me

1. I have a create and an expression...I'm hoping to get a cake mini
2. I make cards for Operation Write Home
3. I buy much more plain 8.5x11 card stock than printed 12x12
4. Organization is key
5. I think glitter is so pretty but I can't stand when it gets where it shouldn't
6. I got the cricut for scrapbooking and didn't make a layout for about a year after I got it. It opened the door for making cards!
7. I have already started listening to Christmas music
8. I love this time of year because the holidays are wonderful and it reminds me of my wedding

I am giving this award to....

1. http://www.franklintngirl.blogspot.com/
2. http://www.cardcupids.org/
3. http://www.craftingwithmygirls.blogspot.com/

Happy crafting,

Let the good deals roll...

November is such a great month for good deals!  I am enjoying that retailers have already started discounting this early in the month!

I am even more excited about the Black Friday ads rolling out.

Michael's Black Friday Ad
High lights there 30% off coupon Thursday night and another for Friday morning including sale items
Gypsy $100.00
Cricut Personal Friday for $70.00
Cartrdiges are 60% off (ehh not too impressed with this one)

The Walmart Black Friday ad had been leaked as well but the link I had been visiting has taken it down.
Colored Expressions are $185.00
Lites are marked at $20.00 but in the fine print it says limited editions and the picture had several new titles (so maybe it's just 20.00 for those).

I really would like to know the price of the Cricut Cake Mini from Joann's.

I'll keep updating with the great deals!
Happy Crafting,

Shutterfly

Hi Crafters,

It is getting closer and closer to the Holiday season and I am SO excited!  I have used Shutterfly since my wedding and have always been so impressed with the quality and the price of their products.  I plan on ordering a bunch for my sister using pictures of my adorable niece. My Favorite is this one for her! My sister is a purple girl and this would suit Miss Penelope perfectly!

Here are a few gift ideas for this Christmas season...

Photobooks- I have ordered these in a variety of sizes and am always amazed at how great and professional they look.  I have several of my wedding and various wedding events that I know I will treasure forever.

Stationery- These flat cards are printed on high quality cardstock and look amazing. I have ordered a set of these for a Christmas gift that are perfect! (They are running a promo now where you can get a free 5x7 card using the promo code Card4u)

Print Plan- They have lots of options and some great deals.  I have used these in the past, especially on those years that I know I have large events (weddings, babies, etc) coming up.

Shutterfly always has great deals floating around so be sure to poke around their website for discount codes.  Also, be sure to sign up for their emails as another way to not miss out on the latest coupon!

Happy Crafting,

Crafty gifts are the best gifts

Hi Crafters,

So, I just had to share even though this was not my creation.  My friend form Crafting with my Girls had the CUTEST little Halloween gift for me Friday.  I'll let the pictures do the talking...

She tucked a little Bath and Body Works hand sanitizer in the slot inside. She used her new gypsy she won from Mixology Crafts and her Martha Steward scoreboard. Be sure to stop by her blog and see all the lovely projects she has posted.  It's been on my desk the past few days and has made me smile every time I look at it.  I have the day off tomorrow and have some crafty plans for a special birthday coming up this weekend!

Happy crafting,

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From The Tree

Hi Crafters,

Happy Friday!  We are wrapping up Spirit Week at my school.  I have always enjoyed getting into the school spirit so it has been a fun but crazy week!

The teachers at our school dress up as idioms for Halloween.  This year I took it to another level with the cricut.  My mom and I teach at the same school so we took advantage of the mother daughter relationship and came up with a 2 part idiom.  I made freezer paper t's for us. Hers says "tree" and mine says "apple" (darn my long hair ruining this quick photo snap).  I even have a little worm (from Sesame Street Friends) with a googly eye on my sleeve.  My headband has two leaves cut out of Home Accents.  The font for the shirts is from A Child's Year, the tree on my mom's shirt is from Give A Hoot, the apple on the bottom of my shirt is from Hello Kitty Greetings.  I'm so lucky to have a mom that is just as in to school spirit as I am!

What a fun day!

Happy Crafting,

Another Year :)

Hi Crafters,

My husband's sweet sweet grandmother celebrated her birthday this past week.  She is such a special wonderful lady.  We are so blessed to have her in our lives!  She always has something witty to add to the conversation.  Here's a birthday card I whipped up for her.

This pretty design came from Storybook.  The background color is more pink than coral color.  I embossed it with the cuttlebug and added a quick stamp.

I hope you all have a wonderful fall weekend!  I am headed to a mini day long retreat with some women from my church.  I will be hosting a Operation Write Home card making session as part of the retreat. It should be a wonderful afternoon.

Happy Crafting,

Glitter Pumpkins

Hi Crafters,

I went to the garden center to pick up some pumpkins this past weekend. My mom and I had so much fun looking at all the different gourds and pumpkins that they had.  I picked up a bunch of small pumpkins for little gifts for my lady co-workers (Victoria, act surprised when you get yours).  I have a larger faux pumpkin that I have covered in Martha Stewart glitter that gets pulled out every year, I think it is starting to grow on my husband luckily for me!  I used that as my inspiration for this project.

I added some glitter to the tops of these little pumpkins and they turned out so cute!  This is actually a mix of 3 different glitters that Martha makes blended together.  I got them in a 3 pack several years ago when the glitter pumpkins were the hot item for fall.

I cut the tags for this from Tags, Bags, Boxes and More.  The witch is from A Child's Year (cut using the shadow feature).  I used some ribbon and hemp to tie the tags on. So pretty!

Random side story about this project, When I was in middle school I had a math teacher who would regularly go off on tangents.  During my 7th grade year the popular make up accessory was colored glitter spread all over your eyelids (in a form of glitter gel, often scented and difficult to remove).  She was ranting about this new fashion trend because it was so dangerous for your eyes to have shards of glass so close to them.  I never had issues with this trend during that time, so we ignored this wise lady. While I was making the pumpkins I guess a piece of glitter got in my eye, when I was cleaning up I passed a mirror and had a bloodshot section in the corner of my eye.  Luckily it didn't hurt but it did make me laugh.  The hazards of crafting!

Happy crafting,

A few of my favorite things Friday

Hi Crafters,

Just wanted to share a few of my favorites for the week.

I got the Tipsy Finger Stylus from Oh My Crafts (picture from their site).  I use this with my gypsy and I must say it makes a huge difference.  The screen reacts so much better to this stylus as opposed to the ones that come with it and it sure beats the price tag for a pack of three!  It doesn't fit as nicely in the slot in the gypsy itself but that doesn't mater to me!

I am sure you've also seen the Provo Craft promotion for the gypsy going on through the end of the month.  They are doing free downloads of 6 different cartridges (1 exclusive one as well). 

The carts are

1. Smiley Cards
2. Indie Art
3. Christmas
4. Tags Bags Boxes and More
5. Black Letter
6. Printing Press

Make sure your gypsy is registered before October 31st! The downloads are supposed to be available starting November 1st.  I'm excited about adding to my cart collection!  I am thrilled that Provo Craft also extended this offer to current gypsy users and not just new gypsy owners.  THANKS PROVO CRAFT!

Happy crafting,

Not craft related but who can pass up a good deal?

I just got an email from RueLaLa and they are offering a special deal to new customers through the 28th of October.  If you sign up between now and then you get a $20.00 credit to use on any of the products.  If you are not familiar with RueLaLa they are on online boutique that offer designer products (clothes, accessories, housewares, gifts, vacations etc) at a great discount.  I have had great customer service with them in the past.  Last year I ordered a henkels knife for my dad and they accidentally sent two.  Before I received either of them they caught their mistake and told me to keep the extra free of charge (this is after they issued me a random $20.00 credit for the holidays, so really I got a great deal on two SUPER expensive knives).

Click Here for YOUR invite

Happy Crafting,

Halloween Cards

Hi Crafters

Look at this adorable ghost from Paperdoll Dress Up! How sweet is he?!  I embossed the orange with a halloween folder I got from Oh My Crafts for .77!  I found the brown cards and envelopes on clearance at Joann's for less than .50 for a pack of 8.  I didn't realize the envelopes were like this until I opened the package but I think it's kind of cool. I added a halloween stamp with white ink.

How sweet is this little witch? She is from A Child's Year.  I love the jagged detail of the hem of her skirt. Provo Craft really does think of it all.

I had so much fun making these cards for my friends. I got them done in no time at all!

Happy Crafting,

Good Deal Tuesday

I'm always up for a great deal.  A few folks had posted about finding $10.00 carts at their Joann's stores so I went to check it out on Monday.  Normally my piddly store has little inventory especially in the cricut department.  I was surprised when I arrived to find they had a bunch marked to $10.00
I got

• Base Camp
• Sesame Street Friends
• Hello Kitty Greetings

They also had

• Happily Ever After
• Tear Drop

I didn't get those because I'm not a big paper piecer and I don't have patience for skinny letters and little pieces.

The best part is I was able to use my teacher 15% off discount (I guess the computer didn't know they were carts). So they were really less than $10.00!  I hope you can find some great deals!

Happy crafting,