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,