{Journaling Bible} My newest craft endeavor

Hi Crafters,

I recently stumbled on the #inspiredart and #journalingbible hashtags on instagram and pinterest. Needless to say it intrigued me and I spent hours looking at all the artwork people had created.

I purchased my own ESV single column journaling Bible from amazon. I was a bit afraid where to start because it seems so permanent but I knew I just had to start somewhere. I am also not my #1 fan of my own handwriting, again something I had to just get over.

My great aunt passed away just after her 100th birthday a few weeks ago. This was one of the scriptures they shared at her service it really spoke to me especially being a mountain dweller myself. 

This style of quiet time is perfect for me. It blends in my hobbies with my faith making it something that I will treasure years to come when I look back. I was even able to incorporate some cricut cuts in the one above. 

If this is something you are intersested in be sure to check out Shanna Noel's blog it's filled with some great information about getting started on this artfully inspired journey!

Happy Crafting,

Cricut Explore {Pop Up Box Card} A2 sized with Design Space File

Hi Crafters,

I have been having so much fun with my Cricut Explore!

I have been inspired by all the pop up card in a box fun that has been popping up all over. I used design space and a bunch of rectangles to make a template that would fit in an A2 size envelope. Link to my A2 Pop up Card in a Box file. It also includes the score and cut lines so it really does all the hard work for you!

Here is the outside of the card when it's not popped up. I embossed the outside pieces with my cuttlebug, I even sized and included the outside rectangles with this file.

The bright daffodils are from Walk in my Garden.

Thanks for stopping by!

I'd love to hear if you use the file drop me a comment! Link to my A2 Pop up Card in a Box file

Happy Crafting

{Bulletin Board Tool Kit}

Hi Crafters,

It's that time of year again! I can't believe summer is quickly dwindling. I have been working at school the past few days on bulletin boards. This will be my 7th year teaching middle school.  I've been doing a majority of the school's bulletin boards for the past 4 years.

I thought I would pass on a few tips and talk about what I keep in my bulletin board tool kit (my rolling cart). I prefer to use a rolling cart that has the power hookup so I can plug in the cricut and my laptop/gypsy/phone as needed.

1- Cricut machine
2- 12x12 paper (and sometimes my cricut sliding cutter)
3- Extra cartridges, if it's a quick cut I won't fool with my gypsy or cricut craftroom
4- 2 cricut mats- one for cutting while I take the letters off the other one
5- Pushpins in an easy access container- this one happens to have a magnet on the bottom which keeps the tin from flipping over. I like an open container for this because it makes it easy to grab a few pins. I typically put up bulletin boards by myself (Check out my video tutorial on how to do this alone) and I could NOT do it without pushpins. It allows me to position the paper on the board starting at one end and working my way down. I can easily adjust it if it's not straight or has slack in the middle. They are also great for positioning those tricky letters straight! I'm can move them around without having to remove staples.

6- Laptop (for music, spell checking, using My Cut Search to find an image, cricut craft room,)
7- Gyspy--I am a gypsy girl over a craftroom. It's easy to design things before hand.
8- Scissors- a GREAT pair. Seriously, don't mess around with dull ones
9- Fishing line- it's great for quickly measuring how long your boards are so you know how much paper to roll out for the background.  Throw it away when you're done; it's cheap and it tangles!
10- Stapler- I have one that broke off from the base. This makes it VERY easy to staple things to the bulletin board. It's not so great to use in the classroom with students, but a happy accident in my case.
11- Tape- I tape the end of the fishing line to the board while I measure out what I need.
12- Extra staples- I typically grab a box and by the end of the year I have used all 5,000 of them!
13- Staple remover- I really like the kind that slides under the staple, not the jaws of life version. It helps prevent ripping if you're keeping the background paper intact.
14- Trash container- It gets messy!

I think that just about covers my messy tool kit solution! I'm thinking I may add on a 1/2 apron with pockets for next year to keep a few of those things a bit closer.

Here's one of the boards I finished up this week. It says Attitude is the mind's paintbrush, it can color any situation.  The font is Opposites Attract, the pallet is from Seasame Street Friends and the paintbrush is from Locker Talk.

Thanks for stopping by,

Spreading Christmas Cheer at Cut it Up!

Hi Crafters,

The challenge for this session at Cut it Up! is Christmas in July! Wedding season is also in full swing! One of my favorite add on gifts to give at showers or weddings is a personalized ornament for the couple.

Everyday Cricut has a great tutorial on how to make these ornaments with pledge floor wax and ultra fine glitter. I prefer the squished round ornaments, it makes it easier to apply the vinyl. The script letter is from Martha Stewart Elegant Cakes cartridge, the rings are from Sweethearts, and the black font is from Opposites Attract. 

I added some tulle, ribbon, bakers twine, and raffia to finish off the tops.  

Be sure to link up your project to Cut it Up for a chance to win a great prize!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Brown Paper Packages Tied up with String...

Hi Crafters,

Happy Advent Season!  I just love Christmas!  We got our tree up last weekend and I was able to wrap some gifts so it looked a bit more festive!  I know kraft paper has been very popular this year so I grabbed a roll at the local office supply store.

I used the Cake cartridge that came with my mini for the cutouts.  I then used a few sets of Martha Stewart's alphabets to monogram the package instead of doing gift tags.  I used gold ink and it blends in a little too well so I will probably use something a bit darker for the next batch. I used tulle, raffia, and ribbon to tie the packages off. I really like how simple the packages look but yet have a bit of elegance as well.

Happy Crafting,

They're getting hitched!

Hi Crafters,
I've had to keep a HUGE secret the past few weeks from my best friend.  Yesterday her boyfriend (my husband's best friend) popped the question.  Her fiance and I went to look at rings a few weeks ago and he got the perfect one.  We celebrated yesterday afternoon with them.  I managed to do an entire scrapbook in one week.

I used a bunch of cartridges (life's a beach, a child's year, lyrical letters, storybook, camp out, martha stewart elegant cakes, sweet hearts, gypsy font, indie art, and old west) to complete the layouts.  Click on the layouts for larger pictures.  Unfortunately I was having a few exposure issues so the pictures are not up to par.  The couple seemed to like how it came out.  Congratulations Martin and Jessica!  I am so excited for you both!

Happy Crafting,

Freezer paper t upgrade

Hi Crafters,

I visited Old Navy last weekend and they had their classic t's on sale for $3.00 in a bunch of colors.  I picked up several thinking I freezer paper paint t-shirts from Michael's all the time...why not these?  It would be a step up from just a cotton shirt.  I admit I was nervous, but reminded myself that I only paid .50 more for this shirt than the Michael's shirts I typically do without many issues.

I found a design I liked on the Sweetheart cart and cut it at about 10 inches.  I ended up positioning it on the seam of the shirt with most of the design on the lower front portion.  I used some cuttlebug dies to weigh down the freezer paper, it tends to roll when you have larger pieces.  I then ironed it on a medium high setting.

I used tulip fabric paint I mixed this fantastic aqua color with a bit of white to tone it down and coordinate better with the blue shirt.

Let it dry and remove the freezer paper (I rushed mine a bit and had some slightly unfinished edges as a result).  I rocked it the next day to school.  I have plans to do the other shirts over the next several weeks. I have 1 more full day of school and 4 student half days/teacher half work days left! C'mon SUMMER TIME!

Happy Crafting,

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,

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,