All Things Crafty

My Pink Stamper 12 Days of Christmas Challenge

2011-12-18T23:35:00.001-06:00

Hello Everyone!!

If you would like to enter the My Creative Suite Giveaway, please click HERE.

It's been a while since I posted something I actually made. Don't get me wrong, I have not stopped crafting, I have just been slow at posting on my blog. Hopefully I will catch up in the New Year.

Robyn over at My Pink Stamper is hosting a 12 Days of Christmas giveaway and challenge event. Each day is a different project, a different challenge, and a different giveaway. You do not need to participate in the challenges in order to enter the giveaways. If you have ever read my blog, you know I LOVE Robyn's blog and stamps. I thought I would participate in a couple of the challenges in order to get my craft and posting mojo going. I am doing the Day 5 challenge, which is to make a gift card or money holder.

It turns out I made a few gift card holders for various secret santa gifts. I altered the crayon box from Tags, Bags, Boxes, and More in order to make something that laid flat.

Here is the rest of the gift I made. This was for a Secret Santa. I made a movie date night box. The bucket is actually a bucket of popcorn I covered in paper. I also included two sodas, two boxes of candy, and a gift card for our local movie rental place. Last, I wrapped in in cellophane in order to make it package like...and something they could open. I made the bows out of paper. Look for a future video for the tutorial.

Supplies Used

Various Paper

Tags, bags, Boxes and More Cricut Cartridge

Create A Critter Cricut Cartridge

Popcorn Bucket

Soda

Candy

Stickles

White Gel Pen

Cellophane

Ribbon

Hope ya'll are having a fabulous holiday! Don't forget to enter my giveaway for the My Creative Memories software!!

Digital Scrapbooking and AWESOME Giveaway

2011-12-04T22:11:00.001-06:00

Hello Everyone!!

It's been such a long time since I've posted anything on this blog. I have been crafting some (especially during Halloween), but somehow the pictures never made it onto my blog. I'm hoping to get back into the crafty/bloggy groove of things. Here is my first attempt!

I was contacted a couple months ago by Liz from My Memories who wanted me to do a giveaway on my blog. I was skeptical about it because I do not use digital scrapbooks and prefer making my own. However, I thought I would give it a try.

I got a download of the software to test out, and it turns out it is not so bad. I found the software SUPER easy to use, and it was VERY user friendly. My hesitations come from never digitally scrapbooking. It was hard for me to figure out exactly where I wanted everything and how I wanted it to look. However, I do think it is very nice software. When you are done creating your "album" you can ask them to print and bind it for you, or you can export your album into jpeg files and use them however you please. They have several you tube tutorials and information to get started using the software. See below on how you have a chance to win the digital scrapbooking software for FREE!!!

Below is my first attempt at creating a digital scrapbook page. I decided to stay with the Christmas theme (after all this is December). A couple of years ago, my fiancee, my mom, and I took a trip to Disney World for New Year's Eve. I had always wanted to see Disney World lit up for Christmas. We spent New Year's Eve in the Hollywood Studios theme park where they have the dancing lights. It is one of the most spectacular things I have ever seen and a memory I will never forget. Below is a SMALL sample of the pictures I took of the lights.

Okay, now we get to the fun part...the GIVEAWAY!! My memories has been kind enough to donate a free download of the complete My Creative Memories Suite software FOR FREE!! Here are the ways to enter the drawing:

Go to the My memories website and browse through their digital scrapbooking packages. Leave a comment on this post telling me which one is your favorite and a way to contact you.
Follow my facebook page (click on the link to the right) and leave a comment on this post telling me you now follow me.

I will randomly pick a winner on Monday, December 12th.

For those of you who want the digital scrapbooking software now, My Memories has not forgotten about you either. They are offering a special coupon code that provide a $10.00 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook Software and a $10.00 coupon for the My Memories.com store. Just enter the copy and paste the code STMMMS1268 at checkout for your discount.

For more information about My Memories, please visit their facebook page or twitter page. Good luck and be sure to check back for more holiday projects!!

Where I've Been

2011-11-27T22:57:00.001-06:00

Hello Everyone!

I know I have been MIA for a long time...I have been going through some life transitions. In June, I started my very first "big girl" job as a mental health counselor. While I was still figuring out my place and getting used to the schedule, I learned I had a cyst on my tailbone that had to be drained. Once I healed from that, my fiancee ended up in the hospital for a cyst and had to have some longer term health care. When my fiancee healed, I had to have surgery to remove the damaged tissue from my cyst. Now we both are finally healed and ready to get back to a "normal" routine.

I think in starting a new job and with all of the chaos that has been going on, I have lost sight of things that I truly enjoy and that allow me to recharge my batteries. So, I am going to go back to what gave me lots of happiness...my BLOG (for starters)!! I have added a few new features...if you look to the left, I added a button for facebook and pinterest. Also, I need to have time to start making new projects and getting back into a groove. On Monday, December 5th, I am going to kick off my blog restart with an AWESOME GIVEAWAY you will NOT WANT TO MISS!!!

I also want to let ya'll know how much I appreciate you following me throughout my absence. I really do love to craft, and I am happy I can share it with people who enjoy it as much as I do! See ya'll soon!!!

Watch This Wednesday-Altered Paper Clip

2011-09-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!!

I promise I'm trying to craft more. I am participating in a circle sister swap, so I have been working on projects for that, which I promise to post AFTER she receives her package. Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise.

Anyway, onto today's tutorial. I have had a clothes pin in my craft room for a long time. I have always wanted to alter one, so I bought one...and then it just sat. I thought this weekend was a perfect time to pull out that project. I was trying to find a video that taught me how to take out the metal thing and put it back in; however, I could not find one...so guess what's in my video!!

This clothes pin is just going in my craft room to hold projects and/or pictures. Hope ya'll enjoy!!

Look!! I even made a video!!

Supplies Used

Stampin' Up Solid Cardstock

Ta Da Patterned Paper

Clothespin

Stampin' Up Ribbon

Elegant Cakes Cricut Cartridge

Mini Monograms Cricut Cartridge

George and Basic Shapes Cricut Cartridge

Paint

Mod-Podge

Hope ya'll enjoyed!! See you next time!!!

I'm Baaaaack!

2011-08-14T18:23:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone!

Wow! What an exciting (and quick) summer it has been! As most of you know, I have been MIA lately because my apartment was being renovated and my craft goodies were safely packed away. During the summer, I have been keeping myself busy working, working some more, reading, and playing video games. My new job is fabulous, but it's taking me a while getting into the groove of things.

Anyway, back to the craft stuff. It took some time, but my craft room is finally set up and ready to use!! Because of the renovations, the space in my room has been cut almost in half. You will see I have a (new) washer and dryer in that room. They also extended part of the kitchen to make room for the refrigerator, so there is not a lot of space. However, I think I made it work (I hope!).

My dad's side of the family pitched in and bought my an E2 for my master's graduation. I am so excited to be able to use it!! Look for projects and videos posted soon. One of my fiancee's employees built a stand for my Imagine and original Expression. It's super cute!! Special thanks to Maile Lee on the cricut message board for posting the directions. It's fantastic!!

Here is a special video showing you my new (and improved) craft room!! Hope you get some new ideas and inspiration. I missed all of ya'll and am super excited to begin crafting again!!!

Thanks for watching!! Hope to see ya'll A LOT more often!!

Thanks Mom Blog Hop Winner and Blog Award

2011-05-09T16:53:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone!!

I want to give a big THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the blog hop. It was a great success, and I hope you all took away some cricut inspiration. I appreciate every comment that was left. I do read all of them!! Now, onto my winner. I used random.org to pick the winner. The winner is....

Dale said...

I left another comment in the wrong spot! Love your explosion box. Good luck to you.

CONGRATS DALE!!!! I have sent you an email with instructions on how to claim your prize!! Please remember that you have two weeks to respond to my email or I will have to pick another winner. Again, thank you to everyone that participated!! This would not have been such a success without you. Please remember to check the other blogs along the hop to see if you were a winner there. Deb is going to draw for the big giveaway tomorrow, so be on the lookout for that.

Onto the blog award...I want to give a special shout out to Deborah, Linda, Jamie and Cassandra. They have both given me the Versitle blogger award. These are four awesome and talented ladies. If you have not checked out their blogs yet, please go now!! They are amazing!!

For this award, I need to list 8 things about myself and pass it on to 15 other bloggers. Know that if you are not listed among the 15, please feel free to take it and say if was from me. There is no possible way I could give an award to each one of you, but you each deserve it.

About Me

I recently graduated from graduate school and am a little nervous about being an "adult." I have been a student for 20 years, and now I'm going to know what it's like to have my evenings free (to craft).
I received an E2 for a graduation gift. While I am really excited, my fiancee is not as we "do not have any place to put it." Don't worry...I'll find somewhere.
My family is all over the place, and I do not live close to any of them. I love and miss them very much!!
I am an X-Files junkie and will often watch it as I craft.
I am a Cricut Circle Member
While I love to spend time with others I often need my own space to recharge
I LOVE to do videos of my projects, but I do not have enough time to do them
Gerber daisies are my favorite flower...especially when they come in multicolor bouquets

Recipients (Click on their name to view their blog...and become a follower)

I hope you all enjoyed the hop!! Look for more projects coming soon!!

Thanks Mom Blog Hop

2011-05-06T03:30:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!!

Welcome to the Thanks Mom Blog Hop!! Thanks for joining us to enjoy the wonderful crafty inspiration in honor of moms everywhere from the talented designers in this hop.

You should have arrived here from Jenny's Blog. If you missed the beginning of the hop, please go back to the start of the hop at Debbie's blog so you don't miss any of the amazing projects along the way. Also, there is Grand Prize Blog Candy being offered, so you want to check out her blog to get all the details on how to win!!

I am busy graduating from my master's program and spending time with my family, but I didn't want to forget about my blog family...so here is the hop!! I know I've been away a lot with school and moving and such, but I enjoy crafting and really wanted to do something crafty. You'll have to forgive the simplicity (sometimes, simplicity is the way to go), but I have limited resources as some of my stuff is boxed :)

I decided to make an explosion box for my mom. I am going to fill it with pictures and special quotes of us. I am SO EXCITED that I get to spend mother's day with my mom. I live away from my parents, so I do not get to see them very often. However, my mom is coming in for my graduation and I get to spend time with her. I made the box for her to take with her as something small to keep and quickly see all of our pictures. I found awesome instructions for how to create an explosion box here. Be sure to check it out!!

Supplies Used:

Patterned Paper from Oops-A-Daisy Paper Stack from The Paper Studio

Mother's Day 2010 Cricut Seasonal Cartridge

I am also giving away some blog candy of my own!! I have a box of crafting goodies waiting to go to a good home. To win, please leave a comment on THIS POST with an email/blog address that has a way to get in touch with you. I will draw winners on Monday morning and announce it on my blog as well as send a personal email to the winner.

Thanks for hopping along with us. Remember, if you leave a comment on every designers blog hop post, your name will go into the drawing for the Blog Candy that our THANK MOM BLOG HOP hostess, Debbie, is offering as a Grand Prize.

Next up on the hop , is the talented Cassie

Missing in Action

2011-05-01T22:23:00.000-05:00

Hello Crafty World!

I am so sorry I've been MIA for the past couple of weeks. I am moving, which sadly means most of my scrap room will be in boxes for the summer. No worries, I still have my gypsy, cricut, stamps, and paper. However, that does mean I will probably not get to do as many fun things on my blog. I have missed my blog A LOT and will get things started again soon.

I will share my awesome news first...some of you know (I think I posted it...) that I recently got a job as a counselor in a nearby town. I am so excited to do a job I love and enjoy! Also, my fiancee recently got a promotion!! There has been lots to celebrate in my family recently, and I am truely blessed. As you may or may not know, my fiancee works at a residence hall, so our apartment is IN a residence hall. This summer the hall is being renovated, which includes some major renovations to our apartment (like our own washer and dryer!!). For the summer, we have moved to a different apartment, which is why half of our stuff is in boxes. A pain now, but it is going to be worth it in August!

I am graduating from my master's program this weekend, which means I have to prepare for family to arrive. However, I am participating in a Mother's Day blog hop this weekend. be sure to look for my project because there will be some awesome giveaways (including one from me).

Also, Robyn from My Pink Stamper is having a stamp release this weekend. I am definately going to check her blog!! I am a huge fan of her stamps! If you have not seen/purchased them, you must give them a try.

Also, don't forget that National Scrapbook day is coming up!! Robyn is also doing some wonderful things on her blog. She will have a challenge every hour for 12 hours, awesome giveaways, and lots of fun videos and project with her and her design team. Definately do not want to miss it!! While I will be busy graduating, I am going to try to jump in on some of the challenges later.

For all of my new followers...I have seen, read, and appreciated every comment you have left. I have not had a chance to visit/follow you on your blogs but I will soon!! When I get a quick second, I do try to look at your projects and you are all amazing!! I promise I will be catching up on my blog as soon as life slows down. I really appreciate and love everyone who follows me, and I am excited to share my passion for crafting with you. Thank you for being so patient.

Talk to Me Tuesday #6 - Cricut, Peachy Keen, and Pink!

2011-04-05T16:51:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!

Sorry for posting this so late. I have been busy these past few days. The good news is I have 2 papers, 1 presentation, and 1 exam until I graduate!! I'm so excited. I also recently accepted a full-time position where I am currently interning. It's been a crazy past couple of days. Also, I am in the process of moving (boo!), so I may not have as many crafty things for a little bit. This move is temporary, so I am going to be with limited crafting supplies...lets see how creative I get. Thank goodness for my gypsy Onto the updates!! There are a lot, so I have sectioned them out for you.

Cricut
Speaking of Cricut, they have released some news recently. First, they have addressed the issues surrounding third-party software and Cricut. Click here to read the official statement from Provocraft. Notice in the last paragraph they say they are going to update Cricut CraftRoom to provide customers with the ability to cut their own images!! Side note: I have been beta testing the Cricut CraftRoom...and it is amazing. You are going to love it!

Also, Michaels has a promotion going on for US and Canada residents. If you are a US resident and purchase three cartridges from Michaels you get one free (from a selection)! If you are a Canada resident and purchase two cartridges from Michaels, you get one free (from a selection)! Also, Michaels is having a sale on cartridge this week ($34.99/US and 44.99 in Canada). The selection of free cartridges are limited in quantity, so be sure to take advantage of this offer soon!! If you are a US resident, click here to view the promotion. If you are a Canada resident, click here to view the promotion.

Peachy Keen Stamps
Peachy Keen just announced their new spring releases. They are super cute. You definitely do not want to miss these (there are stamp and FACE releases!!) Click here to view.

My Pink Stamper
My Pink Stamper is hosting her annual National "Pink" Scrapbook Day on Saturday, May 7th from 10am-10pm. She will have a new challenge (with a give away) every hour. I participated in this last year, and it was SO MUCH FUN!! Sadly, I will not be able to fully participate this year, as I am graduating on that day. However, I will be making the projects and uploading them later (generally she keeps her challenges open for the week for those who are busy). Click HERE to see my projects from last year!!

Look for my "Make Over Monday" post to show up later in the week. I made a project...just been too busy to upload it I guess. Check back for more fun soon!!

Tutorial Thursday #2 - Gypsy Imagine App: How to load a cartridge

2011-03-30T23:22:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone!!

Here is a quick video tutorial on how to load an imagine cartridge on your gypsy. In order to do this, you will need to update your gypsy to make sure you have the imagine app and update your Imagine to make sure you have the latest update.

If you are not sure how to update your gypsy or imagine, download the Cricut Sync software. When the software is finished downloading, hook up your machine to your computer and follow the instructional prompts.

I hope ya'll enjoy the video. I'm sorry for the blurriness. I had difficulties getting the flip to focus on the gypsy screen. If ya'll have any suggestions, please let me know.

Watch This Wednesday #2 - Diaper Cake

2011-03-30T07:20:00.005-05:00

Hello Everyone!!

I wanted to do a quick post (complete with video tutorial) abut my diaper cake!! Some of my coworkers and I threw a surprise baby shower for our boss and his wife. We have been planning this for about a month, and I thought this was the perfect opportunity to make a diaper cake. I have seen them everywhere, but have never had the opportunity to make one.

I looked at several different tutorials (I can't remember who's...google it) and meshed their tips and tricks to come up with my own method. In my search, I had a difficult time finding a good video on how to make a diaper cake. It would start off fine and then leave you to know how to finish it. Therefore, I wanted to create a video that went from start to finish. As you can see, I added a few extra toys between the time of the video and the shower. I hope you guys enjoy!!

Talk to Me Tuesday #5 - Cricut Cake Classes with Jinger

2011-03-29T16:37:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!!

I wanted to do a brief Talk to Me Tuesday to share that Jinger Adams, the spokeswoman from Provocraft, will domonstrae all of the uses of the Cricut Cake. This is a FREE online class available to everyone. There are four classes to choose from :
         Wednesday March 30th 11am Mountain Time
         Wednesday march 30th 6pm Mountain Time
         Thursday March 31st 11am Mountain Time
         Thursday March 31st 6pm Mountain Time

Even though this is a free event, you still have to register. Click here or go to the Cricut website and click on the Cricut Cake Class button.

Also, be sure to check back tomorrow. I have an awesome watch this Wednesday (complete with video) and a Tutorial Thursday you won't want to miss!!

Talk to Me Tuesday #4 - Hello Thursday Cartridges

2011-03-22T11:13:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone!!

I wanted to share the NEW March Hello Thursday cartridges. For those that don't know, Hello Thursday is the third Thursday of every month when Provocraft releases new cartridges. This month, provocraft released 4 full cartridge (including the new Cricut Circle exclusive) and 3 seasonal cartridges. I wanted to post the pictures for the new releases (in case you missed them). Click on the name of the cartridge to see the entire handbook.

Damask Decor

Elegant Edges

Everyday Pop-Up Cards

Father's Day Seasonal Cartridge

Happy Graduation Seasonal Cartridge

Luau Seasonal Cartridge

Pop-Up Neighborhood Cartridge

If you would like to see projects made with these new cartridges...check out the Hello Thursday bloggers: Robyn, Tammy, Joy, and Melanie. They are four awesome bloggers who bring their own, unique style to the cartridges. I find inspiration from each of them, and they are definitely worth a second glance!!

I am planning on doing a video tutorial series on the new Imagine app. Look for the first video on Thursday!!

Makeover Monday #2 - Clock Wall Art

2011-03-20T23:17:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!!

Welcome to my second makeover Monday. My friend made a tie clock and used the innards of a clock. He was going to throw the rest away, but (in true crafty spirit) I convinced him that I could make something cool out of it. I thought it would make a cool piece of wall art.

When my cricut circle cartridge came, I saw that it had some pretty cool phrases on it. I thought that I would make something for my craft room. Here are some before and after pictures.

Before:

After:

Supplies Used:

Recollections Solid Paper

The Paper Studio Patterned Paper

Wall Clock from Wal Mart

"Everyday Cricut" Cricut Cartridge

White gelly roll pen

I hope ya'll enjoyed my makeover Monday!! Be sure to come back tomorrow for the next "Talk to Me Tuesday." I am also *trying* to record a video involving the new Imagine app for the Gypsy. Look for that on a Turtorial Thursday coming up in the near future. Hope to see ya'll soon!!

Tutorial Thursday #1 - Wine Glass Charms

2011-03-16T23:22:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!

I have a project for you!! Since I missed "watch this Wednesday," I decided to do a Tutorial Thursday to make up for it. Maybe one day I will be on schedule again.

I wanted to share more of the fun things I made for my aunt's party- WINE CHARMS!! We wanted to make wine charms that had traditional New Orleans icons. I used four background colors (pink, purple, green, and gold) and transposed the leopard print (part of the party theme) and the icons. These were so much fun to make, and they turned out super cute. It did take a little bit to get used to; it was the first time I used shrinky dink paper. Everyone loved them. Below the pictures are step by step instructions on how to make them. Sorry the pictures are so poor...they were taken with a camera phone.

Instructions

Make an image on the computer. I used word to create the image pictured. These were 2 inch circles and they shrunk to dime size.
Use ink jet shrinky dink paper (make sure it's ink jet and the sticky side is the on the printable side) and print your images.
Cut out your images
Punch a hole in the image.
Place your cut out images on a cookie sheet lined with a paper bag
Place in 300 degree oven for 10 minutes. It may take shorter. Watch them in the oven...they make some funny shapes as they shrink.
As you take them out of the oven, press them down so they will be flat. If you need to, heat them up a little again so they are easier to mold.
When they are cool, place the silver connector ring (found in jewelry sections) in the whole.
Place beads of your choice on the wine charm (I would use earrings...these charms were difficult to connect) then the charm, then more beads
Close the wine charm

I hope ya'll enjoyed the wine charms. Shrinky dink paper is pretty awesome, and I am definately going to try to incorporate it more in my projects. It work well in the cricut as well (so I hear). You can also purchase paper to stamp and color.

Don't forget to check out the new Hello Thursday cartridges from Cricut. They are super cute!! You're not going to want to miss this one!!

Talk to Me Tuesday #3 - Stylish Blogger Award

2011-03-15T10:24:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!!

Sorry I have been out of touch. I am JUST getting on the internet from my weekend in New Orleans. I had a fabulous time, ad my aunt's birthday was a GREAT success!! I thought I would have some time to get on real quick and post some pictures, but I was incorrect. I will have some projects for you the rest of the week, so no worries.

For talk to me Tuesday, I wanted to share some exciting new (for me, anyway) Angela from Scrap Till Ya Drop sent me a Stylish Blogger Award! I am so grateful and honored!! What a fabulous surprise.

For this award, I have to tell you 8 fun facts about myself...

I love Reba McEntire's music. I think she's fantastic!
I have lived in 6 different states and moved 8 times.
I am a Jayhawk for life.
Crafting truly is my therapy. It's my way to make time for myself
I love sharing crafts with others.
I would be lost without my cell phone - it's how I keep in touch with my family
I believe there is a healing quality in music
I love getting my hair cut!

Now, I have to send this to 8 wonderful bloggers

Cassandra She just started her blog not to long ago...and it's fantastic. I am so amazed.
Cricut Confessions We have done a few blog hops together, and she is amazingly talented.
Cassie Phenomenal projects, and a source of inspiration
Jessica A friend of mine who hasn't updated her blog in a while, but is talented none the less
Cricaholic She makes beautiful projects with lots of provocraft products (not just Cricut)
Lissa Marie BEAUTIFUL projects!! Lots of cards and various paper crafts
LB Great cards and other school related projects
Mrs. Green She and I have also done a few blog hops together, and she makes beautiful projects

Also, don't forget that Hello Thursday this month!! Provocraft is releasing new cartridges. I wil do a special post showing the new cartridges when I can. The Hello Thursday Bloggers (Robyn, Tammy, Joy, and Melanie) will have special projects made with the new cartridges up on Thursday. Be sure to check out their blogs for more information.

Talk to Me Tuesday #2-Gypsy and Imagine Update

2011-03-08T09:54:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone!!

Sorry I missed the Makeover Monday. I am getting ready for my trip to New Orleans on Thursday. I promise I have a lot of fun birthday stuff to show you. I'm also going to try and get some more St. Patrick's day stuff up for ya'll. School kind of gets in the way of my crafty stuff sometimes.

I wanted to do a quick talk to me Tuesday to let you know about the new Gypsy update to make the Gypsy compatible with the Imagine. You can now play with your Imagine cartridges and add patterns to original Cricut cuts. There is a tutorial on how to use the Cricut Imagine app here.

You will still need to plug in your Imagine cartridges to print and cut Imagine files. Since there is so much content on an Imagine cartridge, they did not want to take up a bunch of memory on your gypsy. From what I've read, this is really the only difference from cutting on your original cricut cutting machine.

I have not downloaded this app yet...but I plan to soon!! I see a tutorial Thursday in my future. Next week is spring break for me, so hopefully I can get some crafty stuff done and stock up so I can keep my blog more updated. Thanks for bearing with me, and I hope ya'll go update your gypsies.

Watch This Wednesday #1-Special Guest Designer Edition!!

2011-03-02T19:43:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone!

I am so excited to be a guest designer for Crafting with Cristina. She is currently hosting a St. Patty's Theme and green challenge. Please click on the link to see what she and her design team members created AND to participate in the challenge yourself!! I can't wait to see what all of you create!

If you came from Crafting with Cristina, WELCOME!! Okay, so today is my very first watch this Wednesday...and of course I messed it up. Today is supposed to be a day where I show a video or pictures about how I created my project. Of course, I made this project and forget to video tape and take pictures...so it's going to be more of a read this Wednesday.

My project is very special to me. When I think of St. Patrick's Day, I think of my engagement. St Patrick's Day has since had a little more meaning to me. So, I created a picture frame to place one of our engagement pictures in! I hope you enjoy!!

So here are the step by step instruction on how I made the frame.

Take a wooden frame (I bought mine at Wal-Mart), take the back cover off, and cover the front with a thin layer of Mod-Podge.
Place patterned paper on top of the frame and run hand over to smooth.
Flip the frame upside down so your patterned paper is on the table and you are looking at the back of the picture frame.
Spread a layer of mod-podge on the corners of the frame and the back of the paper
Fold the paper around the edge of the frame and glue onto back of frame.
To make the corners look good, fold them like you would when you wrap a gift.
Let it dry.
Use an exacto knife to cut the picture hole out of the paper.
I used the Birthday Bash Cartridge to cut out the letter and the letter shadow. They were cut at 2 inches.
Glue the shadow and the layer together and place them on the frame.
I used Paper Doll Dress Up to cut out the shamrocks (2")
Run the shamrocks through a Xyrom machine (or cover them with glue)
Put the glue/sticky side in Martha Stewart "Peridot" glitter
Use Stampin' Up dimensionals and stick them to the sides of the frame.

Obviously you can replace my supplies for what I have on hand. If you are confused or want more direction, contact me via comment or email and I will make sure to respond. Don't forget to get St. Patrick's Day crafting and take Crafting with Cristina's challenge!! There's a chance to win a Cricut cartridge!

Talk to Me Tuesday #1

2011-03-01T00:00:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone!!

Here is the FIRST talk to me Tuesday. On tuesdays, I will be sharing various things going on in the crafting world. Some weeks will be longer than others, but I will try to get some vital information out there. Please let me know if there is something you would like to see!!

Cricut News

The Expression 2 is being launched on HSN April 26th at 12:01am. If you haven't seen the new expression, check out Obsessed with Scrapbooking! She has some great information on the new expression, the NEW Cricut Craft Room, and some fun cricut collectables.

The Cricut Stampede is coming up in Dallas! The event is March 18-20 in Dallas, TX. There will be awesome Make-and-Takes, merchendise, and classes!! If you are interested in more information about this event, click HERE. There are no longer payment options, but I'm pretty sure you can still register. Additionally, the store will be open for a brief time for those who just want to shop. I am not sure of the details yet, but I will let you know when I do.

Copic News

Copic is releasing new colors!! There are 12 new sketch colors and 36 new Ciao colors coming soon to a retailer near you!! Be sure to check here if you would like to see the new colors.

That's all of the news I have at the moment. If there is something you think I missed or would like to see on the next Talk to Me Tuesday, please leave a comment or send me an email!! I will see you guys tomorrow for Watch This Wednesday. This is going to be a special Watch This Wednesday because I am also a guest designer on Crafting with Cristina! Be sure to check it out her blog as well for a special challenge.

Make Over Monday #1

2011-02-28T00:22:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone!!

Welcome to my first makeover Monday!! Each Monday (or maybe we should just go with most Mondays...) I will post a project that I have made from something else. It's like turning the old into new!! I hope you will enjoy my projects.

I have to tell you...it is very early on Monday morning. My apartment flooded this evening (it's a long story, but yes everything is fine) and I used all of my towels to help mop up water. Now I am in the process of washing all of my towels...so I apologize if I mistype something. I'm quite tired. Anyway, onto my project.

I have been crafting A LOT this weekend. My aunt is having her 50th birthday party in two weeks and I am making a bunch of crafty things. Look for those on future posts...Her birthday party is in New Orleans, and we are incorporating the fleur de lis into the party theme along with pink and cheetah print. I was asked to come up with a design for favor bags for the party. I took some plain pink and black bags from Michaels and added some cheetah print paper, ribbon, and the scalloped circle with the fleur de lis as a tag. We are using the Scalloped circle with the pink fleur dis lis elsewhere in our projects as well (if you have looked at my past posts you have already seen it somewhere).

Supplies Used:

Pink and Black bags from Michaels

Cheetah print paper from The Paper Studio

Pink and Black Grosgrain Ribbon

Mini Monograms Cricut Cartridge

French Manor Cricut Cartridge

Twine

iRock

I hope you enjoyed my project! Don't forget to check back tomorrow with Talk to Me Tuesday!!

After a long absence...I've been doing some thinking...

2011-02-21T19:46:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone!!

First, I want to apologize for being MIA for a while. I've been stressed with school and my internship and things. Sadly, life happens and I stepped away from crafting for a little bit. Also, I have been talking to my aunt about creating some crafty things for her birthday, so look forward to some of those things showing up on my blog soon!!

With all of my down time lately, I have been thinking a lot about my blog and what I want out of it. Crafting is my own, personal therapy. I love being able to come on the computer and get inspiration as well as give it. I see this as a little way of giving back to the crafting world. With that, I know I don't keep up with my blog like I want. I feel like I need a little motivation, so I've devised a plan >insert evil laugh here< I like blogs that have themed days, like the Cricut Circle Blog, Emma's "Throwback Thursday" or Robyn's Imagine Wednesdays. I wanted some themed days...so here are some I came up with...

Makeover Monday: this is where I would take something ordinary and make it extraordinary. This could be making crafts out of an ordinary object or making some kind of packaging or wrapping that makes something ordinary look even better.

Talk to me Tuesday: this is where I would update ya'll about what's going on in the cricut/provocraft/crafting world. This could be information about something coming up or a review of a product or just some fun crafty things I purchased recently.

Watch This Wednesday: this is a day where I would do a video or detailed picture tutorial that demonstrates how I completed my project.

And...that's all of got...what do ya'll think? Is there something you want to see that you're not getting elsewhere? Please leave lots of feedback!! I'm super excited about what's going to come next!!

Talk to ya'll soon!!

My PInk Stamper Valentine Challenge

2011-02-07T19:38:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone!

I decided to upload a quick project I made for My Pink Stamper's challenge. She put up a challenge on her video for today, so go check it out!! Robyn always has fabulous videos and cricut tutorials. I thought I would make a cute valentine's day treat topper.

For this topper, I FINALLY got a chance to use My Creative Time "You Had Me at Chocolate" stamp set. I have wanted to use this stamp set for a while now, and I love it just as much (if not more) than I imagined!

Supplies Used:

Stampin' Up Solid Cardstock

Martha Stewert "swan" flocking powder

White grosgrain ribbon

Cricut "Birthday Bash" Cartridge

My Creative Time "You Had Me at Chocolate" stamp set

I hope ya'll are inspired to make something yummy for Valentine's Day!! I'll be back soon for some more treats.

Welcome to my new blog!

2011-02-07T14:48:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone!!

I just wanted to say how SUPER DUPER EXCITED I am to have my blog updated!! I LOVE all of the fun , new things we did and added. I could not be happier with the way it turned out!! Leslie over at Sweetie Baby's Custom Blog Design did all of the work, and she was fantastic to work with!! If you get a minute, check out her blog. She has awesome prices and is fabulous to work with!! Hope you guys enjoy the new blog!! I will have new projects up soon!

Think Spring Blog Hop

2011-02-05T05:30:00.001-06:00

Hello Everyone!!

Welcome to the Think Spring Blog Hop! If you've come here from Paper Crafting Chic, you're in the right place!! If you happened upon this post by accident, be sure to start at Creations with Kathryn to see all of the spring inspiration! There are some warm thoughts and blog candy you don't want to miss!!

If you have gotten the kind of weather I have, you need some spring thoughts!! We got a little over an inch of ice followed by a half an inch of snow. My car was literally a block of ice, and I had to dig it out...it took me two hours to get my car halfway clear of ice. The roads are just now getting clear and safe to travel on.

For my project, I used my imagine!! When I think of spring, I think of flowers and butterflies. I immediately thought of this image on my imagine, and knew I had to make a card from it. I am excited about the way it turned out.

Supplies Used:

Stampin' Up Solid Cardstock

Spots and Dots Cuttlebug Folder

Imagine More Cricut Imagine Cartridge

Stampin' Up Dimensionals

Your next stop is Tina Time! Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to think spring!!

Happy Crafting,

Lauren

Birthday Blog Hop Winner

2011-01-31T20:19:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone!!

I just wanted to thank everyone who participated in the Birthday Blog Hop! I love doing blog hops because I get to meet new people and gain lots of creative inspiration. Even though I don't reply to comments (since I can't reply to all, I don't reply to any), I promise I read and cherish every one. I hope you guys find some kind of inspiration from my blog, and if you ever have any suggestions please let me know.

I used random.org to pick a winner for the set of Pink by Design stamps, "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." I combined the comments from both days of the hop, and the winner is number 54! Congrats CHIGNON!!!

chignon said...

I love it! Great idea to use on the water bottles too :) Your cupcake looks so delicious, now I have a hunkerin' for some cake!

I found your email, so you have two weeks to respond with you mailing address. I will get the stamps out as soon as I can. Being in Illinois, we are experiencing some severe winer weather...so I have a feeling I may be stuck inside for the next day or two.

Thanks again to all who participated in the blog hop. I will be participating in another one this weekend, February 5th. The theme is think spring, which is good...maybe I can will away all of this winter weather. I hope you all find inspiration and time to craft!!

Warm wishes,

Lauren

Birthday Blog Hop Part 2

2011-01-30T00:21:00.001-06:00

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to day 2 of Kreimer's birthday blog hop. Today is her 25th birthday!!! If you haven't already, go back to her blog and give her some birthday love. If you arrived here from Time2Create, you are in the right spot!!

My aunt is turning 50 in March, and we were talking today about her birthday party in New Orleans. She listed off a ton of ideas that she wanted to do..and, naturally, my response to each one was "that would be easy to make!" One of the things on my "to do" list is come up with something for the cake. She wants a regular cake, but I immediately thought of this cupcake idea and had to try it (she needs a visual...right...)?

The party is in New Orleans, so I kept with a fleur de lis theme. She wants pink animal print, but I didn't have that on hand and all of my LSS were closed, so I had to give her a rough Idea with what I had. She also wants to put water bottles in all of the hotel rooms, so I thought the medallion could be used for that as well. Hope you like it!!

Supplies Used:

Stampin' Up Cardstock

Mini Monograms Cricut Cartridge

French Manor Cricut Cartridge

iRock gems

Don't forget...I'm giving away the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun stamp set. Leave a comment on both posts to double your chances of winning!! Hop on over to TX Scrapper's blog for some more birthday fun!!

Happy Craftin'

Lauren

Birthday Blog Hop

2011-01-29T00:27:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone!!

Welcome to Kreimers Birthday Blog Hop!! If you came from Time2Create, you are in the right place. If you happened to stumble upon this blog hop, be sure to go back to Kreimer's blog and celebrate from the beginning. This is a 2 day blog hop, so be sure to check back tomorrow for more birthday fun and a second change for some blog candy.

For today's hop post, I made a simple card. I am also entering this in My Pink Stamper's "yummy" challenge. I loved this sentiment stamp from Stampin' Up for quite some time, and I finally got to use it. I have LOTS of ideas for this stamp set, but this is what came out first. It is pretty simple, but cute enough to give away and still feel proud of it. This is also the first time I used flocking powder. I used white flocking powder for the whipped cream part of the scoop to give it some texture. Let's just say, I had fun...and this is not the last time I will be using flocking powder.

Now onto the blog candy. Today, I am giving away the "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" stamp set from PinkbyDesign. These stamps are amazing, super cute, and the perfect birthday gift!! All you have to do is leave me a comment telling me your favorite birthday memory. I will be picking the winner Monday afternoon. Remember, you do not have to be a follower of my blog, but followers are always appreciated.

Now, hop on over to TX Scrapper's blog to see some more birthday fun!! Don't forget to stop back tomorrow and see what other birthday creations we come up with.

Happy Crafting,
Lauren

When Life Gives You Limes...

2011-01-17T23:45:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone!!

I know I have been MIA lately, but it's been for good reasons. First, I have been working with a designer to have my blog redesigned. This was one of my new years resolutions, to update and build up my blog. I have everything picked out and the designs I want. Now I just have to wait a short while until my design can be complete. I am working with Sweet Baby's Custom Blog Design and Leslie is amazing. I'm super excited to see what she comes up with. Stay tuned...

Another thing I have been working on this week is my Etsy shop. This is also one of my new years resolutions, and I am anxious and excited to see where this leads me. It looks bare right now...I have been busy setting up the shop and connecting it with paypal and coming up with my policies and such. My task this week is to fill my shop with my creations!! Here is my first listing...

Supplies Used:

Stampin' Up Solid and Patterened cardstock

Stampin' Up Ribbon

Preserves Cricut Cartridge

Cuttlebug

Pink by Design "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" stamps

EK Success Punch

Action Wobbles

I will be creating more projects again soon. I am so proud that I am accomplishing some of my New Years goals early. Thank you for going on this journey with me. If you have any advice or comments, please feel free to let me know. I promise not to bite. That's two new years resolutions down...now if I could just get to the gym...

Happy Craftin'

Lauren

Be My Valentine Blog Hop

2011-01-08T04:00:00.001-06:00

Hello Everyone!!

Welcome to the Be My Valentine blog hop. If you came from, Crafty Scentiments, you are in the correct place! If you have stumbled across this some other way, please head over to Wam Family to start from the beginning. We have some very talented crafters hoping to give you some valentine's day inspiration so you can get a jump start on your projects!!

I am super excited about getting a jump start on my Valentine's Day projects. Since I do not have children, I wanted to create something more adult like that I or my fiancee would enjoy. A friend of ours, with whom we are participating in a weight loss challenge, left a huge Hershey bar under my pillow for temptation. However, it gave me the idea for this project! I thought that chocolate was best paired with wine, and that sounded adult-like. So, I created a wine bottle cover and coordinating chocolate bar cover. I used my gypsy to help me make sure everything fit properly. Hope you enjoy!!

Supplies Used:

Stampin' Up and Wal Mart Solid Cardstock

DCMV Patterned Paper

George and Basic Shapes Cricut Cartridge

Mini Monograms CricutCartridge

Storybook Cricut Cartridge

Sweethearts Cricut Cartridge

Martha Stewert Punch

Gypsy

Stickles

iRock

Your next stop is Tina Time so be sure to check out what she has created. I hope you find some time today to craft.

Happy Crafting,

Lauren

My Pink Stamper Design Team Call

2011-01-04T23:32:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone!!

Here is my project for My Pink Stamper's 2011 Design Team. Robyn is choosing 2 new people to serve on her design team for a 6 month term. The challenge is to create a new project using Robyn's favorite colors: pink, green, and brown and another color of my choice. The deadline for submissions is tomorrow at midnight. To see the further submission requirements, click here.

My submission is a jar gift. I saw this originally from MizEster on the circut message board. They are smores in a jar. When you bake the contents, the final project are seasonal smore bars for everyone to enjoy. She did a Halloween version of the jar. I loved the idea, and wanted to create some for the holidays. I loved the fun, bright, non traditional colors at Christmas time and thought they would make a cute winter time gift.

To make the jars, crush an entire sleeve of graham crackers and place them in the bottom of the jar. Then, place peeps around the jar and 1/3 cup brown sugar in the middle of the circle of peeps. Next, fill the jar with M&Ms. What's great about this project is that you can do this for any holiday. They typically make peeps and M&Ms for every major holiday.

The back of the tag has the cooking directions on it. I printed them out on the computer. Here it is in case you were wondering...Combine ingredients of the jar with 1/2 cup of melted butter and 1 tsp. vanilla. Press mixture into 9-inch square baking pan. Place the marshmallows on top. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Cool completely. Cut into bars and enjoy!

Supplies Used:

Solid cardstock from Stampin' Up

Patterned cardstock from DCWV

Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip ink

Jolly Holidays Cricut Lite Cartridge (words)

Storybook Cricut Cartridge (tag on jar wrapper)

Sweet Treats Cricut Cartridge (tag with recipe)

Gingerbread Seasonal Cricut Cartridge (tree and candy cane)

Cuttlebug swiss dots folder

Stampin' Up Scallop border punch

Sickles

Scrappy Mom Stamps

Happy Craftin'

Lauren

2011 Crafting Resolutions

2011-01-04T16:29:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe holiday. I know between traveling and spending time with family I did not have time to update my blog like I wanted. That seems to be how it goes...I have a lot of plans to do things, but in the end I just want to spend time with my family. Unfortunately that means my "to do" list is longer than I wanted it to be.

School starts again soon, which I am super excited about. It is my last semester of graduate school, and I will graduate in May. Of course, that means I now have to find a job. Counseling jobs near the town I live in a kind of sparse, so I have my fingers crossed.

I saw this on Crafting with Cristina's blog, and I thought I would do the same. The list seems like it's getting kind of long. Hopefully ya'll will keep me on track. :-)

1. Post projects on my blog at least three times a week.
2. Participate in at least one challenge a month.
3. Post one video per month.
4. Post blog candy once per month.
5. Have a professional overhaul my blog.
6. Make four cards each time I create
7. Start my etsy shop.

I will have to post these in my craft room somewhere so I can always look at them!! Hopefully 2011 will be a new year and I can be better about updating my blog. I have some leftover crafts from the holidays I need to share, so look for those coming soon. I am also participating in a Valentine's Day blog hop on the 8th, so come get your hop on and start creating for your loved ones early!!

Thank ya'll again for following me on my blog. Even though I don't always show it, I really do appreciate the time it take to look and comment. Crafting is something I love to do, and I am so excited ya'll want to share my journey with me.

Happy Crafting,
Lauren

My Pink Stamper Days of Christmas Project and Blog Hop Winner

2010-12-20T23:29:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone!!

I thought things would slow down after I was done with classes...boy was I wrong. The good news is I'm really busy with craft stuff, so I should have enough to fill my blog for the next week or so. :-)

I want to get back into challenges, and I love Robyn on My Pink Stamper!! She is having a 12 days of Christmas with some super awesome challenges, so I decided to participate in some. This card is part of a set that I created recently using 3 Birds on Parade. I wanted to create a holiday set that used all of the holiday birds on this cartridge. The challenge is to create something Christmas themed, and I thought these would fit perfectly. This is my favorite card of the bunch!! Sorry the pictures aren't great. My fiancee took my good camera to use for the holidays. Scroll down for the SWD blog hop winner!!

Supplies Used:

3 Birds on Parade

Stampin' Up Cardstock

Patterned Paper from DCVW stack

My Pink Stamper "Christmas Wishes" stamp set

Stickles

Snowflake cuttlebug folder

EK Success Punch

Onto the winner!! This winner of the Shall We Dance Blog Hop is....ANNA!!

Anna said...

Very very cool and hip :-) I am now follower #100
Thanks for the chance to win.

I will be contacting you shortly for your address. Please respond within two weeks or I will choose another winner. Anna happens to be my 100th follower, and I'm so super excited we hit 100 followers. Maybe after the new year I'll have a special giveaway. Your comments and following mean a lot to me, and I deeply appreciate all of ya'll.

Happy Craftin',

Lauren

Shall We Dance Blog Hop

2010-12-18T04:45:00.001-06:00

Hello Everyone!!

Welcome to the "Shall We Dance" Blog Hop!! If you came from Greengirl Scraps, you are in the right place!! If you came across this hop by accident, be sure to head to Greengirl's blog first to start from the beginning. We have some talented circlets making some awesome projects with this exclusive cartridge. Be sure to check out everyone's project and the blog candy at the bottom of the post!!

I was super excited for this cartridge and to do this hop because I LOVE to dance. Sadly, there are no pictures of me dancing, so this will not come in handy for scrapbooking. I used to take ballroom dance lessons, and I have recently discovered the dance games for wii.

For the hop, I decided to make a home decor item. I had a difficult time deciding exactly what to make and how it should look. My crafty mojo has been kind of low lately, so I think it was harder for me because of that. I chose the "free spirit" dancer and words. I think it turned out super cute! I have been tapping in to my inner dancer. I hope ya'll like it!!

Supplies Used:

Shall We Dance Cartridge

DCVW Birthday stack

Stampin' Up Black Cardstock

EK Success punch

Stampin' Up ribbon

If you have made it this far, here is some blog candy for you!! I will send one lucky winner a set of four handmade cards. All you have to do is leave a comment on my blog. Becoming a follower is not a requirement, but is much appreciated if you like my projects. :-)

Your next stop on the hop is Fantabulously Pink! Be sure to take some time today to craft...and possibly dance!!

Happy Crafting,

Lauren

Holiday Wishes Blog Hop Winner

2010-12-13T13:50:00.002-06:00

Happy Monday everyone!!

A big holiday "thanks" to everyone who participated in the Holiday Wishes Blog Hop. I had a lot of fun participating in this hop, and I hope ya'll found some holiday inspiration. A very special thanks to everyone who took the time to leave a comment and/or become a follower of my blog. I love crafting, and I know I've been really busy lately but I love to share what I make with everyone. Comments and followers mean a lot to me.

I used random.org to pick a winner for the set of 4 handmade cards. And the winner is...

Missie said...
This is a really beautiful creation! I love this time of year! My favorite tradition is having the kids paint a new ornament each year! It is so wonderul to watch how they changed (artisticly) from year to year.

Missie

Congrats Missie!! I have already emailed you asking for your mailing address. You have two weeks to respond to that email. If I do not hear from you, I will have to (randomly) choose another winner.

Thanks again to all who participated in the hop. I hope you had fun!! I am participating in another blog hop on Saturday, December 18th. Some cricut circle members are showcasing the newest exclusive cartridge, Shall We Dance. If you are a circle member or thinking about becoming one, you will not want to miss this!! I am also going to try really hard to get in my craft room this week now that finals are over. Hopefully I will have lots and lots of projects to share.

Warm winter wishes,
Lauren

Holiday Wishes Blog Hop

2010-12-11T05:30:00.001-06:00

Happy Holidays!!

If you are here from Cricut Confessions, you are in the right place. If you found this post by accident, go to Creations with Kathryn to start from the beginning. There are many awesome projects along the hop, you won't want to miss any.

I'm so excited to be a part of this awesome blog hop! I know I have not posted lately. I have been super busy with school, and I lost me creative mojo for a while. No worries though...I have lots of ideas running around in my head, so check back soon. Onto my project.

The idea for this project came from a challenge on the Cricut Circle message board to create a project for the winter holiday you celebrate without using traditional icons for that holiday. I celebrate Christmas, so I could not use a Christmas tree or Santa...anything like that. One of my favorite books to read at Christmas time is The Polar Express, which is where this idea came from. You can only hear the bell if you believe in Santa.

Here's how I did it. I cut my cardstock to fit the embossing folder, making sure all the pieces covered the back of the shadow box. I embossed the cardstock and then ran some ink over it so the snowflakes would show up. I sprayed some fake snow on the glass from the inside. I would recommend you follow the directions on the can and practice before you do it on the glass. I tied my ribbon to the bell and taped it to the top of the box. Lastly, I used my gypsy to weld the word "believe" and used my cricut to cut it and put it on the glass. Easy peasy. Let me know what you think!!!

Supplies Used:

Shadow Box (Michaels)

Jingle Bell (Michaels)

Spray on window snow (Walmart)

Stampin' Up Cardstock

Stampin' Up "brocade Blue" ink

Stampin' Up white organza ribbon

Cuddlebug with snowflake embossing folder

Black vinyl

Gypsy font

Onto the blog candy!! I AM giving away a set of four handmade Christmas/winter cards (pictures to come soon). All you have to do is leave a comment telling my your favorite Christmas tradition. Simple as that!!

Your next stop is Alma's Pink Life where she has another awesome project to share. Best holiday wishes to you and your family. Happy holiday hopping!!

Happy Craftin'

Lauren

Throwback Thursday Cricut-less Challenge

2010-11-17T23:45:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone!!!

I am so super excited to show you my project today!! I just discovered the world of COPICS!! I love them, and I cannot wait to use them on more projects. I found these super cute elf stamps, and I knew I had to make a Christmas card. Generally, I don't like to skip holidays, but I knew I had to pass Thanksgiving for this Christmas card. I also used my new iRock for the gems. This card is full of "newness" for me, and you can expect a lot more!!

This is my first attempt at coloring with copic markers. I did not use the right kind of ink to color with so their faces are a little smeared. I just bought some new ink so hopefully it will help. I am also submitting this for Emma's Throwback Thursday "old school" challenge. I hope you like it just as much as I do!! Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies Used:

Stampin' Up cardstock

Copic markers

Close to my Heart stamp set (I don't know the name)

Corner rounder

iRock

Happy Craftin'

Lauren

Wedding Card

2010-11-14T22:17:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone!!

I know I've been MIA for the past couple of weeks. I just haven't been in a crafty mood. It probably has to do with graduate school and such. Anyway, two very good friends of mine recently got married!! Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the wedding due to other obligations. However, I wanted to send them a gift, which meant I had to make a card.

I got the instructions from Momo's first UStream class. If you visit her blog and click on "ustream classes" you should be able to find it. I love the fold of this card and thought it would be perfect with the patterned paper I picked up. The paper is from a Paper Studio stack I found at Hobby Lobby. I also found a super cute birthday stack when I was there. Hope you enjoy my card!

Supplies Used:

Stampin' Up Solid Paper

The Paper Studio Wedding paper stack (patterned paper)

Stampin' Up "Full of Life" stamp set

Stampin' Up Scallop Punch

Stampin' Up dimensionals

Happy Crafting!

Lauren

Best Witches to You

2010-10-31T00:34:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween Everyone!!

I have had lots of plans for several different projects. Unfortunately I haven't been making cards as much as I've been spending money. I have purchased several cartridges, stamp sets, Copic markers, and paper. Ugh!! Look for some super cute projects coming up though. I have some ideas.

Here's my Halloween project!! I haven't decided if it's my final one though...I have an idea for a tag I'm still trying to make work. For this project, i got my inspiration from a Halloween decoration at Hobby Lobby. I created it with my Gypsy...mainly for sizing and flipping. This is probably my favorite Halloween card. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!!

Supplies Used:

Stampin' Up card stock (solid)

DCVW Spooktacular paper stack

Happy Hauntings Cricut Cartridge

Ribbon from Michaels

My Pink Stamper "Spooky Puns" Stamp Set

Stickles "Star Dust"

Happy Craftin'
Lauren

My Pink Stamper Live Color Challenge

2010-10-24T13:39:00.000-05:00

Happy Sunday Everyone!!

I thought I would do a quick post to share my card for My Pink Stamper's color challenge. On Friday, Robyn and her best friend Karlee hosted a My Pink Stamper Live challenge. The challenge was to make a card using pink, green, and purple...and you had to finish your card within 30 minutes. They created cards live on ustream and invited everyone else to participate live. Sadly, I had a friend visit this weekend and he came in right in the middle of the challenge. I finished mine up today, but total it only took 30 minutes to complete.

I wanted to do a Halloween card, since it's so close to the holiday. I just got Paper Doll Dress Up in the mail, and I thought this would be a perfect card to use it for. I did use my gypsy to resize the ghost and hide the facial features so I could use a peachy keen stamp. I LOVE this cartridge. It has some cute accessory images on it. However, they're not layered, which is where the gypsy comes in handy.

Hope you enjoy!! Have a fabulous Sunday!!

Supplies Used:

Stampin' Up Cardstock

Cuttlebug Polka Dot Embossing Folder

White Grosgrain Ribbon

Paper Doll Dress Up Cartridge

Peachy Keen "Make A Monster" Face Assortment

My Pink Stamper "Spooky Puns" Stamps

Happy Crafting,

Lauren

Friend. Good. Halloween Card

2010-10-20T22:41:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!!

I finally have a new card to post! Finally, a night where I do not have to study for grad school! I'm continuing with my Halloween projects. I love Halloween, and I cannot wait for it to come!! I had this super cute stamp from Stampin' Up that was signed "Frankenstein." I knew this was a perfect time to use my Mini Monsters cartridge.

I used my Imagine to color this project, and it came out fantastic! I can't wait until we can use the Gypsy to hide contour and such. I used a peachy keen face stamp instead of cutting out all of the different pieces. You can see the score marks where the eyes and mouth are supposed to be. I don't really mind, but you can see it in the picture.

Supplies Used:

K and Company Halloween Speciality Paper

Mini Monsters Cartridge

Cricut Imagine

Peachy Keen "Make A Monster Face Assortment"

Stampin' Up "Smarty Pants" stamp set

White gel pen

Martha Stewart "Drippy Goo" Punch

Ribbon from Michaels

Be sure to check back later this week for more projects!!

Happy Craftin'

Lauren

Gypsy Promotion

2010-10-19T08:57:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!!

I apologize for being away so long. I took my counseling certification exam this weekend, so I was busy studying and now I'm busy recuperating. I have a long list of things I was going to do "after October 16th," and now that's here!! School work has taken over my life for the time being, but no worries...I have a few projects coming up that I'm sure you're going to love.

Now, a big THANK YOU and WELCOME to all of my new followers!! I am so excited that you chose to follow my blog, and I'm really sorry I haven't posted anything recently. I promise that will change soon. I'm SO EXCITED that I have a following. It really made my week...you guys have no idea. Just because I was studying doesn't mean I didn't check my blog during breaks ;-). Keep looking for projects...there will be some up soon!!

For those who haven't heard...there is a new Gypsy promotion out, and I wanted to make sure you all knew!! Here are the details...

Buy and register a Gypsy by Cricut by October 31 and receive 6 free cartridges downloaded to your Gypsy – including the exclusive, all-new "Smiley Cards" cartridge (and don't forget about Gypsy Wanderings and Gypsy font cartridges that come pre-loaded on the machine). It's a $419 value!
Free cartridges include:

Smiley Cards (new and exclusive to this promotion)
Tags, Bags, Boxes and More (not available in retail)
Christmas (not available in retail)
Blackletter (not available in retail)
Printing Press (not available in retail)
Indie Art (not available in retail)

All current Gypsy owners included! Simply register your Gypsy by October 31, 2010 and get access to all downloads. Register at www.cricut.com/gypsy
Downloads will be available through a special update to your Gypsy starting November 1st.
New Gypsy cartridge downloads are easy! Just connect your Gypsy to your computer and you'll automatically be prompted how to start. In just a few steps, you'll be able to download all six cartridges containing thousands of images! And with Gypsy, you'll have all the cartridge artwork and keypad overlays on your Gypsy screen, so there's no actual cartridge, handbook, or packaging.
You only have a few weeks. Don't miss out!!

This means that if you are on the fence about purchasing a Gypsy...do it now!! Also, if you have a Gypsy, make sure it is registered. I'm pretty excited about Tags, Bags, Boxes, and More. I have not seen the art for Smiley cards, but I'm sure it's going to be fantastic!! If you have any questions about the Gypsy, please ask. I own one and I love it!! I was on the fence about purchasing mine, and I held off for about a year or so. Since I purchased one, I DON'T regret it.

Thanks for being patient with me while is put my life back in order again!!

Happy Crafting,
Lauren

Halloween Blog Hop Winner

2010-10-12T11:15:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Spooky Halloween Blog Hop! It was so much fun!! I loved reading each and every comment! It means a lot to me. I drew a winner for the punch, stamps, and inks using random.org. And the winner is...

Jodie R said...

It's like the papers and ribbon were designed just for this card!! So cute!! My favorite costume is a ghost costume. Just dress in all white and paint your face white!!

Thanks for the inspiration!

You left your email address, so I have sent you an email requesting your address. You have two weeks to respond to this email, otherwise I will have to pick another winner.

Thanks again to all who participated!!

Happy Craftin'

Lauren

Haunted Halloween Blog Hop

2010-10-09T07:45:00.000-05:00

Welcome Halloween Blog Hoppers!!!

Welcome to the Haunted Halloween Blog Hop!! This is the FIRST blog hop I have ever participated in, and I am so excited to have everyone here. You are in for such a treat!! We have several spooky and creepy halloween projects just in time to recreate for Halloween!! This should be your 6th stop on the blog hopping trail. If you have arrived here from Nonnasscraps, you are are the right track!! If you just found this post, you will want to grab your favorite Halloween treat and head over to cricutconfessions to start from the beginning. There are lots of treats (and maybe a few tricks) along the way so keep hopping!

I am SO SUPER excited to share my project with everyone today. I have wanted to make an easel card for SO LONG, and I finally did it for this hop!! Since it's my first blog hop I decided to make something a little fancy, but representative of other things you see here on my blog (just in case you decide to become a follower). I think it turned out super cute. It was so much fun, I think I may do a video after I take my BIG exam. I found the Peachy Keen "Make A Monster" face at my local scrapbook store and I was so excited to use them. They stamp beautifully, and it is so much easier than trying to cut little eyes on the cricut.

This is my card when it is upright...like an easel.

Here is my little monster up close!! Isn't he super cute? I just love him! You can fold the card down to mail it (it is an A2 size card when folded).

Here is a picture of the inside of the card. Sorry it's sideways. I put a plain white piece of paper in there so the writing could be seen better, but it's optional.

Supplies Used:

Stampin' Up solid cardstock

DCVW Halloween stack (patterned paper)

Mini Monsters Cricut Cartridge

Ribbon from Michaels

Peachy Keen "Make A Monster" Face Assortment

MS "Drippy Goo" punch

Stampin Up brads

My Pink Stamper "Spooky Puns" stamp set

Now, onto the treats!! For today's blog candy, I am giving away a MS "Drippy goo" punch (trust me, you can't live without this one), a set of die cut spiders, two color box mini inks, and two stamp sets from Scrappy Cat. All you have to do to win this wonderful treat is leave a comment below telling me your favorite halloween costume!! Don't forget to leave your contact information. I will be randomly choosing a winner Tuesday, October 12th.

The next stop on our haunted halloween trail is Crafty Sentiments! She will have a creepy new project for you as well as some fun treats!! Don't forget to become a follower of my blog...if you dare!! Don't forget to stop by on October 12th to see if you won!!

Happy Haunted Crafting!

Lauren

My Pink Stamper "SPOOKY" Challenge

2010-10-04T00:25:00.000-05:00

Happy October Everyone!!

I am so excited it's October!! It means fall weather, changing leaves, and Halloween!! It also means that my big exam is coming up. I want to apologize if I'm MIA for the next couple weeks. I am taking my counseling licensure exam on the 16th, so I'm going to be studying pretty hard. I know I'm going to be sneaking to my craft room for study breaks though, so hopefully I will have a few things to share.

Be sure to tune in October 9th. I'm participating in my FIRST EVER blog hop!! I have a cute Halloween project as well as some blog candy you will not want to miss out on! Be sure to mark your calendars!

Here is a card I made for the My Pink Stamper Spooky challenge. I love waterfall cards, and I love this stamp set, so I found a way to combine them both. Let me know what you think!!

Supplies Used:

Stampin' Up paper

Stampin' Up "Fang-tastic" stamp set

Stampin' Up Markers

Stampin' Up Eyelet

Ribbon from Michaels

Wine Glass Etching

2010-09-29T23:34:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!!

Here is my non-paper crafting Cricut project! I am thinking about Christmas gifts for my family who lives in New Orleans. I thought a cool gift would be to etch some glasses with a fleur-dis-lis on them, since that has become a symbol of hope (and my family is kind of obsessed with it). Anyway, I wanted to practice before I bought a bunch of glasses for my family.

My fiancee let me use our wine glasses to perform the "etch test" so I decided to use our initials. I made the design in my gypsy, which was helpful when figuring out placement for the letters. I was going to do a "&" instead of a heart, but I couldn't find a "&" I really liked. Anyway, I cut out the design on vinyl and used the negative space to etch my design. I thought it turned out really well for a first attempt.

I learned that transfer tape is really useful. I think it would have helped me put the design on better. Also, you need to make sure the vinyl is firmly placed on the glass, otherwise you'll have bubbles around the etching. Other than that, I followed the directions on the bottle of etch cream. It did not take me very long to do, and it looks pretty good. Hope you all enjoy!!

Supplies Used:

Glass

Gypsy Font

Gypsy Wanderings

Vinyl

Aumor Etch cream

Happy Crafting,

Lauren

Sweet Tweet: My Pink Stamper Bird Challenge

2010-09-27T23:55:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone!!

Here is the card I made for My Pink Stamper's 500 million Bird Challenge. I found Robyn's (My Pink Stampers) blog last spring when I was looking for videos on how to etch glass with your Cricut. I've been hooked ever since. In fact, she's the reason I started my own blog. She has been a wonderful source of inspiration to me, and she deserves every bit of her success. If you haven't checked her out, DO SO!!!

Back to my card...

I ordered the CottageCutz penguin die a while back. My fiancee is obsessed with penguins, so I thought this die would come in very handy. I just got a Cuttlebug, so of course when I heard bird challenge I immediately thought of my penguins. At first, I made traditional black and white penguins, but they did not match my card very well, so I decided to make them pink. I think the penguins turned out super cute.

I also tried a new format or layout (or whatever!) with my card. I put a different color border in-between the two main pieces of paper. See it just above the ribbon? I though it added a little something. For my sentiment, I used My Pink Stamper's "Tweetie Hoo Puns" stamps. MPS has awesome stamps...again, you should check her out if you haven't already. Anyway, I'll get off of my soapbox and show you my card. I hope you enjoy!! Look for a non paper crafting project later in the week (yes, it still involves the cricut!!)

Supplies Used:

CottegeCutz Penguin die

Paper from Making Memories "Whimsy" scrapbook kit

Stampin' Up Ribbon

Stampin' Up border punch

Stickles

MPS Tweetie Hoo Puns stamp set

Happy Craftin'

Lauren

Peachy Keen Challenge

2010-09-26T01:49:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!!

Sorry I have been missing this week. This seems to be a theme with the way my semester is going with school. This week, I have made a few projects and will be posting them randomly throughout the week. It just seems easier this way. On a happier note (happier I guess...) I went to the big city today and was able to shop at Michaels and Joann's. I don't have either of these in my city, and the ones close to me are really tiny...so I got out and shopped at BIG ones. Anyway, I came home with lots of new stuff including: MS Drippy Goo punch, iRock, glass etching cream, modge podge, and a new lamp!! It was a great day for me...so look for exciting stuff in the near future.

Here is the first project I have made with my new Imagine. I love this machine, but I hate that I have not had more time to play with it. However, I have loved this owl since I first saw the advertisements for the Imagine, so I just had to cut him out. I thought, while I was playing, that I would enter them in some challenges. This card is for the PeachyKeen sketch challenge. I'm not particularly happy with the doodling, but I'm still trying to figure out what type of doodling works best for me.

I hope ya'll are having a fabulous day!! Thank you for your support...don't think I haven't noticed!!

Supplies Used:

Stampin' Up Cardstock

Stampin' Up Ribbon

Stampin' Up Buttons

Imagine More Cricut Imagine Cartridge

White gel pen

My Pink Stamper Tweetie Hoo Puns

Stampin' Up Cardstock

Happy Scrappin'

Lauren

Sweet Treats Treat Bags

2010-09-20T11:22:00.000-05:00

Hello Bloggers!!

Sorry I haven't posted AT ALL this week. I know I promised a video, and I'm really sorry that didn't happen. It seems I have a sinus infection, which comes with a really bad case of man voice. When I start feeling better, I will make another video. To make it up to you (hopefully), I DO have a project for you!

I was a presenter for a Leadership Conference this weekend, so I made treat bags for all of my audience members as a way to thank them for attending. I needed 30 of them, and I learned that there is a quantity feature on the Cricut Expression!! I just hit the quantity button, hit the "+" button until the screen said 30, then I hit cut...and it cut out 30 cupcakes. I was SO SUPER excited to find this feature. Here are the pictures. Let me know what you think...

Supplies Used:

Paper Pack from Wal-Mart

2 1/8' Scallop circle punch from Stampin' Up

Border Punch from Stampin' Up (I'll have to look up the name)

Sweet Treats cartridge

9x4" cello bags

candy

Happy Craftin'

Lauren

Mr. Potatohead Pin Display

2010-09-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!!

First, I was going to try to make this my video for ya'll. However, it took forever to cut and I was gluing things into the wrong places...and it was just a disaster. I apologize and I'm going to try to make another video for ya'll. I have had an idea for a Halloween card in my head for a while. We will see what happens.

Onto the project...

My fiancee is obsessed with Mr. Potatohead. We went to Disney in January and started collecting pins. We decided that we weren't going to trade the pins we collected, but display them (you can see the other pin frames we made in one of my very first posts). Since, my fiancee became infatuated with finding all of the Mr. Potatohead pins out there...and has quite an extensive collection. Needless to say, my fiancee was very excited when the Toy Story cartridge came out since it had two Mr. Potatohead images on it. We just received the cartridge in the mail, and I made my fiancee's pin display. Here's how it turned out...

Supplies Used

12x12 Scrapbook frame from Michaels

12x12 Corkboard Square

12x12 Disney Patterned Paper

Toy Story Cartridge

Pins

9/11 My Pink Stamper Challenge

2010-09-11T22:20:00.000-05:00

Hello Bloggers!!

I feel like I have neglected my blog so much lately. School and my Internship are taking over my life, and it's taking me a while to adjust to my new schedule. I promise I have some exciting projects coming up, and hopefully a video!!

I saw the My Pink Stamper challenge this morning, and an idea came to me almost instantly. I designed this in my gypsy. Mainly, my gypsy allowed me to weld the letters. I do love my gypsy, I just wish I knew how to use it better. I am having problems moving my grouped items around. For example, I will try to move a whole word and all of a sudden I have started pulling out letters. I got the blue piece from the Storybook cartridge and then embossed it with my cuddlebug (!). I'm so excited about my cuddlebug!!

Anyway, onto my project...

Supplies Used:

Stampin' Up Paper (solid and patterned)

Stampin' Up Brads

Stampin' Up Dimensionals

Mickey Font Cricut Cartridge

Gyspy Font Cricut Cartridge

Storybook Cartridge

Star Dust Stickles

Episode 1 I Love Moo

2010-08-21T10:36:00.002-05:00

Hello Everyone!!

I am so excited about today's blog post because I made my first video, and I FINALLY get to share it. I had some issues in the uploading process, but it worked. Like I said, this is my first video and I am excited to see what the response will be!

A few things to know before you watch...this is my first video and there are some things I need to work on (like camera angles). I apologize in advance if there is something you cannot see. I do not think this is detrimental to the instructions I give, but if you have questions please feel free to ask. Second, I like watching videos that list the products they are using as well as the dimensions of the paper and such. I tried to list all of the products I am using throughout the video. I do not represent or work for these companies. I just wanted you to be informed as to what I use.

Please leave comments and let me know what you think! I'm hoping to do many more.

Happy Crafting,

Lauren

Small Wonder

2010-08-18T10:11:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!

I just got back from Texas a few days ago, and it was amazing! I had a fabulous time visiting my family. Now I'm just getting ready for school to start again. It's my last year in graduate school!! I'm excited to be done with school, but a little nervous about getting an adult job. I'm sure it will be good though!

Here is a card I did a little while back that I haven't shared. I got my inspiration from a Stampin' Up stamp that is in the new catalogue. I love the adult and baby elephant. This is the first baby card I made, and I'm proud of it. Let me know what you think!! As always, the supplies I used are at the bottom.

Supplies Used:

Stampin' Up Cardstock

Patterned Paper from DCWV

White grosgrain ribbon from Wal mart

EK Success Punch

Create-A-Critter Cartridge

Stampin' Up "Whimsical Words" Stamp set

Hot Dog!

2010-08-12T23:00:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!

I'm leaving tomorrow to go visit my mom in Texas. but, I finished packing early, which means that I got to play with my Gypsy tonight!!

I LOVE Dalmatians!! I used to own one. I have wanted to use the Dalmatian from Create-A-Critter for a long time. When I saw My Pink Stamper's critter challenge, I knew today was the day!! I had an idea for what I wanted to do, but after I saw Emma's video where she welded the postage stamp I had the urge to do a shaped card.

It's my first attempt at making a shaped card, and I think I did okay. I don't think I welded the fire hydrants quite right because they're a little off. The biggest learning curve I am having with my gypsy is where to put the paper on the mat. I know it gives the lines and the measurements, but I always seem to be off somehow.

Anyway, here is what I came up with for Robyn's challenge. Hope you enjoy!

Supplies Used:

Gypsy

Stampin' Up Cardstock

Create-A-Critter Cartridge

White Gel Pen

Black Pen

My Pink Stamper "More Punny-licious" Stamps

Happy Scrappin'

Lauren

Happiness is a Butterfly

2010-08-11T18:56:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!!

I feel like it has been forever since I have posted a project...even though I've been crafting like crazy lately. I just got a Gypsy for my birthday (which is in September, but my wonderful fiancee gave it to me early), so look for projects with that. I'm still getting used to it, but I have a feeling I'm going to love it.

I'm also leaving to go visit my mom in Texas for a long weekend. Not only am I super excited to see her, but she is also a Stampin' Up demonstrator, which means I get to play with her stuff for a weekend. I also have a feeling I'm going to be mailing myself a bunch of goodies.

Onto my project. I found the Split Coast Stamper's website earlier this month, and I fell in LOVE with it!! They have a bunch of different projects with instructions.. I found the instructions for this pocket card and knew I had to try it. I dressed it up with a sentiment and a butterfly cut out with my cricut. I love the way it came out, and I'm going to be trying more tutorials from them soon. Let me know what you think!!

Supplies Used:

Split Coast Stamper's Pocket Card tutorial

Stampin' Up Cardstock

Create-a-Critter Cartridge

My Pink Stamper "Buggy Punnies" Stamp

Ribbon from Walmart (I don't remember the brand)

Happy Scrappin'
Lauren

Toad-ally Fabulous

2010-08-02T19:29:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!!

I wanted to use my Mini Monsters card, but I thought it was too early to start on Halloween cards. So, I used the frog to make a super cute card with some My Pink Stamper stamps. I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!!

Supplies Used:

Stampin' Up solid cardstock

DCWV patterned cardstock

White grosgrain ribbon

Mini Monsters Cartridge

My Pink Stamper "Punnylicious" stamps

Happy Scrappin'

Lauren

Love Always

2010-07-28T22:51:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!

Tis the season for engagements. Another friend of mine recently got engaged. Here is a card I made for them. Hope you enjoy!

Supplies Used:

Stampin' Up Cardstock

Stampin' Up Ribbon

Sweetheart Cartridge

My Pink Stamper "Family and Friends" Stamps

Make A Wish

2010-07-25T00:24:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone!!

Here is a card I made for My Pink Stamper design team. I did not get it, but she picked some awesome designers and I cannot wait to see what they come up with. Anyway, I realized that I never posted the card I made. It is one of my favorites and I am super excited about how it turned out.

Supplies Used:

Stampin' Up Cardstock

White grosgrain ribbon

Sweet Treats Cartridge

My Pink Stamper "Family and Friends" Stamps

Stickles

EK Success Punch

Happy Scrappin'
Lauren

Forever Card

2010-07-21T23:36:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!

I thought I would show another card I made. A very good friend of mine recently got engaged, so I wanted to give him and his fiancee a congratulations card. I struggled with the balance between general love and engagement to make it. I think this could be used a a general love card, but I used it as an engagement card. Hope you enjoy!

Supplies Used:

Cardstock from Stampin' Up

EK Success Punch

Sweethearts Cricut Cartridge

MPS "Family and Friends" Stamps

Pop dots

Stickles

Happy Scrapin'

Lauren

Nuts About You

2010-07-15T10:19:00.002-05:00

Hello Friends!

Here is a card I made just for fun. I have wanted to use the peanut on Create-A-Critter ever since I purchased it, and I finally found a project where I could!! Here is how it turned out.

Supplies Used:

Cardstock from DCVC Citrus Pack

White grosgrain ribbon fom walmart

Stamp from MPS Punnylicious

Create-A-Critter Cartridge

Stickles

Happy Scrapin'

Lauren

Friends Fur-Ever

2010-07-04T22:28:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!!

I know it's been forever since I posted, but I promise I will have some new posts throughout the next few days. Here is a card I made for My Pink Stamper's color challenge. The challenge was to use pink, black, orange, and brown in the same project. Here is what I came up with.

Supplies Used:

Stampin' Up Paper

Create-A-Critter Cartridge

My Pink Stamper Punny-licious Stamp Set

White Grosgrain Ribbon

Stampin' Up dementionals

Sympathy Card

2010-05-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hello Bloggers!!

I thought I would share a card that I made for a family friend of ours whose grandmother just passed away. I wanted a nice sympathy card, and here is what came out. I am not sure if I like the tag with the stamp on it, but my fiancee thought it was great so I went with it. Hope you like it!

Supplies Used:

Paper from The Paper Company

Ribbon from Wal-mart

Graphically Speaking Cartridge

Stamp from Michaels

EK Success Punch

Happy Scrappin'

Lauren

Wedding Card

2010-05-22T18:06:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone!!

Today I made a wedding card for my best friend who is getting married in July. I saw a wedding card Robyn, My Pink Stamper, made and I thought I would play with that idea. I liked the silhouette idea. I matched the color of the card to the color of my friend's wedding invitation. I like the way it came out, but I feel like there is a lot of white space. I am thinking about trying a square card to see what that looks like. I also thought about using her other wedding color (orange) for the ribbon. I'm just not sure yet, but I have a good start. However, I thought the silhouette cut was really cute!

Also, this is the first time using my NEW My Pink Stamper Stamps. I think "together" is a little crooked, but that's okay. I love them already and cannot wait to use them again!! Hope you enjoy!

Supplies Used:

Paper from Stampin' Up

Ribbon from Stampin' Up

Sweethearts cartridge

My Pink Stamper "Family and Friends" stamp set

Happy Scrappin'

Lauren

Mothers Day Card Take 2

2010-05-22T17:43:00.002-05:00

Good Evening Everyone!!

This is a card I made for my fiancée's mom. I told my fiancee I would make a card to send to her mom and this is what came out. I think it's super cute, but I really think that about all of the cards I make using this cartridge. It looks very similar to the card I made for my mom, go figure! Anyway, I still think it is very cute. Hope you enjoy!!

Supplies Used:

Paper from Stampin' Up

Create-a-Critter cartridge

Ribbon from Wal-mart

EK Success punch

Stamp from Michaels (I forgot the manufacturer)

Happy Scrappin'!
Lauren

NSD Challenge #8 "Love My Color"

2010-05-02T22:40:00.003-05:00

So, here is my last challenge entry. This is another card my aunt asked me to make. She has a friend who loves the University of Texas and wanted a card that was burnt orange. I decided to co all out with UT colors so white could be my neutral. Here's how it turned out.

Supplies Used:

Flower from George and Basic Shapes

Stickles

Happy Scrappin'

Lauren

NSD Challenge #11 "Colors of the Rainbow"

2010-05-02T22:25:00.002-05:00

I know I posted these a little out of order, but I completed them a little out of order so it works. :-) For this challenge, I had to use all of the colors in the rainbow. I did not want them all to stand out, because I felt like that would look too busy and I was having a hard time with it. Instead, I used to striped paper, which has a lot of the colors of the rainbow in it. SInce we could also use one color, I wanted the green to stand out. I guess I combined the best of both aspects of this challenge.

In general, I think this card is super cute!! I love the way it turned out.

Supplies Used:

Scrapbook Paper DCVW Citrus Stack

Ribbon from Wal-Mart

Caterpillar from Create-a-Critter

Lime Green Stickles

Happy Scrappin'

Lauren

NSD Challenge #12 "Critter-licious"

2010-05-02T18:30:00.002-05:00

The challenge was to use an animal in a project. I got the inspiration for this project from under a Cherry Moon. You can see the instructions for how to make your own here. My fiancee wanted me to paint her a penguin, so I painted the one from Create-a-Critter. Hope you like it!

Supplies Used:

Canvas from Michaels

Contact paper

Acrylic paint

Create-a-Critter cartridge

Happy Scrappin'

Lauren

NSD Challenge #10 "May Day"

2010-05-02T18:22:00.002-05:00

Here is another card I made at my aunt's request. The challenge was to use flowers or something springy. I went with the flower. The person receiving this card loves leopard print, and my aunt wanted the card to have leopard print. This is what I came up with.

Supplies Used:

Flower cuts from George and Basic Shapes

Ribbon from Hobby Lobby

Brad from Michaels (I don't remember the brand)

Happy Scrappin'

Lauren

NSD Challenge #7 "Hey Dad"

2010-05-02T18:10:00.002-05:00

This challenge was to make something for your dad. I figured I would get a jump on a father's day card. I struggle with masculine cards (dont' we all), but I thought this one came out okay. The white is a little stark, but not too bad. What do you think?

Supplies Used:

Paper from Stampin' Up

Storybook Cartridge (letters and accents)

Happy Scrappin'

Lauren

NSD Challenge #6 "Kids Craft, Too"

2010-05-02T18:01:00.002-05:00

This challenge was to make a card with a kid or for a kid. Since I do not have children, I thought I would make a card for a kid. Also, I don't have any of the "people" cartridges, so I could not cut out a child. Animals seemed like the way to go. I love giraffes, so I thought I would use the one from Create-a-Critter. Here's what I came up with...now I just need to find someone to send it to.

Supplies Used:

Patterned Paper from DVWC Citrus Stack

Ribbon from Wal-Mart

Giraffe from Create-a-Critter

Happy Scrappin'

Lauren

NSD Challenge #5 "Teacher Appreciation"

2010-05-02T17:54:00.002-05:00

Well, I decided not to make my professors a card. I made one for my aunt. I was inspired by Robyn's mother's day card. my aunt and I used to always go on convertible rides...it was kind of our thing. So, I thought the cut was perfect! We haven't mailed each other cards in a while, so i thought this was a good time to do so and show her I appreciate her.

Supplies Used:

Patterned paper by Stampin' Up

EK Success Punch Scallop Diamond Edger

Paisley Cartridge

Brad from Michaels (I don't remember the brand)

Stickles
Ribbon from Wal-mart

Happy Scrappin'

Lauren

NSD Challenge #4 "I Like you the Least"

2010-05-02T17:30:00.002-05:00

This challenge was to use your least favorite cartridge. I used Graphically Speaking. My aunt wanted me to make a card for her friend. She's a "classic" kind of person, so I wanted to stick with the black and whites with a pop of color. I think it turned out super cute. We will see how she likes it.

Supplies Used:

Paper from Hobby Lobby (I think it's "The Paper Stack")

Ribbon from Wal-Mart

EK Success Punch Scallop Diamond Edger

High heel from Graphically Speaking

Happy Scrappin'

Lauren

NSD Challenge #3 "Thinking Outside the Box"

2010-05-02T17:19:00.002-05:00

This challenge was to do something that you do not usually do. The first thing that came to my mind was using a template for my scrapbook page. Usually I come up with my layouts myself because I find using a template restricts my creativity. So, I decided that I was going to be creative AND use a template.

The template I chose was one that Robyn posted on her blog a few weeks ago. You can view her post and see her take on the template here. I am working on a Disney scrapbook, so it's a spread for that. Enjoy...

Happy Scrappin'

Lauren

NSD Challenge #2 "Getting Scrappy"

2010-05-02T17:02:00.001-05:00

The second challenge was to make something using your scraps. My dad's 50th birthday is on Monday, so I decided to make him a card. He loves LSU football, and I had lots of purple and yellow scraps. Here is what I came up with...

Supplies Used:

Scrap Paper from Stampin' Up and SEI

Celebrations Cartridge

Purple Stickles

Happy Scrappin'

Lauren

NSD Challenge #1 "Mother Dear I Love You So"

2010-05-02T16:53:00.003-05:00

Hello Bloggers!!

Yesterday I participated in the National Scrapbook day challenges over at My Pink Stamper. I did a lot, but there are a few I'm still working on. I wanted to get these up though before I missed the deadline.

The first challenge was to make something for your mother. Since Mother's Day is coming up, I thought I would make a card. My mom loves seahorses, and since I LOVE the Create-a-Critter cartridge I thought it would be perfect. Here's what I came up with...

Supplies Used:

Scrapbook paper from Stampin' Up

Ribbon from Wal-Mart

EK Success Punch Dotted Wave Edger

Seahorse from Create-a-Critter

Happy Scrappin'

Lauren

Cards, Cards, Cards

2010-04-11T20:07:00.002-05:00

Good Evening Bloggers!!

I have spent this beautiful Sunday making cards!! I already posted the cards I made for the My Pink Stamper design challenge, and then I helped my fiancee with her entry. Since, I have been exploring the Create-A-Critter and "Just Because" cards cartridges. They are FABULOUS!! I think create a critter is my new favorite. There's so much you can do with it!! Here are the projects I made.

Supplies Used:

5x10" yellow cardstock

Create-A-Critter Cartridge (all on monkey key)

5" vine

4" Monkey (with all layers)

3" words (all layers)

Stickles

Supplies Used:

"Just Because" cards cartridge

Bee card (#33, pg. 56) cut at 5 1/2" both layers, black and blue cardstock

Bee word feature cut at 5 1/2" (make sure real size dial is OFF)

"Create-A-Critter" Cartridge

2" Bee (all layers)

Supplies Used

"Just because" cards cartridge

Whale Card cut at 5 1/2" on brown cardstock

Whale words (both layers) cut at 5 1/2"

"Create-A-Critter" cartridge

Whale cut at 3" (all layers)...I would cut it at 2 1/2"

Stickles

Happy Scrappin'

Lauren

My Pink Stamper Challenge

2010-04-11T10:17:00.001-05:00

Good Morning Bloggers!

This weekend Robyn over at My Pink Stamper hosted a color challenge. The colors were green, pink, and black. This is the first challenge I have participated in, so we will see how it goes. Here is my submission.

Supplies Used

5.5X8.5" black cardstock (folded in half)

2.5" SEI cardstock from the Bridgeport stack

2.5" circle cut from Accent Essentials

2" "L" cut from Cuttin' Up

3" embellishment cut from Wild Card

Star Dust stickles around the embellishment

Ribbon from Offray

If you have not checked out Robyn's blog, I suggest you do so here. She makes awesome projects and videos...and has some fun giveaways.

Happy Scrappin'

Lauren

Disney Pins

2010-04-10T22:12:00.002-05:00

Hello Bloggers!!

As most of you probably know, I recently took a trip to Disney World with my fiancee and my mom. While we were there, we collected some Disney Pins. They were great while we were there and wore our laynards around everyday; however, when we got home they just hung on our key hook. Since we aren't that serious about collecting or trading (even though my fiancee is trying to get all of the Mr. Potato head pins) we decided to display them. You can view my fiancee's pin frame here.

I got this idea from a Disney forum (that I do not remember), but this person collects all Stitch pins...so whoever you are thank you!! I listed the steps below if you would like to create your own.

Supplies Used

12X12 scrapbook frame (I got this one from Michaels)

12X12 piece of corkboard

12X12 scrapbook paper

5" Mickey from Mickey and Friends Circut Cartridge

PINS FROM DISNEY!!

Happy Scrappin',

Lauren

CKC Convention

2010-04-10T21:59:00.000-05:00

Hello Blog World!!

I went to my first CKC Convention in Collinsville, IL this weekend!! It was so much fun, and all I did was go to the vendor fair. I decided to take it easy since it was my first time going. There were so many people, and so much stuff to look at!! Here are a few make-and-take projects I did.

The first one is a gift card holder. This was so much fun to make, and super easy too! This was done at the Lickety Split Scrapbooking booth. The instructor there also said that someone made them into ornaments and hung them on the tree. Then when it was time to open gifts, all of the children found their ornament. I have no idea about the supplies used, except that the case looks like a mini jewel case. They said that the cases are for sale on the website, but I can't find them. Anyway, enjoy the project.

For our next make and take, we did a glitter project. I'm sorry, I don't remember the vendor...but they were locals. They had pre-printed computer layouts with embellishments that you covered in glitter. The "I," the parenthesis were double sided sticky cuts. One side stuck to the paper, the other side you put glitter on. Then, I took a glue pen and traced some of the other words I wanted to sparkle and put glitter on those. Super fun, and super messy (but did I mention super fun)

Not only is Collinsville, IL home to the CKC convention...but they also have the world's largest catsup bottle. It was actually a little anti climatic because there's no where to stop to take pictures. Here are the picture we did get though!

Happy Scrappin'!

Lauren

More Disney Layouts

2010-04-04T22:48:00.000-05:00

I spent most of this weekend scrapbooking. Like I said in a previous post, I am working on a scrapbook from a recent Disney trip. Here's what I created.

Here is an updated picture from a previous post. I used the Mickey font cartridge for the letters, Disney dimensional stickers, and Martha Stewart ribbon. I thought it turned out super cute, and I'm glad I added the Disney characters. It really added something. The only thing I wish I had done was leave a place for journaling. I did on the rest of the pages, just not this one.

This second one is the first page to the Animal Kingdom section. I don't remember the font cartridge or the type of paper I used, but I did use the Animal Kingdom cartridge to cute out the animals. Hope you enjoy the start of out adventure!

The third one is for the Animal Kingdom parade The Animal Kingdom cartridge was used for the tiger and the Paisley cartridge was used for the frog. The Mickey font cartridge was used for all of the letters.

The last one is for the Coronation of the Lion King show. This is actually my least favorite layout. I used the Mickey font and Disney stickers.

Happy Birthday

2010-04-04T22:09:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't posted lately...that's what happens in graduate school I guess.

My fiancee's birthday was at the beginning of the week. She LOVES Mr. Potato Head; however, it was very difficult to find someone to make a Mr. Potato head cake (or a cake with him on it). This meant that I had to make one myself. I just drew Mr. Potato Head on a cookie cake using cookie and cake icing bought at Wal-Mart. Here is the result...

I thought it actually turned out pretty well. She loved it, and was impressed.

Enjoy!

Crazy About Cards

2010-03-21T02:15:00.000-05:00

I am a card person. I LOVE making cards to send out to people. Today, I decided to play with my Wild Card Cartridge for the Cricut...and it is AMAZING!! It is definitely one of my favorite cartridges. Here are a few of the cards I made.

This is a birthday card I made using the Wild Card Cartridge. It's pretty large...I don't remember exactly how big, but I used the "fit to page" option for the base of the card. I know you can't see if very well, but the but the frosting of the cupcake is done in white glitter and I used pop dots, and the flame is yellow glitter. It's not perfect...there are a few things I would do differently...like cut out the candle and make it a different color. However, it was good for my first card.

This one is one of my favorites. I had a hard time understanding how all of the different pieces fit, so I just made it up. It uses all of the elements of the Argyle card.

Now that I had gotten the basics down and understood how all of the pieces of the cartridge worked together, I decided to go outside of the box a little bit. I have always wanted monogram cards, so I decided to try one on my own. It's pretty big (9 1/2 inches) because I wanted to see if it worked. This is defiantly not one I would mail, but I'm really happy with it, so now I'm going to mass produce it.

Here is a detail for the monogram.

Hope you enjoyed the cards and have a little inspiration now!!

My Fiancee's Scrapbook

2010-03-21T01:54:00.002-05:00

Hello crafty world!

My fiancee is just as passionate about scrapbooking as I am, which gives us lots of things to do together as well as someone to bounce ideas off of. She is working on a scrapbook of us, and here are some of the layouts she came up with. All of these are from a trip we took to St. Louis for our one year anniversary.

These pictures are from the penguin and pelican exhibit at the St. Louis Zoo. She used the Don Juan cricut cartridge for the letters and snowflake, and a Martha Stewart punch for the embellishment. The snowflakes are stuck on using pop dots. Also, the clear stickles glitter glue was used to make the snowflakes sparkle.

Here are some other layouts from the trip! Check out her blog HERE if you want to see more! Hope you enjoyed them!!

Crop Night

2010-03-20T01:36:00.000-05:00

Today was my first crop night!! I was so excited to attend, and I am now planning on going to many more. I had a great time with some great friends. It's also nice to be able to shop for exactly what you need.

I am working on a scrapbook for a Disney World New Year's trip my mom, fiancee, and I took this past New Year's. Here are my first few pages!!

This is the title page. It was made using the Mickey Font cricut cartridge. This is BY FAR one of my favorite projects I have done. I am so proud of the way it came out!!

Here is the first layout I did. Again, this was made with the Mickey font. I really didn't pay attention to the type or color paper I was using. Since I was cropping in a store, I just took my Mickey paper and compared the colors until I found the ones I wanted. The pictures will be of us shopping in Downtown Disney. This one turned out a lot cuter than I thought it would.

Hope you enjoyed my pages!! This is going to be a long but rewarding project...I can tell. Look forward to come cards coming soon!!

Pictures

2010-03-17T00:09:00.001-05:00

So, I have to admit I'm new to the blogging world...so I'm testing out how to upload and format pictures.

This is an old picture of a bulletin board I did when I was a Resident Assistant.

I made this during the month of February. Each of the hearts says "I love you" in a different language. My girls loved it and it made a great diversity bulletin board.

To be honest, I thought I had more pictures of bulletin boards and door decorations that I made. I used a lot of Stampin' Up stuff to make my door decorations. Maybe I will take more pictures and upload them. Hope you enjoy this one!!

I'm A Scrapper

2010-03-16T10:38:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my blog! Here is a little bit about me and my hopes for this blog.

I am a graduate student majoring in Clinical Counseling, which means that I don't have a lot of time so updates may be few and far between sometimes. I LOVE to scrapbook and make cards and things. I have recently rediscovered my love for all things crafty. A lot of my inspiration comes from other's blogs, so I thought I would "give back" to the scrapping community by starting a blog of my own.

I mainly do scrapbooking and card making. I love my cricut and recently purchased an expression. My mom is a Stampin' Up demonstrator (and a fabulous one at that) so I also get a lot of inspiration and support from her.

I hope you enjoy what you will see!! Please feel free to leave comments and suggestions. I look forward to my blogger adventures.