25 Days of Christmas Day 4: Dog Treat Containers

Hello Again!!

Today I thought I would share a different project I made.  Believe it or not, the other day I pulled out my Cricut and my vinyl to do a project.  First, a story...

My better half and I have been together for seven years.  For the last five, we have been wanting a puppy.  However, we were unable to get one because my better half had a job at a University where we lived in the residence hall.  Sadly, the residence halls do not allow us to have pets.  This year when we moved into our new home, we bought a dog!!  Her name is Sadie, and she is the cutest puppy you have ever seen!!

Of course, with a puppy comes puppy treats!  we purchased plain, plastic, airtight containers from Wal-Mart, and I thought they needed more pizazz.  So, we purchased other containers.  The other containers we purchased started to break, so I thought it was time to dress up the ones we bought.

I used my word collage cartridge that I have wanted to use for a while.  I had some difficulty with the vinyl as it was REALLY sticky and would not cling to the transfer tape.  That's why some letters are a little crooked.  There are also A LOT of letters, and that was kind of a pain.

I think they turned out fairly cute, and they work really well for doggie treats.  They were fairly easy to make as well (aside from the stickiness).  The moral of the story is, don't forget your pet on Christmas too!!  See you tomorrow!!

My Pink Stamper 12 Days of Christmas Challenge

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!!

Watch This Wednesday-Altered Paper Clip

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!!!

Thanks Mom Blog Hop

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

Makeover Monday #2 - Clock Wall Art

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!!

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

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.  

1. 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. 
2. Place patterned paper on top of the frame and run hand over to smooth.
3. Flip the frame upside down so your patterned paper is on the table and you are looking at the back of the picture frame. 
4. Spread a layer of mod-podge on the corners of the frame and the back of the paper
5. Fold the paper around the edge of the frame and glue onto back of frame. 
6. To make the corners look good, fold them like you would when you wrap a gift. 
7. Let it dry. 
8. Use an exacto knife to cut the picture hole out of the paper.  
9. I used the Birthday Bash Cartridge to cut out the letter and the letter shadow.  They were cut at 2 inches.  
10. Glue the shadow and the layer together and place them on the frame. 
11. I used Paper Doll Dress Up to cut out the shamrocks (2")
12. Run the shamrocks through a Xyrom machine (or cover them with glue)
13. Put the glue/sticky side in Martha Stewart "Peridot" glitter 
14. 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!

Make Over Monday #1

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!!

My PInk Stamper Valentine Challenge

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.  

Think Spring Blog Hop

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 Part 2

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

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...

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

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

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