Goooooooo Irish

My husband is a huge Notre Dame University fan. For his birthday I made him this easel card using Varsity Letter and Design Studio. The ND monogram is about 4" tall. The background football field was all cut on the trimmer and then the lines glued down. The uprights are cut from the football cut on the Sports Mania cartridge and the football button is from Making Memories.

The inside was two, 2 1/2" x 6 3/4" sheets mounted. The top one I added a border sticker from a scrapbook ND set and then I printed a sentiment on my computer. On the bottom half, I used more stickers from that same set and then pop dotted so that the card will stand

Key to Your Heart

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

Today's card is a creation that I am giving my little sis, The Cricut Crazed Lady, for Valentine's.   She loves the trendy old skeleton keys so, I am busting out my Sentimentals cartridge!  I cut all three keys at 3" in different silver colored shimmer papers and then black shadows.  One of them had a hole at the top but, the other two, I punched the hole in.  I bought some black jewelry chain in the jewelry making section at Joann's.   It was on sale so I think I paid like $2 for several feet of it. 

The card is a 5x5 black base with pink and silver metallic paper from the DCWV Metallic stack.   I punched the bottoms using the border punch from a MS all around the page punch.   I used my Crop A Dile (really into it now) for the eyelets in the top corners.  

Since the chain is real, I didn't want to run it through the eyelets because it would be bulky on the back so, I threaded some black thread through the chain and then taped the thread onto the back of the card.  The keys are all pop dotted and the sentiment was printed on my computer and then I inked it in pink and mounted it to a small piece of the metallic silver.

On the inside, I used two strips of the pink metallic on the top and bottom of the card.   I used a black piece and then border punched it across the top and bottom and then I added the rest of the sentiment in the center.  The lock was also cut from Sentimentals at 2 1/2" using some other metallic papers.  

She loved the card!!

Stained Glass

Ornamental Iron was one of 15 cartridges that my fab husband got me for Christmas and I love it.  When I look at a couple of the cuts though, they remind me of my church and the fabulous stained glass windows there.   This card was made using some different techniques and materials that what I have used before.  

The base is a really light yellow color and then a light blue shimmery mat from the DCWV Linen coordinating stack.   I inked the edges of both using black ink.  I first cut the Gate5a cut at 6" from black cardstock.  

So, here is the new material and technique portion:  the stained glass.   Since overhead presentations are now a thing of the past, my office had tons of the transparency film in the cabinet that they were going to throw out.   I took it all!   I used a transparency sheet, colored tissue paper and decopauge to create the stained glass.   When I made the stained glass, I used bright colored tissue paper and made the collage big enough for the cut plus some.  When I did cut it out, I glued the Ornamental Iron cut to the shiny transparency side, not to the side that the tissue paper was glued to.   I also added a sheet of solid white to the back of the cut so that the collage would appear bright, like light was shining in the window.

I decided I wanted to use the sentiment (from G Studio) and put it on a sash type ribbon banner,   All of the options I had weren't right though so, I used a piece of ribbon and attached it to the front of the card with two black brads and then the sentiment mounted on a scrap of the yellow and then on the shiny blue.

On the inside, I cut the gate10d (I think) at 12".   WOW, was this interesting!   I wanted the cut to be about 1" tall and 4" wide to use the remaining 'stained glass' but, at 1", the cut was barely visible.   I had to check it out on my Design Studio to see what the deal was.  At 12", it cut about 5x1".   I trimmed off the blocks on the edge of the cut and it worked perfectly.   I should also add that when I went to cut the top block layer, using the shift key, the machine went was down on the paper to start cutting.....weird.   I did cut them though in the shiny blue and added the stained glass to the back as well as another light blue sheet below. 

I have to say I really LOVE how the stained glass turned out!   Not sure I will be able to send it.  :)

Blooming Love

Today's VD card is one of my favorites.   I had cut the tree a while back, for a different project and then decided not to use it.  I came across it and decided to make this 'tree of hearts'.   The tree is from the the Cindy Loo cartridge, cut at 4".   The hearts were all cut using two different punches and pink, red, white and silver glitter paper.  

The mat paper is from the American Crafts Dear Lizzy spring pack (super cute), the grass and cloud are part of the paper but, I added some cotton to the cloud to make it look more like a fluffy cloud.

The sentiment is printed on my computer and the corners are from a Uchidy punch.   I used stickles on the hearts and ultimately added two little bird stickers because I accidentally got ink on the card!   I think it turned out well though ;)

On the inside, I printed the rest of the sentiment and used a Fiskars punch on the corners and then added the Stickles!   Love is Blooming, I hope it is for you too!  

Is that Lipstick on your Collar?

I needed to make a VD card for my husband and I hadn't gotten to his yet but, I got some inspiration from a couple of blogs so, here is it.....lipstick on the shirt collar!

I wanted to use the lip sheet from the DCWV Rock Star stack and I wanted to use the lip cut from the Tie the Knot but, wasn't sure about the rest.   Then I got the idea and looked through my cartridges but, couldn't find a shirt and tie so, I figured it couldn't be that hard to make by hand and have the collar a little 3 dimensional.  So, the shirt & tie is entirely formed/cut by hand.  The paper for the shirt is black cardstock and a pinstriped sheet from the DCWV Linen stack.

The lips were cut at 1/2" using only the blackout and top layer of the lips from the Tie the Knot cartridge.   The light colored mat is also from the Linen stack and the pink lip sheet is from the DCWV Rock Star stack.   The sentiment is from the Scrappy Moms 'Charmed Life' set. 

On the inside, I used a sheet of white cardstock and an EK Success punch on the right side with a strip of the lip paper down the left side.   Hope he likes it.  He's truly is one of a kind!

Stylish Blogger Award

One of my fabulous blog friends, Cindy, over at In Love with Paper, has awarded me with a Stylish Blogger Award. 

Upon receiving this award I must:

1) thank the person who gave this award to me and link it back to their blog
2) share 8 things about myself
3) pass this award to 8 other individuals that I have recently discovered
4) leave a comment so that they can pass along the recognition!

Okay, eight things about myself:

Eight things about myself:
~I am loving this winter weather because life has slowed down a little~
~my goal for this year is to be more efficient although I already keep myself really busy as it is!~
~I have two GREAT kids but, I could never be a stay at home mom~
~I love to shop as much as paper craft~
~I start planning my kids' birthday parties MONTHS in advance~
~I've been with my company for 15 years~
~My little sis is new to papercrafting, check her out, Cricut Crazed Lady~
~I love Notre Dame football~

The eight FABULOUS ladies that I am passing this onto are:
~My little sister, Ash, at Cricut Crazed Lady~
~Ashley at Crafty Amour~
~Miss Bliss at Miss Bliss~
~Diana at Daisy Love Creations~
~Kim at Kimi Kraftz~
~Amber at My 3 E Scrapbooking~
~Shauna at Craftee She~
~Anita at Scrapping with Glitter~

Keep sharing your great work and inspiring everyone!!!   Great job ladies!!!

Kitty Love with a Wobble!

I think this cutie kitty card is going to be for my daugther.  The cat was cut using Create a Critter at 3".  I decided to use fun flock and make her furry.   If you're new to fun flock, there are a couple of tips:

1.  run the item through your Xyron upside down to get an even sticky surface.

2.  Once you're run it through, if you have the larger Xyrons, like I do, you should take your glue remover (this is an uneven surface rubber eraser like item) and remove glue in places you don't want it.   For example, I rubbed it over the cuts for the whiskers, over her eyes, mouth and ears to get rid of excess glue that I don't want to fight with once I add flock.

3. Pour the flock onto your item, over top of a piece of paper so that you can pour the excess flock back into the container.  Once you have the entire item generously covered with flock, use your finger to press the flock into the surface of the item.  Then rub off excess.

  I decided not to use the Cricut nose for her and instead used a heart brad.   Then, I used cotton candy stickles on the inside of her ears and black diamond stickles on her whiskers.   I also used stickles on her bow and added a big 'diamond'gem. 

So, I made the kitty wobble as well which was a first for me.   I have seen the action wobbles but, I decided to try to make them myself so, I bought some 26 gauge copper jewelry wire for less than $3 and cut about a 2" piece.   I wrapped it around my finger and then taped it to the card and the other side to the kitty.   It worked perfectly.   NOTE:   My first instinct was to make a larger wobble but, it doesn't work well, it only allows your item to wobble all over the place versus wobbling in the spot you want.   Next time I do one, I will take a picture of the wobble inside as well, sorry I didn't think of that until now!

So, when I went to cut the pillow, accessory, I assumed I should cut at 3".  It was huge.   So, I re-cut it at 1 1/4".   I ran it through the Cuttlebug using Swiss Dots and then added the 'fringe' ribbon on the bottom.  The stamp sentiment is from a G Studio mini set that I picked up for $.49 on clearance.   I stamped it on the pink scallop that I cut using the Preserves cartridge, the Apple4, lid cut at 1 1/2".

The mat aqua paper has xo's on it and is from the DCWV Madly in Love stack.  Then, I cut the scallop cut, also using Preserves.   The cut was the card cut on the Plum2.   I had to cut it using DS though because I needed the cut to be 5 1/4 x 4" and I used the DCWV Christmas Glitter stack for it, in white.

The inside, I cut the mat on white cardstock by going into the DS frame about and just hiding the inside cut of the frame.  I inked the edges in pink and then stamped the sentiment and the little paw prints in the same pink.  Have a great day everyone!

Angie

Balls of Holly

Today's card was my submission for the ProvoCraft Facebook Card challenge.  They posted the challenge a couple of weeks ago on FB that they were going to have a handmade card challenge that required you to use one of three cartridges (Don Juan, Winter Lace, or Home Decor) and something from Anna Griffin.  And, the card had to be delivered by Tuesday Jan. 18.   I didn't win but, I was really happy with my card!

So, the only cartridge from the three that I had was the Winter Lace and the only Anna Griffen product I have is the Holiday Traditions stack.   I wanted to do a VD card but, once I started I decided to leave it as a Christmas card.   I cut the second snowflake cut on the Winter Lace cartridge, layer included, three times.  I cut the first at 3 3/4", the second at 3 1/2" and the third at 3".   I cut them in different shades of green and pop dotted each layer to appear as a three dimensional ball of holly/kissing ball.  I added some dots of red stickle to the top layer to appear as berries and then a piece of gold and green ribbon to 'hang' it from and a handmade bow on the top.   The mounted paper is a flocked damask from that Anna Griffin stack, on a cream colored shimmer paper.  The corners were all cut with a Fiskar's corner punch and the sentiment was printed on my computer and mounted on gold and then green to match the rest of the card.   I was so pleased with this because I don't think it looks like a snowflake at all.

On the inside, I continued the sentiment of 'Deck the Halls with balls of Holly' and then 'Happy Holidays'.  I mounted it on the same green, using the same corner punch and a piece of the gold ribbon.   The cream paper is the same shimmer paper as the front.   Again, I was really pleased with this card.  Thanks for taking a look!

Giveaway at Queen of my Craftroom

Just to let you all know, there is a giveaway going on at Queen of My Craftroom when she gets 200 followers!