You're the Sweetest card

I had paper and die cut leftovers from a layout that seemed like they should get used for something, so I made this card sort of on the fly last night!  I had a cotton candy cut from Carousel lying around, plus this great piece of background paper from the October Afternoon Midway collection to put together.  I added some ribbon so I could play along with the Craftin Desert Divas "use ribbon or twine" challenge, along with some little dots for the corners from My Mind's Eye that were also just lying around on my table (it's a disastrous mess, I tell you!).  So here is what it ended up:

Cricut:
Carousel-cotton candy
Paper-solids CTMH, print October Afternoon Midway collection
Ribbon-American Crafts
dots-My Mind's Eye
brown chalk ink
Stamp-from a Fiskars set called the The Sweet Life

The pics are not the best (kinda dark) because I took these at midnight, lol!  (I should seriously not be allowed to use a camera at that hour...and in bed, but since I am working nights this weekend I needed to stay up late to be able to stay awake tonight!)

I have two posts going up today:

Happy Memorial Day!  I have to work today, so it's not feeling like a holiday for me, but I hope most of you are kicking back and relaxing and enjoying a 3 day weekend.   My post for the BBTB2 Zoo challenge is below.  Scroll down one post for my post for the Pause Dream Enjoy foam tape challenge. May there be some fun crafty time in your week :)

Go Wild layout (for the BBTB2)

It's the "Life is a Zoo!" challenge at the BBTB2 this week-lots of fun!  I had some pictures waiting to be scrapped, which inspired me to make this Go Wild layout (although it's not actually about a zoo!).  One of our local parks has lots of animal sculptures as part of the play equipment, including a giant elephant and penguin with slides and climbers on them.  We had a great time playing there on a warm sunny day over spring break!

I used the Create A Critter cartridge to cut my animals.  The top of the circus tent resembles the elephant slide at the park, so I attached that to my elephant.  The print papers and stickers are from several Echo Park collection leftovers I had lying around.  Sometimes it's good to not clean off the scrap table between projects, lol!

Cricut:
Create A Critter-all cuts
Paper/stickers-Echo Park prints, CM and CTMH for solids
brown chalk ink

So if you've got a zoo trip you need to scrap or maybe a fun animal card to make, this is the challenge for you!  Make something new and fun with your cricut and link up at the BBTB2!

Bluegrass Jam Night layout (for PDE challenges)

Pause Dream Enjoy Challenges has a new challenge:  use foam tape on a project!  Since I am a huge fan of foam tape and pop dots for some dimension in my projects, I was excited to do this one.  In fact, it's rare I don't have something popped up on a layout or card!  But on to my project:

my guitar and microphone are popped up on foam tape:

my dashing gentleman musician is also popped up on foam tape:

Son#1 was invited to perform on the main stage at the local Bluegrass Jam Night (of course I took lots of pictures!).   I found the coolest paper for my musical layout from Cosmo Cricket's Honky Tonk collection-the background paper is retro looking and covered with guitars and the photo mats are this really cool woodgrain paper (and I just love the name Honky Tonk...).  Everything is from the Suburbia cartridge except  I did add a few music notes from Groovy Times.  My stamp on the journal box is from a My Pink Stamper set (I thought it fit so perfectly!).

Cricut:
Suburbia-all cuts except music notes
Groovy Times-music notes
Paper-Cosmo Cricket Honky Tonk collection for the prints, CTMH solids
brown chalk ink
stamp-My Pink Stamper Music Speaks set

Here are the challenge details:

Pause Dream Enjoy (PDE) Ch# 11 Use Foam Tape

Begins: Monday, May 27

Ends: Sunday, Jun 9

Sponsor: Mary of Cardz TV Stamps http://www.cardztvstamps.blogspot.com/

Prize: 1 stamp set

(must have USA address)

Remember This wedding layout (for Exploring Cricut)

It's my turn for the Exploring Cricut daily project today!  I've been scrapping some pictures from a cousin's wedding and had lots of candids of the reception and our extended family that I wanted to scrap.  I don't know about you, but I always end up taking lots of snapshots of family and friends at weddings, and leave the actual wedding ceremony pictures to the professionals.  But then, what to do with my snapshots?  I've made several pages for all the family candids I took at the reception.  Here are two of my pages.  The wedding cake page has a cake from the Sweethearts cartridge, which was very cute and fun to put together.  The other page (of family shots) has cuts from the CM Cheerful Seasons cartridge.  I used the circles, also from Cheerful Seasons, to tie the two pages together.  The font is also Cheerful Seasons.  Hope you enjoyed my little foray into wedding layouts.  Someday I'm going to get it together enough to do my own wedding pictures from 17 years ago!

Doesn't this cake look delicious?

Cricut:
Sweethearts-cake
CM Cheerful Seasons-all other cuts
Paper-not sure of the bg paper line, as it's been in my stash for a long time
brown chalk ink

 Every day, each one of the designers at Exloring Cricut has a Cricut creation to share with you, to help you get ideas for using all your cartridges, so drop by for some inspiration any time!  Exploring Cricut also has a Facebook page, if you are an FB person, where you can see the project of the day.  

I've got two posts today:

It was a stormy night here in the Midwest, but I'm looking forward to showing some cool projects on this Monday morning!  If you are looking for my BBTB2 post for the Pass It On challenge, scroll down one post-I have a super fun mini album.  If you are looking for my Exploring Cricut post for the Here Comes Summer challenge, my layout for it is just below.

Chillin' by the Pool Layout (for Exploring Cricut)

Are you anticipating some summer fun?  Well, our Exploring Cricut challenge theme is "Here Comes Summer" and is supposed to be about something you are looking forward to for summer (and including two cricut cuts).  I'm looking forward to some time in our pool, which we are going to try to get opened next weekend, so my layout is all about chillin' by the pool!  I used the Pack Your Bags cartridge for the whole thing.  The fun print paper is from the October Afternoon Midway collection.

Cricut:
Pack Your Bags-all cuts (some of them I cut extra layers for more color or altered slightly)
Paper-October Afternoon Midway collection prints, CTMH and CM solids
brown chalk ink

I'm looking forward to seeing some fun summer projects at Exploring Cricut:  remember, it must be new and include 2 cricut cuts.

24/7 mini album (for BBTB2) warning-pic heavy!

There is such a fun challenge for you this week at BBTB2-it's called Pass It On-Celebrate the Joy of Giving.  You can use ANY cricut cut to make something new to "pass on" to someone else to spread some joy.  The design team has some wonderful projects to inspire you over at BBTB2 and I hope you'll make something and link up to share with us.

I've had such fun making a little mini album with overlapping pocket pages (each has a pull out for more pics) of the kid's school year to give them, to remind them of all the good times this year.  I was trying to make it have a bulletin board feel (inspired by the cork board paper) and I wanted the photos to feel kind of like an Instagram or Polaroid- they are a 2x3 size.   I used my cricut to do most of the titles and added some embellishments.

I made my mini using a tutorial from Ginger of My Sister's Scrapper.  It's available on YouTube:

Part 1

Part 2

Ginger's Finished Album

I used some recycled chipboard (cereal boxes!) for my covers and the paper/stickers are from the Simple Stories 24/7 collection. Each of the 6 pockets holds a pull out with both sides available for pictures, so this mini holds LOTS of pics!  It has a magnet closure for the front and on the little back pocket.   I will admit this took me several nights to make and put together, but it was enormously fun!  My kids LOVED it and asked me to make more!  Now on to the pictures of the album (warning-there are a lot and I think I got them slightly out of order).

the cover (there is a hidden magnet closure under the flap)

Here's the first page with the front covers opened up (the yellow zigzag paper is page 2).  There are 3 pages attached on each side:  Page 1 is attached on the left, Page 2 on the right, etc. and they overlap.  Each page has an insert in the pocket with 2 sides for more pics. 

 I squeezed a LOT of pics into this little 6 page album!  They are in the following pics.

Page 6 insert-ready for some May pictures

Bottom of album with magnet flap closed for more pics

Flap opened-spot for more pics on the polka dot mat

Cricut:
Plaintain Schoolbook-font
Locker Talk-apple
Doodlecharms-spider, Christmas tree
Sports Mania-football
CM Cheerful Seasons-friends
Mickey and Friends-Mickey head

Paper-Simple Stories 24/7 collection
brown chalk ink
Stampin Up scallop border punch
Tim Holtz metal corners
magnets

Whew!  Lot of pics, I know!  It's much easier to see how it all goes together on a video, which is why I included the link to Ginger's video showing her finished album.  It was a SUPER fun little project!   This challenge is the perfect excuse to make that card or mini or little set of notes for someone, so jump in and join us with a project at BBTB2.

I'm also going to link this to the Cut It Up challenge this week to make a mini!

Hoot-erffic Graduation card

It's that time of year- graduation season!  I made a graduation card, using Create A Critter (part of my card series with CAC/CAC2).  I'm going to link it to the Fantabulous Cricut "Congratulations Graduate" challenge.  My graduation owl (he's a very learned kind of owl) uses the American Crafts Hip Hip Hooray paper pack I picked up on a whim at Target one day (not exactly a craft mecca usually, but I check it out when I'm there occasionally and this time was a win!).  I used a My Pink Stamper collection for the sentiments.

Cricut:
Create A Critter-graduation owl
Paper-American Crafts Hip Hip Hooray paper
Stamps-My Pink Stamper
Ink/Scallop punch-Stampin Up

I've got two posts today:

I hope all mom's had a nice day yesterday!  I have another BUSY week full of my kid's school activities ahead, but hopefully a little crafty time will squeeze in somewhere!  If you are looking for my post for the BBTB2 April Showers Bring May Flowers post, it is just below.  If you are looking for my post for the Pause Dream Enjoy Challenges Happy ________! Challenge, scroll down one post.    Have a great Monday start to the week!

Bloom and Grow layout

It's Monday and that means a new challenge at the BBTB2!  So what is in store for this week?  April showers bring May flowers!  The challenge is to make a new project using any cricut flower cut. I have made a layout for pictures of my flower garden, using the Kate's ABCs cartridge.  It has SO many beautiful flower images!  In fact, I got a little carried away and kept adding things!  The lovely print papers are from the Simple Stories Vintage Bliss collection.  I earmarked that flower paper for this layout as soon as I saw it!  The cute little bingo cards were cut from one of the papers in the collection.

Cricut:
Kate's ABCs-all cuts
Paper/Stickers-Simple Stories Vintage Bliss prints/stickers, solids are CTMH and CM
brown chalk ink

I hope you will join in and link up with a project-it's so fun to see all the things people create!   My DT sisters have made some beautiful projects for you to see over at BBTB2, so be sure to take a look!

Happy Birthday layout (for PDE challenges)

It's a Happy fill in the blank challenge (meaning you get to pick) at Pause Dream Enjoy Challenges this week (see bottom for challenge details).   I have a LOT of birthday pictures from last year to scrap, so Happy Birthday was an easy choice for me!  This layout has a quite a few things going on, as the Birthday Bash critters are helping out with the party fun!  The font is  also from Birthday bash.  I strung a little twine for the mouse to walk on and added some stickle for the bling.  The print papers and stickers are all from the Simple Stories Vintage Bliss collection.

Cricut:
Birthday Bash-all cuts
Paper/Stickers-Simple Stories Vintage Bliss collection prints, CTMH solids
brown chalk ink/stickle of various colors
twine-My Mind's Eye

Here are the challenge details:

Pause Dream Enjoy (PDE) Ch# 10 Happy _____ (fill in the blank)

Begins: Monday, May 13

Ends: Sunday, May 26

Sponsor: CTMH - Lucy Kelleher http://lucyk.ctmh.com/

Prize: (prize to be announced)

(must have USA address)