May flowers

 Happy Monday!  One graduation down, one to go!  It's been an emotional rollercoaster for sure.  My college senior graduated summa cum laude from my alma mater and I had tears of pride and joy watching him walk across the stage to get his diploma last weekend.  Our whole family, his fiancee, and grandparents were able to be there on his special day, thanks to the reductions in covid cases with vaccinations and capacity restrictions removed.  It was an amazingly wonderful surprise!  We have one graduation to go, with my youngest graduating from high school this week.

It's a flower challenge over at BBTB2.  Everything is in bloom outside and I am loving it!  Creating with flowers always makes me happy!  I used these lovely blooms from the Artistry collection for the card I made for Mother's Day.  I got my mom some real flowers too, but moms can never have enough flowers, right?  I had to play with the layers a bit to get two shades of pink plus my green leaves showing, but love how it turned out!  You can see the design team projects and link your project over at BBTB2 for the next two weeks.

Cricut:

Artistry-flowers

Ink-Stampin Up Melon Mambo

my college grad with his brothers

layout for stars challenge

 Happy Monday!  The BBTB2 challenge for the next two weeks involves stars:  either a Star Wars May the Fourth Be With You themed project or you can go with just stars.  I chose to go with the basic stars, as I'm making some scrapbook pages for an upcoming family trip to Yellowstone this June.  The left side page is inspired from a layout made by Jennifer Smith that I saw on Pinterest and I added a second page.  I used several different collections from CTMH for the layout, including stars from the Aurora collection.  You can check out the design team's projects over at the BBTB2 site and link up your cricut projects there too.

Cricut:

Artistry-font

Aurora-mountains, lantern, arrow, stars

Timber-trees

You Are Here-shapes for stamping

Stamps-CTMH Travelodge and This Way 2 Paradise sets

Ink-CTMH Cocoa

Paper-Photoplay Go Play Outside collection plus CTMH solids

Summer Sunshine layout

Happy Monday!  I hope you've been able to find some avenues to enjoy a bit of summertime, despite the pandemic.  It's been sunny and hot the last few weeks here in Kansas City, and since we aren't taking a summer vacation this year, we've been trying to enjoy all the sunny days here at home.  My adventures this summer will be tame, but I am finding satisfaction in the quieter pleasures like gardening, sitting on the porch reading, and swimming in the pool.  It's definitely made me appreciate being home in a new way!

Our BBTB2 theme for the next two weeks is the summer solstice-show me the sun.  I had this fun pink paper I've been wanting to use, so my layout is all in shades of pink and brown.  I was trying to make a layout for pictures of relaxing by our pool.  I used two of the CTMH collections with cricut that are favorites of mine, You Are Here and Artistry.  You can see all the fun design team projects that are full of sunshine over at BBTB2 and link up a new cricut project.

Cricut:
CTMH Artistry-polaroid frames
CTMH You Are Here-all other cuts
Paper-Echo Park Summer Party prints, CTMH solids
brown chalk ink for edging

Somebunny loves you layout

Happy Monday!  It's feeling like spring, finally!  The first daffodils have opened up their blooms in my flowerbeds and my boys were home on spring break last week, making my heart happy!  It's been warm enough to be outside and my husband and I went hiking in one of the state parks and soaked up the sunshine.  I even got to have a craft day with my mom and friends!  I think this week will be slightly less awesome....but you never know, right?  It may surprise me!  So on to crafty things....

Easter is coming up soon and our challenge over at the BBTB2 blog this week is an Easter theme.  All the images on my layout below are from the Cricut Artistry cartridge, including the adorable bunny.  I copied the general placement of the pictures on this layout from a design I saw somewhere, maybe in a CTMH catalog?  I've used this before on a layout several years ago, and now I can't remember where I saw it originally.  That's the beauty of a good sketch-you can adapt it to multiple projects with different themes easily.  The design team has projects shared over at the BBTB2 and you can link up a new Cricut Easter themed project there over the next two weeks.

Cricut:
Artistry-all cuts, including font
Paper-CTMH solids, unsure on print paper
washi tape
enamel dots-Doodlebug

Just a little bonus pic:

I had a craft day with my mom and several friends this week and we had a blast.  Mom and I were making thank you cards for my niece's wedding shower.  While we didn't use my cricut for these particular cards, I thought I'd post a pic anyway.  We cribbed all these ideas from Pinterest (gotta love Pinterest), so they are not original designs.  We made a total of 30 thank you cards using some of my Stampin Up goodies and had so much fun!  It's good to laugh with friends :)

happy to be hiking out in the sunshine in t-shirts!

Sparkly ornament Christmas card

Happy Monday!  I'm sharing another one of the very sparkly Christmas cards I made using the SU Dazzling Diamonds glitter.  The ornament is from an SU stamp set my mom owns, so I can't remember the name of it.  I used SU coastal cabana ink and the lighter color is just the imaged stamped off a second time.  I'll link to my post describing the glitter application process.  The banner is cut with my cricut and stamped.  This card is so pretty and sparkly in person!  Truly a WOW card to send.

Hope you are keeping up with all the demands of December with your sanity intact!  Santa's elves have been busy delivering all my Amazon packages, so I've got some wrapping to do.  (Thank goodness for being able to shop at 2:00 AM over lunch at work at the hospital with Amazon!)

Cricut:
Artistry-banner
Stamp set: Stampin Up ornament, CTMH sentiment
Ink-SU Coastal Cabana
Paper-CTMH
SU Dazzling Diamonds glitter

Hey there Pumpkin layout

Happy Monday!  Our BBTB2 challenge this week is an anything with a cricut cut challenge.  So if you have that partially finished orphan project, here's your chance to get it finished off and share!  My layout is for pictures from a fall festival last year.  I used several cartridges for my fall themed scene-  Artistry, County Fair, and Mickey and Friends.  Hope you all have a good week and if you are from the areas being rained on by Florence, I hope you stay safe and dry.

Cricut:
Artistry-sunflowers, hey there pumpkin
County Fair-fence, hay bales, chicken
Mickey and Friends-sun, clouds

St. Patrick's Day card

Happy Monday!  Our BBTB2 challenge this week is shamrocks, as St. Patrick's Day is coming up.  I've been sending occasional little cards to the college freshmen in my fam (son and niece), since they like getting mail from home.  For this challenge,I made a St. Patrick's Day card featuring the coffee go cup from the Artistry cartridge and added some shamrocks from CAC2 on the label.  I'm sticking in a gift card for that all important Starbucks fix...which should bring a big smile!

Cricut:
Artistry-coffee go cup
Create A Critter 2-shamrocks
Paper-DCWV All Seasons print, CTMH solids
VersaMagic Jumbo Java chalk ink for edging
Ink-Stampin Up Lucky Limeade for sentiment
Stamps-Paper Smooches coffee cup, sentiment set maker unknown

ghouls and monsters card

Happy Monday!  It's been a busy week of work, band competitions, high school football games, and concerts!  And guess what's coming up soon?  Halloween!  And that's our BBTB2 challenge theme this week as well.  I have already taken some Halloween themed pictures, as the high school band performed their halftime show in Halloween costumes this weekend instead of their uniforms.  They had a competition going among the band for groups with the best costume theme.  My son and his friends decided to be characters from the Wii game Super Mario Kart.  Seeing him conduct the band dressed as Mario, complete with mustache, and using our Wii controller as his conducting stick was pretty hilarious, as you can see!

However, for my project this week, I made cards to send to the college kids (my son and niece), which will go in a care package with some treats.  I used the adorable monster from the Artistry cartridge with some paper from the stash.  I think it'll be a hit...card and candy!  You can play along and link up a project over at BBTB2 and see the fun design team creations.

Cricut:
Artistry-monster, backing shapes
Paper-DCVW All Seasons 2 stack prints, CTMH solids
brown chalk ink

friends forever

Happy Monday!  Hope you are enjoying the Memorial Day weekend!  Our BBTB2 challenge theme this week is friends.  I had pictures to scrapbook of Son#2 with friends at the jazz band dance, so my layout used the word friends from the Create A Critter cartridge and flowers from Artistry.  The rest of the design team has some friendly projects over at BBTB2 to see and you can link one up too.
Sorry my pic is so dark-it was rainy and gloomy when I took it so the lighting was not great.

Cricut:
Artistry-flowers
Plaintain Schoolbook-big circle
Create A Critter-friends
Paper-CTMH Hello Lovely prints, CTMH solids
brown chalk ink

Silly Pop Up birthday card

Happy Monday!  It's looking a little sunnier at my house-the teens have survived finals and only have two more days of school!  I'm hoping life will slow down a bit and leave more time for crafting, lol!

Our BBTB2 challenge is a birthday theme this week.  There is a story behind my card-I recently made a pop up birthday card for my niece, who loves to knit.  Her gift was a funny t-shirt with lines from the Dr. Seuss book altered to feature knitting, such as "I will knit on a train, on a boat, on a plane".  It was hilarious!  So for my pop up card to go with the gift, I added things that were mentioned on the shirt, using a couple of cartridges.  It came out really fun and she loved it.  I made my pop up card using this tutorial from split coast stampers.  There are cute birthday projects to see over at BBTB2 and you can link your project up there this week as well.

Cricut:
Create A Critter-animals
Artistry-font, yarn
Boys Will Be Boys-train, boat
Stamp-Cricut bundle with the Flower Market cartridge

It's a Sweet Life layout

Happy Monday!  Although it's not so happy at my house, as the next two weeks are finals weeks for the high schoolers...stress levels are approaching Defcon 1 with AP and IB exams starting today.  Plus all the end of year concerts/programs are happening.  And we are dealing with the emotional impact of all the last events for my senior.  Gonna need a LOT of Diet Coke to get through the next two weeks!!!!

Our BBTB2 challenge this week is insects-butterflies, bees, etc.  I used some cute little guys from Create A Critter for my layout.  It was inspired by this layout I saw on Pinterest by Michelle Snyder, which I used as a sketch for the basic shape of things.  Can't wait to get some fun spring pictures on here-it will be a sweet life once finals are over, lol!  The rest of the design team projects are up over at BBTB2 and you can link up your designs there too.

Cricut:
Create A Critter-butterfly, bee, caterpillar
Artistry-font
Paper-Doodlebug Spring Time collection prints, CTMH solids
Doodlebug washi tape

Happy Easter layout

Happy Monday!  Easter is coming up and is our BBTB2 challenge theme this week.  I used the the Flower Market and Artistry cartridges and some happy Doodlebug paper strips to make my Easter layout full of spring goodness.  You can check out the rest of the design team projects over at BBTB2 this week.
 :)

Cricut:
Flower Market-chick, boot with flowers, watering can with flowers, grass, title
Artistry-ladybug
Paper/stickers-Doodlebug Springtime prints/stickers, CTMH solids, Echo Park green solid
brown chalk ink for edging

Tree layouts in honor of Arbor Day

Happy Monday!  Our BBTB2 challenge this week is trees, in honor of Arbor Day.  All the flowering trees have started blooming here and it feels like spring.  I have two tree projects to share, with the one below using lots of cartridges (although the trees are from Camp Out) from our trip to Rocky Mountain National Park last summer.  The bottom project is a Christmas layout, where the cute little house and trees on the Flower Market cartridge were giving me Christmas cottage vibes.  Hope you will check out the design team projects over at BBTB2 and link up a project!

Project #1

Cricut:
Paper Doll Dress Up-mountain ranges
Outdoor Man-wildlife
Camp Out-trees
A Child's Year-bird in flight
Be Young-font

Project #2

Cricut:
Flower Market-trees, cottage
Artistry-font

birthday layouts

Happy Monday!  It's a birthday theme at BBTB2 this week and I have a whole bunch of birthday ideas to share!  You can see more birthday goodness over at BBTB2 from the designers.  So let's get started....

 Project #1

This was for pics of Son#1's birthday this fall.  I wanted the picture in the star frame to be the focus.

Cricut:
Sweet Treats-happy birthday
Artbooking-photo frame with star
Artistry-numbers
Elegant Edges-scallop circle
Plaintain Schoolbook-circle
Paper-Doodlebug print, CTMH solids

Project #2

I was having some fun with the CTMH watercolors and made the cupcake paper on the right myself! I stamped the cupcakes and then watercolored them!  I also watercolored the Happy Birthday banner that I cut from the Artiste cartridge...probably would have just kept watercoloring if there was anything else left, lol!  My inner kindergartner was out to play.  The balloons are stamped from a CTMH set that corresponds to the Art Philosophy cartridge, so I cut them out with my cricut, then stamped the ballon image.  We were celebrating the November birthdays in the family (Son#3 and Grandma).  

Cricut:
Artiste-banner, balloons
Sweet Treats-make a wish
Stamp set-CTMH Artiste cartridge birthday set


The next few layouts go together as a set.  The Party Animals birthday layout from a few weeks ago is one of them.  The rest do not have any cricut cuts, but I decided to put them together with the other birthday layouts for one big birthday bonanza of layout ideas.

Project #3

Project #4

Project #5

The arrow is a cricut cut from the Artiste cartridge that has a matching CTMH stamp.

Project #6

I showed this layout a few weeks ago, but wanted to include it with the birthday theme as well.

Lucky layout

Happy Monday!  Our BBTB2 challenge this week is St Patrick's Day related-use a clover or the word lucky. I did both, so I'm feeling like an over-achiever, lol!  (Plus, you see the shamrock background paper?  Oh yeah!)   I made a layout for some of my pictures from last year's St. Pats Day, when I got to march in the NYC St. Patrick's Day parade with Son#2 and the high school band.  I took LOTS of pictures, because how often do you get a chance to walk down the middle of 5th Avenue in NYC with 2 million people watching?  It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience.  All my cuts are from the Artistry cartridge.  Hope you will join us this week over at BBTB2 and see the design team projects for inspiration.

Cricut:
Artistry-Lucky, horseshoe, clover
Paper-The Paper Studio print, CTMH solids
brown chalk ink

Love U valentine

Happy Monday!  I'm glad it's a new week, as we've been passing around the germs and I've been under the weather.  Hoping my immune system recognizes that we are starting fresh this week, lol! Today I'm sharing one of the Valentines I made for this year, since that is our BBTB2 theme this week.  I've been waiting for the right project to use the typewriter on the Flower Market cartridge and a sweet Valentine love note seemed just the thing!  There are some adorable Valentines to see over at BBTB2, so go take a look!

Cricut:
Flower Market-typewriter, love
Artistry-the letter u
Stamp-Paper Smooches set

New Years layout

Happy Monday and Happy 2017!  I hope you had a merry Christmas and happy New Year!  My Christmas was full of family and very merry, although I rang in the new year at work in the ICU.  I spent some time last week looking through the scrapbook of 2016-it was full of happy memories and moments.  I can't wait to see what this year's pictures will look like!

Our BBTB2 challenge this week is NEW: use a cut that symbolizes the new year or use a new tool or technique-pretty wide open.  Since I am a chronological scrapper and scrap my pictures through the year, I made a cover page for my 2017 scrapbook, using cuts from Doodlecharms and Accent Essentials to symbolize the seasons and Artistry for the large numbers of 2017.  The welcome is a CTMH stamp.  I hope your 2017 is amazing and full of happy memories too.

Cricut:
Doodlecharms-leaf, flower, sun
Accent Essentials-snowflake
Artistry-numerals
Stamp-CTMH
Ink-Memento Tuxedo Black

Halloween theme

Happy Monday!  Boy, fall is flying by-marching band season ends this weekend and leaves are falling, yet the weather cannot decide if it's Indian summer or cooler rainy fall weather.  We are having both!!!  I wore my winter coat one day last week, shorts and flip-flops another day.  My high schoolers won't leave home without their coat and

umbrellas, just in case!

Halloween is coming up in a few short weeks and we have a Halloween themed challenge over at BBTB2.  It's the perfect time to whip up a treat bag for that special someone or make a spooky themed decoration!  I will be attending an orchestra concert the night before Halloween at the middle school, with the orchestra playing in their costumes!  Should make for some interesting concert pictures, to say the least, so I made a layout.  I knew I wanted to find a way to use the Halloween word jumble from the Artistry cartridge, so I incorporated it as a design element.  Hope you will join us over at BBTB2 by linking up a Halloween project of your own this week!

Cricut:
Artistry-bat, circle, and Halloween word jumble
Paper-DCWV All Seasons prints, CTMH solids

Movie night layout

Happy Monday!  Fall is here with falling leaves and crisp, cool evenings.  What is more fun than having a movie night at home with some popcorn and apple cider?  Our BBTB2 challenge this week is movie night (or a movie themed project).  We do movie night fairly regularly around my house, bringing out the popcorn and root beer floats, so I made a layout for some movie night pics of the fam.  There's nothing better than being snuggled up on the couch in front of a roaring fire with my favorite peeps to watch something blow up (not a lot of chick flicks allowed with all my fellas around)!  I used a whole bunch of cartridges, but I love how it turned out!  I even hand-made my movie reel using circles from Plaintain Schoolbook!  Go see the projects from the design team and link up a movie project over at BBTB2 this week.

Cricut:
Family Album-row of stars
Artiste-Movie Night title
Locker Talk-ticket and clapper
County Fair-popcorn and soda
Artistry-filmstrip
Plaintain Schoolbook-film reel hand made using different size circles

Summer Flowers layout

Happy Monday!  School has started and we are struggling to get back in the groove!  I got spoiled with not having to get up at 6:00 AM in July and early August.  There's a reason I work nights….I am a night owl and I HATE mornings!!!!  Apparently everyone else does too, judging from the early morning level of gloom when I get the kids up...

Our BBTB2 challenge this week is summer flowers.  I cut one of the flower shapes from the Artistry cartridge and stamped the flowers and leaves with the corresponding images from a CTMH stamp set that coordinates with the cartridge.  I used some other stamps from the same set (you can see better by clicking on the layout), including cutting and stamping the title Better Together block (also from Artistry).  The paper is a cute flower print from Doodlebug.  Go check out the garden of goodness from the other BBTB2 designers and link up your summer flowers!

Cricut:
Artistry-flowers, leaves, Better Together shape
Paper-Doodlebug Spring Garden print, CTMH solids
brown chalk ink
CTMH whimsy pigment inks in juniper, pixie, and canary
Memento Tuxedo black ink
Stamps-La Vie En Rose set from CTMH