Trick or Treat

Today for Imaginisce we are showing you the new colored foam tape! It is SUPER cool! At first I thought, "interesting... but how is it going to look in practice?" Well, hopefully these pics will show you how well it really works! For once I don't have the white showing out from underneath! I LOVE it! 

You know I wouldn't promote anything I didn't LOVE and this - let me just say - has NOT left my craft room table!!! Okay, enough gushing and onto my project.

A VERY sweet friend sent me Happy Hauntings (THANK YOU! You know who you are!!!), so I really wanted to use the cartridge for this Halloween!!! 

Trick or Treat

This first picture I pulled off the backing of the tape on the top of the pic -where the bats are- but then I realized you might want to see the before and after... The reason for the funny sizes is that the tape comes in both rolls sand big and little squares - all in one package! I'm sure you're familiar with the squares so I just took a picture of the roll below. Best part - it didn't stick to my scissors! 

 After! - look how it practically disappears! It's a bit shiny so I used the light to bounce off it so that you could see it a little better. 

The roll of red from the side. I know that the red would look good enough against the orange top to hide it.

 Check it out!!! :) I LOVED that it practically disappeared!

Recipe:

• Cartridge: Happy Hauntings™
• Cuttlebug Embossing Folder: Love is In The Air Set™ (chandelier)
• Sentiment: My Pink Stamper: Spook-alicious™
• Patterned Paper:
• Imaginisce: Happy Harvest: Caramel Apples™ (red polka dot)
• Imaginisce: Happy Harvest: Apple Crisp™ (green polka dot)
• Imaginisce: Happy Harvest: I Love Fall™ (orange polka dot)
• Imaginisce: Happy Harvest: Fall Into Fun™ (stripes)
• Solid colors: PTI
• Foam Tape:
• Imaginisce Colored Foam Tape in Black™
• Imaginisce Colored Foam Tape in Red™
• Imaginisce Colored Foam Tape in White™
• Glitter: Martha Stewart Glitter and Glue Set in black (thanks Edna!)
• Glossy Accents
• Twine from The Twinery in Charcoal™

Go and check out what the other ladies made with the foam at the Imaginisce Blog!!! It's pretty rad and it's one of those things like the i-rock, once you play with it, you LOVE it!!!

Final Be Inspired Wednesday for Passionately Artistic

This post marks the end of my design team term for Passionately Artistic (formerly the Cuttlebug Challenges). I have thoroughly enjoyed myself and am ready to move on to other projects. A huge thanks go Betty Bee who brought me onto the team and Maggie! Both of you taught me so much!

This week at Passionately Artistic we are giving you New Year's Celebration ideas! 

I chose to decorate a champagne bottle and I like the idea of going out with champagne! :) 

There is a lot going on with this Champagne bottle and I am going to write the tutorial... This is your final warning. :)

Recipe:
Card Stock: Cricut Consumables™
Cartridges: Tie the Knot™, Wild Card™
Embossing: Love is in the Air set™, D'vine Swirls™, Swiss Dots™
i-rock and hot rocks from Imaginisce™
Stickles are "Waterfall" from Artful Delight's November Kit (one left!)
Glossy Accents
Ribbon from my Stash
Ink: Studio G™
White Gelly Roll Gel Pen™
Crop-a-dile™
Adhesive: ATG

Instructions: 

Card:

I followed the instructions from Wild Card™ and cut all of the normal layers. *NOTE* The booklet is wrong. When you cut out the card base, it comes out backwards... so you have to flip all of the features to get them to fit properly. *End note*

I embossed the background with D'vine Swirls™ and the "cork" with Swiss Dots™.

I used Glossy Accents on the word "Cheers" as well as the black on the bottle. Unfortunately I had to take the picture when I could so there is still a little bit of "milky blue" that hadn't dried yet. But you still get the point I think. :) I also added the Stickles to the bottle to match the champagne glasses.

I used my Crop-a-dile to punch a hole in the top and tie ribbon through to adhere it to the bottle. Now you have a thank you card attached to the bottle for the host/hostess! :)

Bottle:

I cut a piece of hot pink paper and ran it through the Cuttlebug™ using the Love is in the Air set™.

Next I adhered that to the bottle using my ATG.

I cut out all parts of the champagne glasses (shadow, blackout, base, layers) from the Tie the Knot Cartridge™. 

Next I glued them all together and added the Stickles. While that was drying, I used my i-rock (LOVE IT) to add bling to the bubbles. :) Lastly, I used glossy accents around the edges of the glass to give it some shine and did some white gel pen doodling.

I hope you enjoy this idea for what you can bring to a New Year's party! If you don't drink, remember you can always attach it to a sparkling Martinelli's Apple Cider bottle or Pellegrino! :) 

Now hop on over to the Passionately Artistic blog and see what the other ladies have made to inspire you! 

Gold Heat Embossing Tutorial

On last Wednesday's post, Jen asked if I could make a tutorial showing the gold embossed leaves. So, I made a quick one for her! :) 

Please excuse my stuffed-up voice. I was still sick.

Here is a picture of what you will need:

Video:

Finished Project:

Recipe:
Filigree embossing powder is from Paper Trey Ink™
Heat Embossing Tool: EK Success Coloriser™
Card Stock: Paper Trey Ink Stamper's Select White™
Paper: My Mind's Eye Lost and Found: Madison Avenue "Sisters" Lace Glittered Paper™
Stamps: My Mind's Eye Lost and Found: Union Square Perfect Stamps™
Ribbon: Paper Trey Ink Enchanted Evening Saddle Stitch™
Adhesive: Glue Arts Extreme Adhesive Squares™ and Glue Glider Pro with perma-tac™
Embossing: Love is in the Air™
Border Punch: Fiskars Hearts Border Punch- Thanks Christy! :)
i-rock and Glam Rocks Rhinestuds™ by Imaginisce™

Thanks for watching! If you have any other requests on what you would like to see, I am happy to oblige! :) I'll do it if I can! :) 

Off the Wall Craftiness, Caardvarks, and My Pink Stamper

Today was a day to try to participate in some challenges which is always fun. :) I am participating in a few new ones. One of those new ones is called Caardvarks. Their challenge was clean and simple stamping.

I love participating in Kim's challenges at Off the Wall Craftiness and this was our inspiration photo:


Lastly, My Pink Stamper is having a challenge where anything goes so this one and the next one will both qualify for it! :)

This is an A2 sized card which Robyn would tell us over and over is 5.5x4.25" - but thank goodness because now I know it! I am ready to take the My Pink Stamper quiz! haha.

The white base is Bazzill™, the dark pink is Core'dinations™, and the light pink is actually white card stock. I inked up the Love is in the Air™ embossing folder and then embossed it so that everything ELSE was pink and the embossing was white. It's a technique I picked up from one of the design team members at the Cuttlebug Challenge before I was asked to be on the DT. I love learning new things. :)

I added some ribbon, some Hero Arts™ adhesive gems and adhesive flower, and cut the butterflies from the Gypsy Wanderings™ borders option and hid all of the detailing since I was going to cut it so small.

I hope you like it. It makes me smile and I can't wait to give it to one of my chick friends for their birthday!

Labor Day Layout

This was a quick layout done for a Labor Day Weekend challenge about what we did over the holiday. I'm not a "scrapbook person" so layouts are always really tough for me. Since our anniversary is on September 1st (and we got married Labor Day Monday), we went to someone else's wedding and celebrated the anniversary of our own.

Supplies:
Cosmo Cricket Earth Love Chipboard™ - purchased from Torendi
Core'dinations paper - Nostalgia pack
Embossing: Embossing Folders Love is in the Air Set™, Swiss Dots Emboss Folder™
Cartridge: Storybook™

Don't forget that the Circle invitations are only good through the 13th, so if you would like to join, please send me an email and I will email you an invitation. :)

Have a great day!

Be Inspired #99 - My Pink Stamper and Our Anniversary!

On September 1st two years ago, I married the man of my dreams and the love of my life. So, Happy Anniversary, husband! The years that I have been with you have been the best of my life.

I am so excited to share this card that I made for him with all of you!

At the Cuttlebug Challenges this week, Robyn at My Pink Stamper™ is our sponsor! I received some stamps from the Family and Friends™ line. I was so excited to use the stamp that says, "Love Always". I just love the font! I can't say enough about My Pink Stamper™ stamps. They are the best quality stamps I have used to date. I will definitely be buying more especially now that she has come out with some for the holiday seasons. Go check them out! They're about to start shipping! :) She has a total of 12 stamp sets out. They're all so much fun! I think Buggy Punnies™ is still my favorite.
The stamp sets were an original idea by Robyn made to coordinate with your Cricut® cartridges.

Anywho, back to the card... I used the Sweethearts Cartridge™ for all of this and separated out the layers on my Gypsy™ so that I could weld the blackouts of the car together to make a card, hide certain features, and only cut out one of the color that I wanted (you'll know what I mean if you look at the cut in the handbook for the layers). I used Core'dinations™ card stock and some acetate to create the window - you can't tell as much that there is a clear window from the picture, but you'll have to take my word on it ;).

The only paper that isn't Core'dinations™ is the shiny paper that the license plate is made out of which is Bazzill™ Diamond Glaze card stock.

I used the My Pink Stamper's Family and Friends™ set to stamp Love Always on the license plate.

I ran the light blue layer through the Cuttlebug using the Love is in the Air Emboss Folder Set™. Embossing is gorgeous on Core'dinations card stock, don't you think?

Glue all the pieces together, add some adhesive pearls, and voila! You're done! :)

Go and play in the challenge over at the Cuttlebug Challenge blog! My Pink Stamper™ is generously giving away a set of her Punny-licious™ stamps to the winner!


I hope you all have a beautiful day and tell someone you love them whether it be parent, sibling, best friend, or spouse.

Christmas Around the Clock 15-20

Here we go! On the home stretch during the Cuttlebug Challenge's Christmas Around the Clock!

Challenge #15- CD case project
I have definitely never done anything like this! This was so strange and yet so interesting. The picture doesn't fit because I needed it for my layout too and didn't want to cut it. So this is a placeholder!


Recipe:
Embossing: A2 Snowflakes Emboss Folder™
Cartridges: Designer's Calendar™, Tie the Knot™, Sweethearts™

Challenge #16 - Layout with at least two things embossed - one has to be a punch
My first layout! I think it came out pretty good!

Recipe:
Cartridges: Tie the Knot™, Graphically Speaking™
Embossing: A2 Snowflakes Emboss Folder™, A2 Swiss Dots Emboss Folder™
Embellishments: From Aubrey! :) (Thanks girl!)

Challenge #17 - Noel Card
I tried this card probably 5 different ways and tried to put the N-O-E-L in the corners and it just didn't look as good as theirs did so I finally welded it on the Gypsy™ and was happy with the result (finally!).

Recipe:
Cartridges: Elegant Cakes™ (font), Tie the Knot™ (welded card)
Embossing: Love is in the Air set™
Paper: Cosmo Cricut™ Breezy Freezy
Ribbon

Challenge #18 - Santa Soup

Recipe:
Cartridge: Designer's Calendar™
Embossing: Swiss Dots™
Ribbon
Hero Arts™ adhesive pearls


Challenge #19 - Cover your favorite candy bar
Well, my favorite candy is Haribo™ gummy bears, but I didn't cover them because currently I have about a 5 lb. bag that my best friends gave me to make fun of me so it would have taken about 4 12x12" sheets of card stock and would have looked horrible when I was done. So I covered a Hershey's bar instead.

Recipe:
Cartridge: Sweethearts™ (tag)
Embossing: Organic Border Emboss Folders™

Challenge #20 - Jewelry out of embossed art metal
Oh dear! It appears I am certainly not a jewelry maker! I made this sad necklace out of art metal and ribbon. ... Don't judge me too severely! ;)


Recipe:
Embossing: Love is in the Air™
Crop-a-dile for holes
Ribbon

Christmas Around the Clock Challenges 1-3

I will try to post these in groupings so as not to bombard you with Christmas challenge updates :)...

Here are challenges 1-3 at The Cuttlebug Challenges.

The first one was to make a Z card. I had never made a Z card before so I followed the tutorial like a cooking recipe you love until you get used to it and then you start adding things! :).


Recipe:
This star cut is the negative piece from challenge number 2 (which I did first). - This is a later challenge, but I am determined to do one for each and not double up.
Card Stock: Core'dinations™, DCWV™, Anna Griffin™
Embossing: Cuttlebug™ D'vine Swirls Emboss Folder™
Eyelets: Crop-a-dile™
Off-white ribbon

Challenge #2 - make a star shaped card

Recipe:
Of course I pulled out my trust Gypsy™ for this one. I made the star shaped card from the liner feature on Wild Card™. I hid the inner lines with the hide contour feature and flipped one of the stars and welded them together. Next, I grabbed another star and cut it at the same size an let the inside get cut out as normal. Lastly, I cut another star (hid the inner lines again) for the raspberry star.
Card Stock: Core'dinations™ and DCWV™
Embossing: Love is in the Air Set™
Off-white small ribbon

Challenge #3 - Snowflake card and (optional) ornament

Recipe:
A2 sized white cardstock
Snowflake: Designers Calendar™
Embossing: A2 Swiss Dots Emboss Folder™
Stamping: Recollections
Ink: VersaColor - 173 - Neptune
Sparkle: Pixie Sparkle (remember this from high school-ish days? Everyone had to have Pixie sparkles for dances! haha)
Adhesive: Martha Stewart Crafts™ All Purpose Gel Adhesive

I got a little sparkle-happy later in the night and I'm not thrilled with all of it (mainly on the embossed snowflake), but like most crafters say, that's what home made cards are all about! :)

Enjoy! Time for me to make more of these Christmas challenge cards/projects.

Christmas Doily

Well, I didn't think I'd be making Christmas cards in July, but the Cuttlebug Challenges have inspired me to try my hand at it.... I have never made a Christmas card with my Cricut™ as I received my Cricut™ as a Christmas present last year from my "big brother" Bob.

The challenge this week was to use a doily. I don't have any doilies so I made one using the Elegant Cakes Cartridge™. There are plenty of frilly cuts on this cartridge, but I really liked this one.

The REALLY exciting thing is - I was just informed that I won a Cricut Cake™ on the Cuttlebug Challenges wedding week extravaganza! SO, I will be able to use my Elegant Cakes Cartridge™ on actual cakes now!!! I couldn't even believe it. I found out about it when I was about to get on a white water rafting boat for my friend's bachelorette party. I still can't believe it. I sent BettyBee my phone number and I actually got to talk to her! What a treat! And she is SO nice. I'll definitely be calling her when I open it and I'll have my husband take pictures as I will be bouncing off the walls.

I also used my Cuttlebug™ and my Love is in the Air Set™ to add some texture.

So, I made this card for the Cuttlebug Challenges challenge and enjoyed spending time with some great friends while I made it (thanks Hazel and Christy!).

This also qualifies for the Cricut Cardz Challenge: Christmas card.

I hope you like it!

Celebrate and loving the Sentimentals™ key cut out, WMC13

This card was made from scraps that I had been playing with for my other cards.... but ironically it ended up being my favorite from the set I made that day!

I embossed the card base with the Embossing Folders Love is in the Air Set™. I used my scrap of purple paper because I loved the contrast of the purple against the yellow. Then I added the favorite card stock of mine - the green and white. I inked around those edges. The raspberry card stock is Cor'dinations™ (all the solid colors are, actually except for the white). I embossed that with my A2 Argyle Emboss Folder™ and also inked around those edges. I added the white card stock and stamped it with my Hero Arts™ stamps.

Lastly, I cut the second key from the Sentimentals Cartridge™. I love this key! It's so whimsical and romantic. I thought this card would be great for a wedding "key to my heart" or graduation or even a birthday "laugher is the key to life".

Thanks for stopping by! :)

Jenny at Wee Memories decided her challenge would be "free for all" so I am linking this one up to her blog! :) Thanks Jenny!

P.s. My husband took this picture at dusk and I thought it was SO beautiful.

Feel Better Soon

I love this card. It shows a lot better in person as the colors are a bit warped, but it was simple and timeless. I used my Cuttlebug™ and a folder from the Embossing Folders Love is in the Air Set™. I just used half of the design on one of the 5x7 folders.

I stamped it with a sentiment from Hero Arts CL 272. Simple, but it's ready to head out to someone who needs to feel better soon.

EAD Designs Color Challenge - Plum and Damask Chandelier

Well EAD Designs picked a great first challenge - Plum Shabby. Their inspiration work was plum and black damask so I played on that theme, but made it gold damask instead.

The card is a frame from the Sentimentals Cartridge™ welded on the Gypsy™. The chandelier is embossed with the Embossing Folders Love is in the Air™ set. I used an extra frame edge to form the line across the card (I should have welded it on my Gypsy™ and then done it, but oh well. I had other plans and they went array.

This was my first time trying vellum and I think I will stick with vinyl. I will give vellum another try, but the first attempt was not too pleasant. But, I always say you have to try something more than once.

All this and the new release of the Cricut Lite's is out! 24 new cartridges! It does feel like my birthday - which is good, because it is my birthday! :) Have a wonderful day. I certainly will and will be posting another card I made tomorrow. We are having a cocktail party for my birthday and I am making a lot of hor d' oeuvres, so I won't be doing much else. I love cooking so it should be great. The hard part is not eating what you're creating as you go! :)

Pink Chandelier

Oh pink, how I have come to love you. While olive green remains my favorite color, when I was little I hated pink (redheads don't look very good in pink). Now, I LOVE it and can't seem to get enough, but I still don't wear it.

Anyway, here is the pink chandelier card with it's matching envelope. The envelope was cut at 4.25" from the Sentimentals Cartridge™. The chandelier was once again embossed with the Emboss Folder Love is in the Air Set™. I used Core'dinations™ card stock for the background layer that I embossed the chandelier into and sanded it down with some light sand paper I found in my husband's tool kit (thanks, husband!). I also sanded around the edges to distress it a little. And voila!

Due to the poor lighting, the colors didn't exactly come out right in the picture and the card base paper can be seen better on the inside of the card, but you'll get the idea. Enjoy!

Green Chandelier

Yesterday I got to go to Angel Island on a dad and daughter date with my Father-in-Law - we had so much fun hiking around in gorgeous 70 degree San Francisco weather - riding the fairy and eating sandwiches. I try to do a dad and daughter date about once a year with my dad and this is the first with my co-dad (Father-in-Law). So yesterday was for seeing outside and today is for cleaning the house! haha - and maybe crafting if I get get my other stuff done.

I can't even tell you how much I loved making this card. I had such a great time hanging out with my husband and just crafting while a movie was playing in the background. Even though I posted the card with the eyelets yesterday, that was actually the third card I made in the series. This one was the first. I posted two pictures so you could see the envelope as it would be seen before opening the card and after opening the card.

The envelope was made with the Sentimentals Cartridge™, and the chandelier from the Embossing Folders Love is in the Air Set™ with the Cuttlebug™. Happy Memorial Day and I'll be posting the second chandelier card I made tomorrow.

XOXO

This was a birthday card that I made for my friend Hezzymae (as I call her). It was quick because I was a bad friend and it was going to be late! So I just whipped it out and got it in the mail. But there's something cute about it! :) 

Recipe:
Smiley Cards Cartridge™(Special promotion with the Gypsy™)
Embossing: Love is in the Air Set™
Paper: Echo Park Paper: A Walk in the Park™
Solid paper: Cricut Consumables
Twine: Paper Trey Ink™