Our 29th Anniversary

The card I made Ralphie for our 29th wedding anniversary. Wow! Did I say 29? Yes, 29. Yikes. LOL The base of the front of the card is luscious flocked navy damask. The heart is embossed then pop-dotted. I also ran some brown fibers for extra texture. The couple is from the Sweethearts cartridge and I can't believe how easy it was to layer. I pop-dotted them also! The inside is the surprise: it's a pop-up!!! I embossed the pop-up heart with the   candy hearts folder. I didn't like how the tabs showed so I covered them with a strip of the matching paper. I stamped a very appropriate quote and will now finish it for him. I hope he likes it!

Weekly Challenge #34: Father’s Day Card Sketch Challenge

I chose to make Ralphie's Father's Day card using the sketch from the CC weekly challenge. Of course, like all sketches I follow it ended up looking completely different! LOL I don't mind, I believe sketches are created and interpreted differently by different people. Some can follow the sketches to the last detail and others, like myself,  use them as inspiration. I really think he'll like his card. In his perfect world, remote controls are at his every turn!

The remote control and inside sentiment are from the fabulous new Father's Day cartridge. What a fantastic cartridge for guys!

My First Pop-Up Card

I am in LOVE with the Pop-Up cartridges. Wow!!! Easy-peasy. Here is my first attempt:

This is the birthday card for Mrs. Flowers. I think she is going to love it! She likes handmade cards and anything with a "wow" factor. When she opens it and those shoes pop up she will be delighted! I can't wait to make my next one. Cricut is the bomb-diggity!

Florals Embellished

I am loving the Florals Embellished cartridge. This bird was so easy to layer!!! The background is from Hopscotch and I completed the entire thing on my Imagine. The black base is from Paper Lace. The sentiment is a stamp and the little pearl swirl from the $1 bin at convention. Thanks, Maria, true friends give cartridges as gifts :) Oh, I posted the pic twice b/c I am playing with my camera to see what settings give me the best results.

Card Class

Maria and I took a card class on Saturday morning at Cherry Blossom. The stamps are adorable! Here are a few of the cards we made:

Father's Day Cards

I figured I'd get started early!!! Here is Will's card:

Of course I had to use my adorable Stampin' Up sock monkey! The sentiment is from MFT Who's That Geek Guy and I used magic mesh and copics along with patterned paper to complete the look. The Smart phone in his hand is cut out from a DCWV paper pack. Hope he likes it!

And Mayito's card:

If you can believe it, the cards and poker chips are just one cut! It is from the Father's Day cartridge and I put  it on an action wobble LOL. The background paper is from a travel pack and I thought was perfect. He is a huge poker buff so I think this is perfect for him!

Graduation cards

Some cards I made for the graduates. First, Stephen:

Devin:

Bridget:

Brad:

Stephan:

CC MAY Magazine Challenge #2: Make It Your Way Contest

It's funny how you start a project one way and then go in a completely different direction. Just goes to show that often inspiration can be found anywhere! This is one of the reasons why I love the Cricut Circle magazine. Every single project inspires me to recreate it, although often with my own twist! And, they photograph everything so beautifully that at times even the background pieces used to compliment the projects inspire me. Using the ideas in the magazine, I made all the decorations for Stephen's graduation party. I've listed all the cartridges and equipment needed at the end.

What graduate doesn't like gifts of money? I certainly don't know any! I wanted Stephen to get a little extra cash for his graduation so when I saw the projects for "In the Neighborhood", the topiary used as an accent piece immediate brought to mind a $ tree. Of course, my initial effort didn't turn out well and after mulling the idea around, I turned the topiary into a "dough"ploma wreath! I bought a $3 straw wreath from ACMoore and covered it with inexpensive $1 ribbon. I used the silhouette feature from Hello Kitty for the scrolled banners and Doodletype for the font. For the "doughplomas", I simply rolled bills then tied them with ribbon. I then attached them to the wreath using floral pins. I placed the wreath at the entrance next to his pictures and scrapbook. It was  a hit!!!

The wine bottle container in "Neighborhood Housewarming Gift" was long and slender and had a cute tag. I wanted to do something similar but didn't want wine as a memento. So, I went with pretzels dipped in chocolate and then accented with a tag! The tag with the cap is from All Wrapped Up. Fast, easy, and too cute!

Lastly, the clear containers used to accent the "Sprinkled with Fun" projects reminded me how important it is to have color and texture in your decorations. I opted to fill clear containers with various nuts then created a very elegant table piece with a monogram. The ovals are from mini monograms and I welded the "S" inside the top layer using my Gypsy and Gypsy Font. I also embossed the top layer with the cuttlebug. It's simple but effective and not too girly. I did want a little elegance so I sprinkled some pillow boxes filled with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (Stephen's favorite candy) and added the monogram.

Cartridges and machines:
Cricut (any of the bugs will work with these sizes)
Gypsy
Cuttlebug
Cuttlebug folder: Herringbone
Cartridges: Hello Kitty, Doodletype, All Wrapped Up, Mini Monograms, and Gypsy Font