A New Face for my Kitchen...

I just made a new post on my food blog (A Healthy Nibble) and I thought it might be something some of you would enjoy.  We have been updating our kitchen counters and cabinets using the Rustoleum Counter and Cabinet Transformation kits.  The results are Amazing.  My kitchen was very outdated and in serious need of help.  This was an inexpensive alternative that we could do ourselves.  We are super happy with the outcome.  Read about it HERE.  If you are wanting to give your kitchen a fresh new look on a budget...I highly recommend the Rustoleum kits.

On a side note...I was browsing the Silhouette site this morning and it gave me the itch to get back in my craft room.  Of course our little remodeling project must be done first, but maybe soon I will get to craft?! :)  

A New Venture...

Hello Crafty Friends!  It's been a while since I've posted a crafty project.  I haven't been in my craft room lately, but I do hope to change that once the weather turns cold and nasty.  I've seen some cute projects posted by all of you and it makes me want to create. :)

With that being said I wanted to let everyone know about a new blog I've started...just in case you're interested.  It's a health and wellness blog called A Healthy Nibble.  I will be featuring recipes that are made with real, whole ingredients.  Recipes that fuel your body and give you energy to get through your day.

I started my healthy eating journey over a year ago and although I've had many failed attempts in the past I can say I've finally learned enough to see that it's not that hard to eat healthy.  Healthy doesn't mean fat free or tasteless.  It's some of the best eating I've ever had and I'm never hungry.  Anyway, You can learn more about my Journey to better health HERE. 

I will be posting a variety of original recipes.  Some will be vegetarian and some will not.  I'm not vegan, vegetarian or pescatarian.  I say I'm a healthitarian. ;)  Here's a sample of what you will find...

 Vegetarian Taco Burgers

Protein Energizer Smoothie

Yogurt Parfait

I also have A Healthy Nibble board on Pinterest and I have a Facebook page.  If you have friends or family that are interested in health, nutrition and better for you recipes please send them over.  Hope to see you there!

I will be back with more crafty projects!  Right now I'm trying to get outdoors and enjoy the fall weather as I know it won't last too much longer. :(

.

JUMBO CARD - Study 4 Success

A fun super sized back to school card.  It's 5 1/2" x 8" so a little bigger than your standard A2 sized card.

I made this card using my Silhouette machine and a file from the Silhouette online store.  I enlarged the original file by a few inches so it wouldn't get lost on my super sized card.

For some dimension I used pop dots to adhere the cute little worm to the card.  I purchased the letters and they are a glittery chipboard.

To make the glasses more realistic I used Better Than Acrylic for the "glass" and added glare lines with a white gel pen.  I embossed the body of the worm with the Swiss Dots embossing folder and used red chalk for the cheeks.  To finish it off I added some black & white bakers twine.

Thinking of You Card

Here is a fun spring/summer card I made using the cute bicycle svg file from Miss Kate Cuttables.  She has some of the most adorable svg files and she posts a new freebie everyday!  This bicycle was one of her freebies...isn't it cute!

Pattern paper is from DCWV Sunday Afternoon stack.  Clouds are hand cut from the DCWV stack.  Thinking of you stamp is from SU!  

Life has been super busy these past few months.  That has left little time to craft or even think about it.  It seems the rest of my summer is going to be busy, busy, busy.  Come fall I hope things will slow down a bit and I can get back to creating more.  This will be my first fall with no one to enroll in school and no school schedule to follow.  WOW...that's hard to believe!  

Graduation - Congratulations Brent!

I can't believe my baby graduated HS this year!  When he was little I thought his ornery little self would never grow up.  Now I wonder where the years went!

  

I made his graduation card from an svg file from Little Scraps of Heaven.  I needed something quick & easy and this cute little owl fit the bill.

His sister made it home from graduate school for his special day.

  You did it Brent and we are so proud of you!  You have a bright future ahead and we can't wait to see where it takes you.  

Fun Card using Folded Chevron Borders

Chevron patterns are all the rage right now.  You can find chevron paper, ribbon, embellishments and more.  I must admit... I was slow to jump on the chevron bandwagon.  Not that I didn't like it, but I didn't go crazy over it either.  At least not until I watched a video on making your own folded chevron borders.  Then I was hooked.  More on that in a minute.  For now...here is a fun card I made using the folded chevron technique.

Of course this card is for Kara.  I am sending her a goody box and wanted a fun card to go with it.  I miss her so much! :)

Here is a picture of the borders waiting to be embellished and added to a card, scrapbook page or craft project.

You can get all the details on making these fun borders HERE.  Julia's technique is absolutely brilliant!  Yet it is very easy to do.  Her video shows the wider chevron.  I did adjust the measurements to achieve a narrower chevron for my card.  I will post my measurements below, but you will have to watch her video to find out how to do it. :)

  To achieve the narrow border I used a 1"x12" strip of paper and made my cut lines every 1/2".  Then I cut the chevron to fit the width of my card.   

Thanks for looking! 

Ah, Spring! Card

I made this card for Kara.  I love the bright and cheery colors and I hope it makes her smile.

I sized the bunny and car down quite a bit as the original took up most of my 5x7 card.  The smaller size made the eyes a little more of a challenge.  I still need a lot of practice.  Maybe someday I will have them mastered ... I hope. :)    

Ah, Spring! stamp is from Peachy Keen Stamps.  

Bunny in carrot car is from Scrapping Bug Designs.

  Butterfly, sunshine and blades of grass are from Miss Kate Cuttables.  They are part of the So Stinkin' Cute collection. 

Hello Summer Layout

It's seems like forever since I've had a project to share.  I've worked on this layout here and there for almost two months!  Click on pictures for a close up view.

 The problem with that is...remembering which svg files were used to create it. :/  Especially since this layout is a combination of files from multiple sites, but I will do my best.  See bottom of this post for list. 

Paper is Summer Fresh by Simple Stories.  I Love the denim base page with double stitching around the edge mixed with the plaid layer... in such fun colors. 

 The red & white polka dot paper is not part of the Summer Fresh line.

All die cuts are svg files and were cut on the Silhouette.

Files can be found at:  Miss Kate Cuttables, Treasure Box Designs & the Silhouette Online Store.

I know the teddy bears are part of the teddy trio from Treasure Box Designs.  The wood Pillars are part of the By the Sea file from Miss Kate Cuttables.  The beach ball, sail boat and sand castle are from the Silhouette Online Store.

I have a lot of projects I want to create and share.  I hope to see you with a new project in LESS than two months! :)  Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Birthday Card for Kara

Today our sweet daughter Kara celebrates her 23rd birthday.  This is the first birthday in 23 years that we will not get to spend with her.  She's furthering her education so it's for a good reason. :)  We will see her soon and celebrate.  She already has an order in for an Oreo layer cake. ;)  She is such a ray of sunshine and has brought so much joy to our lives.  Happy Birthday Kara.  We Love You So Much!

Now for her birthday card that I mailed to her.  It's so simple, but I love the colors, papers and how it turned out.

Pattern papers are from DCWV.  Kraft colored paper is called Crumb Cake from SU!  Happy is a word strip from the Silhouette online store as is the banner.  The word birthday is a font from my computer.

I added a couple brads to the banner, a couple photo corners to the mats and a little ink along the edges.  You could easily add a few flowers or other embellishments, but I had to hurry to get in the mail so I kept it really simple. :)

Paper Pieced Card & Question of the Day Regarding Provo Craft...

These cute little paper pieced jewels can be found at Treasure Book Designs.  It's the I Love U Slowly file.  I couldn't resist adding them to my "Feel Better" card as I knew they could cheer anyone up...sick or not. :)

Know what I've been practicing???  Eyes...yes, I am still trying to get the hang of doing eyes with wispy long eyelashes.  I still have a long way to go, but I am improving. :)

Also...the bunny's nose is pink in person, but the picture makes it look white.

Question of the day - For those that are familiar with Provo Craft and the Gypsy...why do they allow some ebay auctions for the Gypsy with linked cartridges to sell and other auctions are ended???  If selling a Gypsy with linked cartridges is a violation of the EULA...shouldn't all auctions be ended???
  Also...shouldn't they provide a way for us to unlink our cartridges so we may sell it if we so choose???  Especially since they no longer manufacture it???  

Have I mentioned lately that I Love my Silhouette???  They have great customer service, too!   

String of Hearts - Valentine Card

My second project using the Silhouette Cameo.  I can't say enough... how much I Love it and Love how it cuts...AMAZING!  Not to mention the endless sources available for Adorable svg files.  So Fun! :) 

This cute little girl is from the Will U be my Valentine collection from Scrapping Bug Designs.  You can visit them HERE.  I must work on the eyes.  I would love to add  long wispy eyelashes, but that does not seem to be my talent at the moment, LOL!  I will keep practicing! :)  

I must admit I was very intimidated at the thought of going to a cutting system that operated without cartridges.  I was afraid I would get it only to find it frustrating, time consuming and hard to use.  I can now say...that's not the case at all.  There is a small bit of learning, but once you have the basics you will see it's not that difficult.  For this card I was able to load the mat ONE time and get all the cuts I needed to create it.  With the exception of the hearts on the ground that I decided to add as an afterthought.  A true time saver in the end.