Bug Junkie

Cupcake Cards

2012-01-27T07:45:00.000-08:00

I've been having fun with cupcakes! : )

I made these cute little cards using the Cricut Sweet Treats cartridge and my Gypsy.

I embossed the frosting with the D'vine Swirls Cuttlebug folder and the candles with Swiss Dots.

CRICUT IMAGINE PROBLEM - UPDATE

2012-01-23T13:38:00.000-08:00

Just got off the phone with CS and I am Very Happy with the service I received. They did recognize the problem, but said it was not widespread and there had only been a few of us with this issue. It is within the machine and not the power supply. I am a rare and unfortunate case to have had so much trouble. They are standing behind their product 100% and sending me another machine. They could not have been any more helpful. I am not afraid of this machine, but will take a little extra precaution when I am not using it. It's not a big deal to unplug it just to be on the safe side. I'm very happy and can't wait to get another machine. :)

CRICUT IMAGINE PROBLEMS - IF YOUR IMAGINE WON'T POWER UP... PLEASE READ

2012-01-21T11:38:00.000-08:00

If you go to use your Imagine and it won't power up...check the power supply box on the electrical cord and see if the little green light is on. If it is not please read this post.

NOTE: I am not here to bash PC or the Imagine. I am a very faithful PC supporter and own many of their products. I have had much success with all, but the Imagine. The problem I am having creates a potential fire hazard and does have me concerned. This is nothing against PC and I just hope they stand behind their product as they have in the past (this is my 3rd imagine).

First Imagine Machine - Bought at launch and had for a few months. Had used maybe a dozen times and all worked great. Then went to use it and it would not power up. Checked the electrical cord and saw the light was not on. Assumed it was a defective cord and got PC to send me another. The replacement cord would not power up the machine and the machine began to smell hot like something was burning. CS agreed it wasn't the cord, but a problem with the machine. Went through the return process and got a new one on it's way.

Second Imagine - Seemed to work great. Due to things going on I didn't have much time to craft, but did use it a handful of times. Then one day I went to use it and there was no power and once again the power supply was not working. Note... both times this happened the machine was plugged into a surge protector. Yes, I tried different power outlets to no avail. Called CS and they were very good to work with me and told me I'm not the first one to have this problem. Did the return process and got the 3rd imagine on the way.

Third Imagine - Once again worked great. Life still busy and not much time to craft so again it was used only a handful of times. Also when I am not printing I use one of my other Cricuts to cut... trying to prolong the life of my imagine. :) Last night I was cleaning my craft room so I know the power supply was working. Went in there this morning and had no power to the room at all. Checked the breaker box to our house and found it had tripped. Reset it then noticed the power supply to the imagine was out. Machine would not power up once again. Very concerned if the breaker would not have tripped, what might have happened.

I am really distraught as I have put a lot of money into this and at this point I have nothing but a bunch of cartridges and ink that I can't use. :( Nothing against PC ...they just have some defects they need to figure out. Customer service has been good up to now, so hopefully they will continue to stand behind their product. If you are having similar issues and think it's the power cord...possibly it's the machine causing the cord to go out?

CRAFT ISLAND

2012-01-13T11:48:00.000-08:00

I got this wonderful island for Christmas from my sweet husband. I needed something for the middle of my room, but I only had a limited amount of space to put it, yet I wanted it big enough for my embossing machine and folders on the top. It ended up 16" x 16" and it's perfect. I got the idea for this from the internet and modified it to my liking.

It is perfect for misc. scrap supplies or just right for Cricut cartridges. It will actually hold two cartridges deep... if you don't mind having a row of carts hidden behind.

Perfect punch storage

It keeps my embossing goodies close at hand as well as some of my cartridges.

Hmmm...I think I need a few more punches to fill it up. ;)

The top makes the perfect embossing station...just as I had hoped. One nice feature is ... it's on wheels so I can easily move it around. It's the perfect addition to my little craft room. :)

Now that I am getting my room like I want it I really think I need to get motivated to paint the walls. I am in my son's old bedroom and it is the color of the Dallas Cowboys...not very girly or fun. :) I've decided I want to go with a vintage / cottage look and feel. I am really liking this color swatch that I found on Pinterest.

I really like the creamy yellow, gray and aqua for the walls with a crisp white trim and cherry red accents. What do you think?

I have been hunting the thrift stores looking for vintage decor and storage items. No big finds...yet. What I would really like, but not sure I have a good place for, is a lamp that hangs from the ceiling with a cute fabric shade. I think it would be adorable. I do want to make some cute little curtains and a chair cushion for my ladder back chair. That's the fun part...it's the painting that makes me go UGH! If only I liked to paint and if only I was good at it. Well that may be my project for this spring. I know the end result would be well worth the work. :)

EDIT: I am getting a lot of questions as to where to get this. My husband's little brother built mine, but there is someone selling a similar cart on ebay. It is a tiny bit smaller and does not have the flat top for an embossing station, but you might be able to request it. The ebay item # is 250956067915. Hope this helps.

Vintage Valentines

2012-01-11T08:56:00.000-08:00

Valentine cards are fun cards to make...I think. I especially love making vintage and story cards. It's all about adding those extra little details that bring it to life.

This story card was made using the following Cricut cartridges:
DoodleCharms - mailbox (post is cut by hand), letter in puppy's mouth & heart in birds mouth.
Kate's Kitchen - bird on mailbox
Everyday Paper Dolls - puppy

Vintage card using the heart from DoodleCharms

Inside of card

COOKIE SHEET MEMO BOARD

2012-01-03T09:09:00.000-08:00

Inspired by all the cute memo boards and advent calendars on Pinterest, I just had to make one of my own.

Mine is more for decoration rather than a true memo board or message center and I have it hanging in my craft room.

I bought an inexpensive cookie sheet from WM...spray painted...added some pretty paper, ribbon and a little cork. All other embellies such as pen holder and flowers are attached with magnets so they can be moved around easily.

I love the rosette magnet holding our pictures. I think I am addicted to making them. :) This was a fun project and I really want to make another one!

Christmas Cards

2011-12-17T12:41:00.000-08:00

A few cards I made this morning for the family. I haven't crafted much lately so I really enjoyed digging through all my Christmas papers and getting creative. So much fun! :)

I really like how this card turned out. I used the Tim Holtz die for the scalloped rosette and attached a pretty bird die cut from K&Company. I added extra detail by sewing around the edge of the mats and adding some ribbon.

I actually made the house on the front of the card some time ago and decided to use it today. I think it is from the Jolly Holidays Cricut cartridge...I think. I added Glossy Accents to the windows for some shine. The wreath is made with the Martha Stewart Branch punch.

These two cards were so fun to make. I used George & Basic Shapes to cut out the ovals on the front of the cards. The ornament, Christmas tree and Santa are die cuts from K&Company.

Fun, Fun, Fun...did I already mention that? ;)

I was getting tired so the last two are pretty quick and simple. However, I just had to make one more rosette...these little cuties are so addictive to make. I just recently got the die to make them and it took me a couple tries to get the hang of how to do it, but now that I've got it...I'm hooked. Guess that means I need the new Cricut Ribbons and Rosettes cartridge...oh fun! :) Thanks for looking and have a Wonderful day!

Update...for those wanting the Tim Holtz Paper Rosette die...you can find it at Joanns.com and the item number is # 10770493.

CARDS AND MORE CARDS

2011-11-09T13:41:00.000-08:00

First is a fun winter card made with the mittens on the Simply Charmed Cricut cartridge.

My sweet daughter was craving peanut butter fudge and I couldn't resist making a batch to take to her at college. Of course I had to make this card to go with it. ;) I know it's not exactly winter yet, but the day her dad and I delivered it we were taking her to get a new winter coat so it was appropriate. :)

Inside of card

Next is an invite to a cookie/candy making party. Images are from the Gingerbread cartridge.

Last, but not least is a super cute and sparkly birthday card that my daughter made for a friend of hers.

I believe this card is from the Simply Charmed cartridge. She added lots of bling...gems, glitter, liquid applique and little tiny hearts.

7 Up Biscuits - Amazing

2011-10-15T17:03:00.000-07:00

This is not a crafty post, but I had to share the link to the most AMAZING biscuits ever! At least I think they are. :) They take 4 ingredients... one of which is 7 Up...yes 7 Up, along with three other basic ingredients. They are light and fluffy and practically melt in your mouth.

To go to Monster Mama's site and the recipe click Here. Bet you can't eat just one. :) Thanks for sharing your recipe Monster Mama!

Happy 4th Birthday Card

2011-10-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

A bright and fun birthday card with the Birthday Bash Cricut cartridge. Giraffe is cut at 5 1/2" and the number 4 is cut at 5". Background is embossed with the Cuttlebug Birthday embossing folder. Card is embellished with Liquid Applique and Stickles.

Inside of card...printed cardstock is from the DCWV Celebration stack.

BARN SHAPED ALBUM

2011-10-11T17:39:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my super easy to make barn shaped album. The only Cricut cartridge needed to make the base of the album is My World or any cartridge with a barn and the blackout feature.

To cut the barn use the blackout feature along with the fit to page button and a 12x12 sheet of chipboard and again with cardstock for the front and back of the album. Remember for the trim you will want to turn fit to page off and manually set the size to the size the barn cut at.

I hand cut the barn doors/pages of the album at 5" tall and 4 1/2" wide. I cut in chipboard and covered in decorative cardstock.

I used my gypsy to size the rectangles from the George cartridge for the trim on the barn doors.

Animals are from the Animal Kingdom cartridge and hay bales are from the Old West cartridge.

I have not embellished the pages yet as I wanted to add my pictures first and then see what fits.

I used the Bind it All to bind my album, but you could use a hole punch and binder rings.

It felt good to get back in my craft room and make an album. :) Thanks for looking!

UPDATE AND THANK YOU...

2011-10-03T12:16:00.000-07:00

First and foremost I want to thank each and everyone of you for all the emails and comments I've received. Your friendship and supports means so much. Thank you all!!!

As for me...I can truly say I am happy and I am free. God has truly blessed me above and beyond all I could ask or think. My marriage is stronger than ever and my family is finally whole. I am so thankful.

While going through this particularly difficult time, I have sought help from many different places. One person that has helped me the most is a wonderful and amazing lady by the name of Joyce Meyer. She has an incredible personal testimony and she has used her story to reach out and help others. If you are dealing with something in your life or just need inspiration I encourage you to listen to her. Click HERE for her personal testimony. I will warn you it is very heart wrenching as she suffered tremendous sexual and emotional abuse as a child. One of her messages that helped me the most is HERE and it's titled...It's Time To Move On.

Now for some crafty fun...I am working on a new shaped mini album. The best part about this album is you will not need a computer, Design Studio or the Gypsy to create it. It can be done with your Cricut Expression machine only and that means it really is easy to create. I will post all the details and pictures as soon as I get it finished.

Again, Thank You All and Have a Wonderful Day!

A JOURNEY TO HEALING

2011-08-30T06:33:00.000-07:00

I want to start this post with a very big thank you to all of you. You don't know how much your support means to me during this very difficult time. I've received many emails as well as comments here on my blog. Thank you so much for taking the time to care.

Life has been very difficult, painful and almost unbearable at times. Thirteen years ago I became victim of something very horrific and I never told anyone...not even my husband...until now. For many years I was in denial. With much help I am now dealing not only with what happened, but the aftermath of carrying it alone for thirteen years.

My husband and I are getting through this together. He is the most amazing man ever! I am so proud of who he is and what he stands for. His values and character are second to none. I am so blessed that God gave him to me. We have also been blessed with two wonderful kids. I know the positives in my life outshine anything negative. I am no longer a victim. I am a survivor. I am a survivor and I am free. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue our journey to complete healing.

I do hope I feel like getting back in my craft room in the very near future. If I can find the creativity I might make a shape or mini album. We will have to see.

TAKING A BREAK

2011-06-25T07:48:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for continuing your support of my blog. I felt I needed to let you know I will be taking a break for now and will not be posting as regularly.

My family is going through some very difficult times right now and crafting has taken a back seat. My focus is on my family and the journey we are making. Possibly in the future I will be able to share more about our journey and my story, but for now we just need to heal. Keep us in your prayers if you will.

Chipboard and Cut Files - I will continue to support the sale of my chipboard and cut files. However, I may only get to my email every other day rather than several times a day like before. Let me know if you have any questions. Thank you for your patience.

LAYOUT & CARDS - CRICUT PRESERVES

2011-05-27T17:33:00.000-07:00

I love how this turned out. It's both simple and detailed at the same time...make sense? ;) The Cricut cuts are big and simple, but the sewing and accents makes them seem detailed. Click on pictures to enlarge.

The juicy summer paper pack from ki memories was perfect for this layout. I just love the bright and fun colors as well as the patterns and words.

The Cricut Preserves cartridge is all that's needed for this layout. Even the tag is cut from it.

I did use a Martha Stewart border punch for the lace or doily border that's behind the watermelon and tangerine on both pages.

Now for a couple of fun and fruity cards

Solid color cardstock is from Paper Trey Ink. Pink polka dot paper is from the juicy summer paper pack.

Green paper on apple card was embossed with the Cuttlebug Polka Dot embossing folder. Martha Stewart border punch on apple card and machine stitching around mats for added cuteness. :)

CRICUT PRESERVES - EMBELLISHING FRUIT

2011-05-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

I have always loved the Preserves cartridge and I had so much fun embellishing and bringing to life all the fun fruits that are on it. I am working on a few cards and a layout using the embellished fruit, but just had to give you a peek now.

Now that I have my own space...I have room for my sewing machine, Yea! I am the first to admit I need a lot more practice at sewing...especially on photo mats as I can never get my corners to end in the right place. I found the strawberries to be challenging, too.

Who would think a pineapple could be so fun and cute?! The Cuttlebug Houndstooth embossing folder is PERFECT for the texture of the pineapple.

Glossy Accents is the perfect accent to bring out the fruit seeds

I will post the completed projects soon. Also, as soon as I get a nice sunny day I will get pictures of my craft room posted. It's been so cloudy and dreary here.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION - NEW CRAFT ROOM

2011-05-17T13:29:00.000-07:00

How about a sneak peek of my new craft room...can you believe the colors? LOL! Actually this is my son's old room (yes, he still lives at home...just changed rooms). Anyway, he is a Dallas Cowboys fan so it's painted in navy, white and silver and at this time I just do not feel like repainting it. So for now the colors will remain and I will just have to add a splash of Cricut green or some other fun color here and there. :)

View as you enter the room

Now I still have a lot to do as you can see in the photo. Every time I try to get my son or husband to help me hang my embellishment center on the wall they get real busy...you know they have to pet the cow...hug the dog or kiss the cat...hee, hee. Don't worry...I will get them cornered and they will help me! ;)

I have the perfect little corner for my Jet Max cubes and embellishment center. My other stack of cubes fits perfect beside the closet door.

I love that I now have room to have all three of my tables set up and room for my cartridges. Everything was so crowded and squished together before. It's nice to spread out a little.

My main work table with supplies close at hand.

And finally my cozy little closet. :)

This was suppose to be a sneak peek, LOL! When I get it clean and everything in it's place I will take some better pics and post.

One other exciting thing...I did end up getting the E2 Cricut. When it came out on Cricut.com my sweet family said to get it for my Mothers Day...yippee. ;) It just came today so I've not even got to play with it...yet.

Thanks for listening to me ramble. I promise to get some fun projects posted soon. I really want to make another shape album as it's been a long while. Have a Great Day...see you again...soon!

B is for BEAUTIFUL - KATE'S ABC'S

2011-05-13T16:01:00.000-07:00

Kate's ABC'S has to be one of the cutest cartridges yet. It is the only cartridge needed for the entire layout. I created the mirror by using the frame on pg. 68 of the handbook and welding the table from pg. 65 so only the legs show. The original frame had holes around the edge of the oval and I used my Gypsy and the hide contour feature to hide them.

The little girl is on pg. 52. Using a pair of scissors separate her from the stroller and grass.

The hair brush in her hand is on pg. 65.

Mothers Day Card

I made this step card for my mom and never got it posted. It is also from Kate's ABC'S.

CARD MADE WITH CRICUT IMAGINE

2011-05-06T13:15:00.000-07:00

Using the Cricut Imagine and the Imagine More cartridge made this card so quick and easy to make. Print and cut the bird frame. Add a little ribbon, adhere to your card and stamp sentiment in the middle. So Easy!

Here is a fun summery card using Life is a Beach cartridge. I got a little Stickle happy, but is sure is bright and cheery! ;)

Sentiment is stamped on a tag that was punched with an EKSuccess punch.

Side Step Stair Card

2011-05-05T08:08:00.000-07:00

This is my first try at a stair card and I must say... I'm hooked! It was so much fun...even though it took me a couple tries to get the hang of how to fold the stairs.

My friends daughter is graduating this Saturday. I know graduation is to look ahead, but I decided to let this card reflect on some of her high school achievements as she moves forward.

Cricut Cartridges: Base Camp & Everyday Paper Dolls

COMPLETE LIST OF CRICUT CARTRIDGES

2011-05-02T19:05:00.000-07:00

I've been working on this list for awhile now and I think I finally have all the cartridges listed through Hello Thursday April 2011. If you find I am missing any please let me know. Click HERE to see list. In the future if you scroll down the left side of my blog to the picture of Cricut cartridges and click on it...it will take you to the list.

Sweet Shoppe Window Card

2011-04-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

Fun card made with Birthday Bash and My Community Cricut cartridges. If I were to make another I would make the font bigger on Sweet Shoppe as it's a bit small. Liquid Pearls in white used for accents. Candy Cane Stickles for cherry.

Scallop top is from My Community and is placed on a hand cut "window". Card is 5x7.

Sundae is from Birthday Bash...embossed with D'vine Swirls and hearts (from Love Language set) Cuttlebug embossing folders.

Happy Birthday - Cricut Contest Entry

2011-04-24T10:03:00.000-07:00

Provo Craft is launching the new E2 Cricut on HSN this Monday night / Tuesday morning. They are also celebrating their 5th birthday. In honor of it all they held a contest and will be giving away 5 E2 machines. The contest was to create a one page birthday layout and you could submit up to 3 layouts...I only had time to complete one. I've seen some Great entires already...glad I don't have to choose. :)

I wanted to show the versatility of the Cricut cut with this little one in the high chair from A Child's Year cartridge. I chose to highlight the party hat and the cupcake and leave the rest of the image as the silhouette it was intended to be.

Banners are very popular right now so I thought it would be the perfect topper for this layout.

I love the Storybook cartridge for doing big fancy letters.

More Easter Cards

2011-04-11T06:03:00.000-07:00

This card was made with the Simply Charmed Cricut cartridge

Here's a couple cards with an oldie, but a goodie...Stretch Your Imagination

In the pictures the cards look more muted than they really are. Could not get good pictures...ugh!

I changed this card up a bit. Can you tell what's different? Ok, I will tell, LOL. In the post below you will see the chicks feet are sticking up out of the boot and I decided to make it look like they were hanging over the edge of the boot. Not that it really matters...either way looks fine.

EASTER CARDS

2011-04-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

I am working on Easter cards for my daughter and her roommates. Here are the first two...aren't they Adorable?! Click on pictures for a better look. ;)

I only have the sizes of the chick card. I got busy on the rain boots card and forgot to take note of the sizes...sorry.

Easter Chick - Just Because Cards Cricut cartridge...cut @ 8 1/2". Then from the Forever Young cartridge...hat & bag @ 1 1/2" and the frame @ 5". Layer on a 5x7 card. BTW...the little green gem on the handbag is not suppose to be there. I didn't notice it until I enlarged the pic, lol.

Cartridges for rain boots card...Nate's ABC'S - rain boots, Simply Charmed - Chick, DoodleCharms - rabbit (make paws by hand), Pooh & Friends - umberella. Also a 5x7 card. Eyes are Peachy Keen stamps.

I have two more cards ready, but the pics keep coming out really blurry??? Will try again later with different lighting.

Paper Piecing - Making Doll Arms from Doll Head

2011-04-05T15:32:00.000-07:00

It was requested on my previous post...my Easter layout... that I show the cut lines on the doll head to turn the head into doll arms...here it is.
Using the blackout feature cut the doll head from the Cricut Everyday Paper Dolls cartridge at 5 1/4". Using the ears as little hands cut the doll head into two arms. Picture should help with this. See my completed paper pieced little girl in the next post down.

Rather than writing "cut head 5 1/4" in picture...I should have put head size is 5 1/4". There is no measuring when cutting into arms...just eye it. I do try to make them look chubby like they would be on a little one.

I Love paper piecing and plan to work on many more dolls and outfits. I am super busy right now, but would like to do a start to finish video tutorial for you. I will add it to my list of things to do. ;)

Cricut Imagine Nursery Tails

2011-04-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun creating this layout with the adorable little girl and all the cute animals. I designed the little girl by starting with the dress on the Nursery Tails cartridge. Details at the bottom of this post.

I think we need a Cricut cartridge that allows you to piece together your own little kids like I did this little girl. You know... chubby little arms and little legs. You could choose outfits...then choose legs that let them stand, or sit or kneel...and different little arms and heads. Front facing and side facing...ok, you get the point. :) That's my wish for a cartridge.

She would also be cute on the front of a card

Recipe for this layout

DoodleCharms - basket & eggs 3 1/2"

A Child's Year - chick 2"

Easter 2010 - rabbit 2 1/2", lamb 3 1/4", title 2 1/2"

Christmas Noel - bow swag using Gypsy size swag to 7.25" wide x 2" high and bows 3.25" wide x 2" high.

Now for the little girl...

Nursery Tails Imagine - print & cut the dress at 3.6" - this makes the dress too long to make her sit so I cut a portion from the bottom and used a border punch to finish it off.

Everyday Paper Doll's - head and hair at 5 1/2" (hair on pg. 2)

The tricky, but easy part

Arms - cut another head from the Everyday Paper Doll's cartridge at 5 1/4"....then cut the head in half, but shape it to look like little chubby arms. Use the ears for the hands. One head will give you two little arms and hands. :)

Legs - two triangles from George & Basic Shapes cut at 1 1/4".

Shoes - two ovals from George cut at 1 1/4"

To create little ruffle socks I used a border punch

Here is the back of a completed one to give you a better idea

Just play with it, experiment and have fun!

I will be working on more kids...including some little boys and will try and do a video tutorial. Although this one really was not hard to do at all.

Chirp Happy Kitchen Layout

2011-03-23T08:46:00.000-07:00

Yea, my "Happy Kitchen" or Rise and Shine layout was the Chirp Spotlight this week. You can see lots of pics by clicking Here or just scroll down to the next post. See this weeks Chirp Here.

I've got another fun project featuring the Imagine Nursery Tails cartridge. Something cute and fun that can be used on cards, layouts or whatever you like. Will post soon. :)

Cricut Imagine - Rise and Shine

2011-03-04T18:22:00.000-08:00

Click on pictures to enlarge

This layout was inspired by my ALL TIME FAVORITE commercial...EVER. Do you know which one it is???

Yep... the Pop Tarts commercial from about a year ago. It is very special at my house because Brent and I LOVED it. It made us smile and got us dancing. He would always go sliding and dancing across the kitchen floor. It is just the happiest commercial and we had so much fun dancing to it.

I couldn't resist trying to recreate a similar "happy" kitchen... so when he is my age and I'm too old to dance ;)... he can look at it and remember the fun times we had dancing and laughing in the kitchen.

Thanks to the Cricut Imagine it made making this super happy layout a snap. The images on Kate's Kitchen were perfect!

When doing the first page I forgot I needed room for photo mats as it is supposed to be a scrapbook page. Guess that's what the 2nd page is for, LOL.

I was grasping for a dancing boy when I found Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk on the My Community cartridge. Lean him forward and he kind of looks like he's doing the moon walk. Sometimes you just have to use your imagination. However...I hope PC will think about putting more little boys on some of the cartridges. Even a dancing boy or two. :)

Due to trademarks I wasn't sure if I could actually call my tarts Pop Tarts so my recipe is for Toaster Tarts. ;)

Cricut Cartridges:

Kate's Kitchen - appliances, kitchen extra's and pattern paper

B is for Boy - boy on stairs & dog

French Manor - kitchen table

Country Life - flower pitcher on table

My Community - dancing boy and kitchen chair

A Child's Year & George - stairs

Create a Critter - bird in window (actually a duck in handbook)

Peachy Keen is having a fun challenge. See my project and other challenge entries Here.

On another note...some of my work is going to be featured tomorrow on the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog. :) Visit them Here.

Birthday Wishes

2011-02-26T09:51:00.000-08:00

Today is my aunt's surprise 80th birthday party. Made her this quick card using the mailbox from Mickey & Friends Cricut cartridge. A few handmade envies to fill it, a few Prima flowers and a little ribbon. Super Easy!

The colors look much better in person. Must be the lighting, but the pink and green look off in the picture. Yes, I did mess up on the corners too, but I figure she will never even notice, LOL!! I tried doing dashes on the side and dots in the corners and it looked funny so I tried to turn my dots into dashes. Maybe this is not a good day to craft, ha, ha! ;)

Month of March Scrapbook Page - Lots of Sparkle

2011-02-21T17:10:00.000-08:00

Let's chase away those winter blahs with a super bright and cheery layout. Lots of sparkle and bling to cheer you up! :)

Cricut Cartridges:

Designer's Calendar - kite, four leaf clover & March

Simply Charmed - pot o' gold & leprechaun

Pooh & Friends - cloud

Cuttlebug embossing folder - D'vine Swirl for cloud

Shimmer paints for leprechaun's Cheeks, hat and jacket

Martha Stewart glitter for rainbow and kite shadow, Liquid Pearls - gold pearl for "gold".

This was a fun one... I'm thinking I might do a themed page for each month, fill with pictures of the kids and make into a calendar for my mom for Christmas. I won't add the actual calendar pages yet as it may have to be a 2013 calendar if I don't get it done this year, Ha,Ha. ;)

Baby Girl Onesie Mini Album - Lots of Pictures

2011-02-20T09:34:00.000-08:00

First I must give credit to a very talented crafter and friend for the inspiration for this album. My friend Teri designed this album for a little boy and I just had to make one for my little niece that will be here soon. See Teri's Adorable baby boy album HERE. Thank you Teri!!

Onesie is from Cricut New Arrival cartridge. Embellished with dainty flower ribbon, pearls, button brads for the "snaps" and a baby buggy charm.

Stroller is also from New Arrival

Top pg - embossed photo mat with the Baby Cuttlebug folder. Then heat embossed for sparkle. Lamb is from Sugar and Spice Cricut Lite cartridge. Tags are from George & Basic Shapes.

These two pages were really fun. I used a badge holder to create a little pocket to hold a special treasure. Maybe a little lock of hair or anything small. I added cute pattern paper, computer generated little treasures and added the adorable ribbon to jazz it up. Favorites list is also computer generated.

Cute baby girl is from Cricut Everyday Paper Dolls cartridge. Face and binki are Peachy Keen stamps. Add a little pink chalk for cheeks and Glossy Accents for shine and you have the perfect little face. Of course her pig tails just make it.

Another super fun page to do. Bath tub and duck is from New Arrival. Towel and bubble bottle from Everyday Paper Dolls.

I like how the background paper looks like bubbles. Glossy Accents for shine on bottle and "water" in the tub. Rain dots for splash and water drops.

Top pg...Cute little binki from Simply Charmed Cricut cartridge. Of course I had to add a charm or "binki clip".

Moon is from New Arrival.

Every baby girl needs a dainty little crib. Crib is from Everyday Paper Dolls. Scalloped crib skirt is a Fiskars border punch. Ribbon bows to hold the "bumper pad" and of course a dream charm. I cut two of the cribs and added pop dots between them for dimension. I was going to hang a "blanket" over the top rail, but it was just too much for this one.

It was so good to finally do another shape/mini album. I will be doing more in the future as they are just too fun! The nice thing about this album is you do not need a Gypsy or Design Studio to make it. Just your Cricut and a few cartridges. Thanks for looking!

SOUS - My Valentine

2011-02-18T05:31:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not this layout completes my term at SOUS...WOW! I'm truly sad to say...I've decided not to do another term at this time. I've had so much fun and learned so much about doing a layout from a sketch. It was a real challenge for me at first. However, life is really busy right now and I feel like I need some time to get back on track. Possibly in the future I can do another term or be a guest designer...I would Love that. I still plan to do as many of the sketches as time will allow and I will post them for you. They are also posting all kinds of tutorials so check them out Here.

For this layout I only used the Cricut for the font and it is from the Storybook cartridge. The border in the center was done with a mixture of border punches and I will list them at the bottom.

Pattern paper is from K&Comany and it was a Valentine stack from a couple years ago.

I like how it looks like the little bird is singing sweet words. The words were stamped with different stamps in pink and brown ink.

Border punches punched and layered together are:

MS Deep Edge Heart border Punch & matching lattice heart punch

Center scallop heart is also MS, but I don't have the name (sorry)

EKSuccess wave dot border punch...I think that's the name

Valentine Card & Treat Can

2011-02-13T12:36:00.000-08:00

Ok, I couldn't stop with just a card. I made a batch of homemade molasses cookies and decorated the empty molasses can to match my card. Of course I filled it with cookies.

Valentine card is made with a couple older Cricut cartridges - Paper Pups and Doodlecharms. Puppy is cut at 4" and hearts are 1 1/4". It all fits perfect on an A2 size card.

Inside is computer generated

As much as I love to make Valentines...this is the only one I've had time to make. Since Kara is off to college I plan to drop it off for her when I am close by, tomorrow. Glad she is only 30 min. from home! Hope you all have a Happy Valentines Day!

Quick Card by Kara

2011-02-11T11:26:00.000-08:00

I had to post Kara's card she made for a friend. She does so much better than I with the Disney Characters. I love the blingy sun and flowers. Gives me hopes of spring. :)

I will have a new mini album to post...very soon! ;) Have a Great weekend, everyone!

Happy Birthday Kara!!

2011-02-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

Today is my baby girls 21st birthday!! I know... she's not a baby anymore. ; ) Now that she's older...she is not only my daughter, but a wonderful friend, too. We have so much fun together and I am so blessed to have her! Happy Birthday Kara...I Love you LOTS!!! : )

Now for her birthday card...it's probably kind of cute for her age, but I couldn't help myself and she loves cute, anyway... LOL. Birthday Bash is the only cartridge needed for this card. This cartridge is full of cute images and cards. It truly is one of my favorites!

For card base use the card feature and fit to page on a 12x12 sheet of cardstock which cuts it at 9". Cut pattern paper using the shift key and card feature at 8 1/2". Banner is cut at 4 1/2" and numbers are 1 1/4". Card and banner are on pg. 39 of Birthday Bash handbook. Use different embossing folders for each of the banner flags and add buttons and gems to help it "pop".

Notice front of card is actually square and the back is what's scalloped.

SOUS - Good Times

2011-02-04T06:48:00.000-08:00

Here are some fun pictures taken at the bowling alley back in 2007. The Nifty Fifties Cricut cartridge was perfect for this layout. I LOVE the font as well as all the fun vintage images that's on it.

The yellow marquee is from the Storybook cartridge and the font and bowling pins are from Nifty Fifties. The red strip was embossed with the Cuttlebug polka dot embossing folder. Since this is a vintage looking layout I did not add any bling, but rather kept it very plain. I really like how it turned out...even though it's simple. Check out all the other layouts created from this sketch Here.

SOUS - My First Truck

2011-01-21T05:57:00.000-08:00

First I want to say Thank You to all of you for the many emails and comments left on my blog. I appreciate all your well wishes and concerns. I am on the mend and feeling better and will be back to scrapping more...Soon! :) Thank you!!

This was a really fun layout to do. I love the look of the aluminum foil border embossed with the tread plate embossing folder...perfect for a male layout. I really like how deep of an embossed image you get with the foil. I did put 3 layers of foil together to give a little more sturdiness.

I just happen to have the perfect "manly" brads to set everything off. Base Camp Cricut cartridge was used for the font. I plan to add a second page to this and show better pics of his truck. He looks sooooo small standing next to it. :)

Check out all the fabulous layouts Here at Stuck On U Sketches

Thanks to all for the wonderful comments.

I found the brads at Hobby Lobby and it was just posted that some Michael's have them too.

The diamond tread plate is a Cuttlebug embossing folder.

The foil is just regular Reynold's aluminum foil...tear a a good size sheet and fold it several times to add layers for sturdiness. I folded mine three times...then run through embossing machine. Of course you have to keep moving your embossing folder down and running back through the machine until your entire strip of foil is embossed.

Update and Bedford Falls

2011-01-15T18:23:00.000-08:00

WOW...that's about all I can say as I feel like such a stranger to my blog and creating projects. Life got really crazy this fall and my family suffered many losses. It got to the point that attending a funeral service was almost as regular as church on Sunday. Sometimes you just don't understand life, but God does get you through.

Once life began to get back to normal I started getting sick and have been battling severe ear infection and dizziness for weeks. It makes it hard to function much less think about getting creative. I am once again on medication, but just can't seem to kick it. If not way better by Monday I will be calling the doctor again.

On a lighter note...Bedford Falls...Kathy and I are STILL planning to do Bedford Falls...Yea! : ) However, it turned out to be a much larger project than either one of us expected. Rather than rushing through it and throwing it together...we both decided it would be better to wait and do it right. So what better time to do a Christmas project if not at Christmas...July...Yes, Christmas in July!! This will give us plenty of time to do it right and give all of you plenty of time to recreate it for next Christmas. See you in July! ;)

In the meantime... A Big Thank You to all of you that continue to stop by and support my blog even when it's slow! I hope to feel better soon so I can get back to creating and having fun.

Tuesday Treats - Let It Snow Layout

2010-12-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

I was very happy to get the opportunity to design a project for Tuesday Treats. Of course this is such a busy time of year for everyone so I decided to keep it simple and do a one page...one Cricut cartridge layout. I wanted to show how a simple layout with a few Cricut cuts could be brought to life with some quick and simple embellishing. Be sure to visit Tuesday Treats to get all the details and see lots more pictures.

SOUS - Home for the Holidays

2010-12-24T00:01:00.000-08:00

Switching gears to a more elegant layout for the SOUS challenge was so much fun. I Love the swirly tree from the Christmas Solutions cartridge. The ribbon bow and tiny gems set it off.

The poinsettias and reindeer are from Joys of the Season. The scallop circle frame is from the Sugar & Spice Cricut Lite cartridge.

Would you believe I can't remember which cartridge the snowflakes are from??? I'm sorry I guess I was playing with too many cartridges. Gosh, remember the good ole' days when we had 10 or 15 cartridges to choose from, LOL!

Paper is a mix of K&Company and DCWV

Be sure to check out all the other layouts at Stuck On You Sketches

Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season filled with health, happiness and friends. Merry Christmas everyone!

SOUS - Snow Fun

2010-12-10T06:54:00.000-08:00

This week the challenge for Stuck on you Sketches is to use some wonderful die cut paper paper that was donated to us by Floren over at Generations Crafting. I chose the pretty glittered purple scallop paper to frame my "snow fun" layout. To see lots more fun scrappy goodies visit Floren..... Here.

The title for this layout is cut from the Cuttin' Up Cricut cartridge and shapes are cut from the new Jolly Holidays Cricut Lite cartridge.

To create snow on the snowman's hat and sled I used liquid applique and a heat embossing gun. Love that stuff. : ) To give his little nose some sparkle I used orange Stickles.

I love this little branch on Jolly Holidays cartridge. To add a real winter touch I added glitter and glossy accents. Snow on the black paper is a Stampin' Up! background stamp and white ink.

I know you can't see in the picture, but the tree in the photo is covered in ice and there is lots of snow on the ground.

Bedford Falls - Sneak Peek

2010-12-02T15:44:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it's almost Christmas once again! It's already time for your first sneak peek of Bedford Falls...remember the project Kathy over at Paper Phenomenon and I are teaming up to do. Well here it is...Gower Drugs.

I will show you more of this when we present...Bedford Falls. In the meantime here is a sneak peek of Kathy's project...George's home. Now how Amazingly Awesome is that!!! To see more visit her Here

Lots more to come!

SOUS - Newman Jets

2010-11-26T07:01:00.000-08:00

I had fun doing this weeks layout for Stuck On You Sketches. These are the first cheer pictures I've scrapped of my daughter and I especially like the picture of her partner stunting on one foot, suspended straight up in the air in her coaches hands...yikes! : )

To see other takes on this sketch be sure to visit SOUS Here

Scallop circle is from the Mini Monograms Cricut cartridge and the megaphone is from Everyday Paper Dolls.

Wishing their team a great season...Go Jets!

SOUS - Happy Haunting Layout

2010-10-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

I can't say my layout looks exactly like the sketch. This one was tough for me as I didn't seem to have the right pictures and didn't really know what I wanted. Don't laugh, but I just realized I have my two pages backwards in the pictures. The page on the left should be on the right side...ugh!

Check out all the other wonderful layouts at SOUS

Cricut cartridges - Happy Hauntings and Paper Doll Dress Up

Look closely at the tree...see that little piece of brown paper? It's not suppose to be there, LOL! I was trying to decide if I wanted the grass to be brown or neon yellow and forgot to make up my mind and never even noticed, Ha, Ha!

Pick of the Crop - Fall Layout

2010-10-27T11:13:00.000-07:00

This layout features images from the most adorable cartridge ever...Simply Charmed. These images pair up perfectly with the imaginisce Apple Cider fall collection of papers. I kept this layout simple and without too many die cuts so as not to completely cover up the paper.

Click on pictures to enlarge

To add a little geometric interest I did the background paper a little different than normal. The tree printed paper for the large mat is cut at 10"x10" and the strips along the side and top are 1"x10". The corner squares are 1"x1". The solid color base page is 12"x12". Gotta mix things up once in awhile. : )

Exciting News - Bedford Falls

2010-10-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to announce that I am teaming up with Kathy over at Paper Phenomenon for a fabulous Christmas project for all of you. Kathy is a Super Talented crafter and teaches the most awesome ustream classes. If you don't know her, let me tell you... you are in for a real treat. If you are familiar with Kathy you know this is going to be a big project. I'm not sure she does anything small...she is just Amazing. :) Visit her Here.

Our project is Bedford Falls and yes, it's based on the movie, It's A Wonderful Life. This is a movie about sharing and giving and we think it will be the perfect project for Christmas. We are still working out all the details so I can't say to much yet, but I promise...more to come!

SOUS - Branson

2010-10-15T04:54:00.000-07:00

This week's project for SOUS is another one page layout. I had a lot of fun with this one and really like how it turned out. The blue adds a nice touch to the browns and golds. All paper is from DCWV Amber Autumn Collection. Pattern circle is cut on the Expression using the fit to page feature and embellished with machine stitching. The adorable acorn and oak leaf is from Cricut Lite cartridge B is for Boy. Title is from Base Camp and embellished with cinnamon Stickles for bling.

Branson is a place of great memories for my family. I have lots of wonderful pictures to scrap, but these are some of my favorites. I love the picture of my son with the hat on and lollipop in his hand as he's doing a little jig. I know you can't tell in the picture he's dancing, but I remember every time I look at it. Be sure to check out all the wonderful project at SOUS

Fabulous Fall Card

2010-10-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin and leaves are both from Cricut Designer's Calendar cartridge. The leaves are actually cut out of the pumpkin and not pasted on. I backed the cuts with shimmery red cardstock and outlined in a reddish color. This was inspired by the cover of Better Homes and Gardens newest magazine. You just never know where you might find inspiration for a project, lol. : )

My Think Pink Project - Believe Shadow Box

2010-10-11T07:27:00.000-07:00

This project is very special to me since breast cancer has touched my family as it has many of you. I have added this file to my free cut and gypsy files list. However, the shadow box was inspired by a fellow crafter and friend... Kathy over at Paper Phenomenon. She has a wonderful tutorial on how to make the shadow box. It's super easy to put together so go check it out. My file will include the scallops for the outside of the box and the canopy bed. I just love how the canopy turned out.

My hope is many of you will recreate this project and give it to someone you know that's been touched by breast cancer or make several to raffle off at a benefit for breast cancer. I am glad I could create a project to help raise awareness on this very important subject and hope you will too.

Cartridges needed for bed...Sugar and Spice, Sweet Treats and George or any cartridge with a circle for the balls on the bed post.

Cartridge needed for scalloped frame - Winter Frolic

Inside dimension of my box is 9x9...score a 12x12 sheet of cardstock at 1 1/2 inches on all sides and follow Kathy's tutorial for putting it together.

Flashback Fall and Something Exciting...

2010-10-10T15:10:00.000-07:00

I have decided to celebrate fall with a look back at a couple of my favorite fall shape albums. As many of you know I have been busy with fall harvest and have not had time to create as many fall projects as I would like. However, that is not the only reason I've not had time to work on many projects and that's the exciting news...I have a very exciting announcement that I will be making later this week. All I can say right now is this is something you will not want to miss. With the season of giving upon us this exciting announcement is going to be perfect. It will bring a new concept to the crafting world and it's going to be so much fun. Ok, I better quit now before I say too much. : ) More to come this week...stay tuned!

Now for Flashback Fall

Here are a few pictures of my Pumpkin Pickin' album from last year.

My Create a Window album also from last year

Stampin' UP! RGB Codes

2010-10-09T15:33:00.000-07:00

Here is a tip if you have a Stampin' UP! color coach...write the RGB (red, green blue) values on each swatch so you don't have to look them up each time you need them. You also get a truer look at the color by using your color coach vs a computer screen. My DD suggested this when she was using my Imagine and wanted a certain SU! color. I thought it was a great idea.

I wrote them on the back of each card

Karin over at http://scrappercreations.blogspot.com/ has a free downloadable file of all the SU! codes. Thanks Karin for sharing this. You can also Google RGB codes.

Cricut Designer's Calendar & Imagine More

2010-10-09T07:20:00.000-07:00

A quick card I made using the maple leaf from Designer's Calendar and printing it with a pattern from Imagine More. The flower in the middle is also from DC and printed with patterns from IM.

I can't remember which magazine I was browsing through and saw a center piece that was a big maple leaf with a bouquet of flowers in the middle. I wanted to recreate that in a card, but I made my flowers too big and was too tired to go back and redo them smaller. So I made it a one flower in the middle card. :) Some sewing around the edge of the mat would add a lot more so I may do another one and deck it out a little more.

Checking In...

2010-10-07T18:46:00.000-07:00

Yippee...tomorrow is Friday!!! We have been busy with fall harvest and cutting soy beans this week. Needless to say... I'm ready for the weekend. Although we may still be in the field I won't have to work in the shop and that makes life much easier. : ) Now you know why I've not posted anything new. With the exception of a couple very quick and simple cards that I needed...I've not even touched my Cricut in almost two weeks...Yikes! Things should slow down a bit soon and I hope to get some crafting time so please don't give up on me. : ) Have a great weekend!

Had to come back and share this...my DD just sent me a text with a very interesting fact about October 2010...This Oct. has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays all in one month. It happens once every 823 years...wow! So is this what I'm paying for college for? LOL! : )

Stuck On U Sketches

2010-10-01T04:57:00.000-07:00

Here's my take on the SOUS layout for this week. Fall is my favorite time of year and I love doing fall layouts and cards. I recently put out my fall decorations and thought they would make the perfect pictures for this layout. Journaling tag is from Kate's Kitchen Cricut cartridge. The only other cartridge used is Stretch Your Imagination for the leaves and pumpkin. Check out all the great projects at... SOUS.

For a different touch to my flowers I added scalloped eyelets rather than the normal buttons or brads.

A peek at some of my favorite fall decorations.

I received the welcome lantern for my birthday from a good friend of mine. Isn't it Adorable!! It's the perfect accent in my entry way and I will decorate it for each season.

My wire pumpkin...it's hard to see in the picture, but it's really cute.

My dining room bouquet of leaves

It's safe to say...I enjoy decorating for fall even more than Christmas!

Cricut Imagine - Best Friends Princess Card

2010-09-25T16:18:00.000-07:00

Don't worry I promise I will be posting projects made with my Cricut Expression, too. Right now I'm just exploring the new Imagine and it's possibilities. I must check out all the new cartridges for it...I just can't resist. ;) Lots more regular projects to come.

For now here is a cute little princess card made with the Best Friends cartridge. With the exception of the base of this card and the crown...everything was printed on the Imagine. To give the dress a little more flair I added sheer dotted ribbon. Of course you could put a little handbag in her hand to add even more to this card.

Inside of card

A little experiment...full image below was printed on white cardstock. The image of just the dress was printed on pale pink cardstock to see if it would add more color. The paper in the background is the pink paper I printed on from Paper Trey Ink. It did make the top part of the dress a little darker, but there was not a huge difference. I will play around with this a little more and let you know what I come up with.

Cricut Imagine - Cup of Tea Layout from Kate's Kitchen

2010-09-25T07:43:00.000-07:00

This if my first layout using the Cricut Imagine. All pattern paper and images are from Kate's Kitchen. This is the most Adorable cartridge and I just love the papers on it. I will be doing some video tutorials on the Imagine...soon. Click on pictures to enlarge.

Scallop border is cut from Plantin Schoolbook. With the new update we will be able to print full 12" borders.

Is that little tea pot not the cutest you've ever seen?! It reminds my DD of the little tea pot from Beauty and the Beast. Love the rich colors they chose for this paper...Adorable.

I left the base cardstock of my photo mats a little longer so I could stamp my sentiments on them. I like this look and will be doing more photo mats this way.

Love the note card paper on Kate's Kitchen. Perfect for journaling tags.

Cricut Nursery Tails, Country Life & Straight from the Nest - Celebrate Today Card

2010-09-24T06:33:00.000-07:00

My daughter has a pretty heavy load this semester at college and this week was especially heavy with tests and papers. My advice to her... take it one step at a time and enjoy every single day. All of this inspired this card for her. I love the sun coming up or setting ...however you choose to perceive it, over the acres of land. Of course the sentiment goes back to what I was telling her...enjoy or celebrate today and everyday. :) Needless to say...she did well on all of her tests and got all of her papers written. : )

Cricut Cartridges:

Country Life - sun and hills

Straight from the Nest - Photo Corner

Nursery Tails - Tree and the pattern paper on the hills

Butterflies are a Martha Stewart punch

Cricut Imagine - Kate's Kitchen & Preserves

2010-09-22T15:47:00.000-07:00

Here's another quick card using a regular Cricut cartridge combined with an Imagine cartridge. I cut the pear from Preserves and printed pear pattern paper from Kate's Kitchen. Love, Love, Love having my own little stash of pattern paper! : ) I am just loving this machine. Added Glossy Accents to pear stem and seeds. Seeds are still wet and might look a little cloudy.

I am getting more comfortable and think I'm ready to try my hand at a bigger project. Although I am having so much fun making quick cards. More projects to come so be sure to check back soon!

Cricut Imagine & Create a Critter - Happy Harvest Card

2010-09-21T16:32:00.000-07:00

I got a request to show an image from a regular Cricut cartridge that was printed with a pattern from an Imagine cartridge...see I do listen. ; ) The pumpkin from Create a Critter is cut at 3" and printed with a pattern paper from the Imagine More cartridge. The more I use the Imagine the more I LOVE it!

Cricut Imagine - Butterfly Kisses

2010-09-21T06:03:00.000-07:00

Here is my 2nd project on the new Cricut Imagine. I think this new machine just might be addictive. I still have a lot to learn, but once I get it broke in and feeling like that old pair of sneakers...well I don't think I'll be able to leave it alone. :) This image was print and cut from Nursery Tails.

Every butterfly needs a little bling so I added small gems to the wings. Look at the dimension you get by adding pop dots and folding the wings up. I left the dragonfly flat which adds even more dimension to the popped butterflies. I Love the look of the printed sentiment and hope to see lots more sentiments on future cartridges. You warm my heart is a stamp from Paper Trey Ink.

Another observation...you will still want your regular Cricut for those really quick projects as it does take longer on this machine when printing and cutting. Well worth the extra time, but I can see myself bouncing back and forth from my E to this, depending on what I'm doing. Especially when I'm working with the regular Cricut cartridges and not going to add printing. So yes, my E will still have a place on my crafting table too. ;)

Cricut Imagine...First Project...Simple Card

2010-09-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

Here it is...my first project ever on the new Cricut Imagine. I will be posting videos once I get better acquainted with this machine. Although it is pretty simple to learn... it is way different than what I'm use to and going to take some time to really learn and hopefully get good with it. Base card and background paper was not printed on the Imagine.

The printed oval image is from Nursery Tails and OMG, that is an Adorable cartridge!

Inside of card from Imagine More and the print only feature

My reviews after one project...

Love the ability to print and customize images...So Fun!

Stylus is plastic and nothing like the Gypsy stylus :(

Having issues with the mat not holding cardstock in place...had to wipe down with a baby wipe and then it held the cardstock. If you print and cut... the cardstock must be stuck down good or when it goes from print to cut, it slides the cardstock off the mat as it goes under the bar to cut.

Have not figured out how to move images around on the mat, but sure hope this can be done or is in the update.

Overall I think this is going to be a great machine, but there is a definite learning curve. I know PC will continue to do updates and make improvements so it can only get better...just like the Gypsy. Right now I'm a little on pins and needles figuring it all out, BUT I am very excited about the possibilities! I just need time to play, play, play. ;) I will post more soon!

SOUS - My Life Layout

2010-09-17T04:47:00.000-07:00

Here is a very, very simple layout for my first challenge over at SOUS. I was not sure how far we could stray from the sketch so as you can see if you go look at the sketch...I didn't really stray at all. :) Now that I know I have some freedom I will mix it up and add my own twist next time. There are lots of fabulous layouts so be sure to go check them out http://www.stuckonusketches.blogspot.com/ .

Paper is from K&Company's Wild Saffron stack

Cricut was used for the title, tags and flowers

Sentiment is a rub on

Fall Harvest - A Shaped Card Using Doodlecharms...

2010-09-15T19:26:00.000-07:00

I entered this card in the Cricut Circle fall card / layout challenge and it was one of the winners, woo hoo! :) Winners get the Speaking of Fall Cricut cartridge. Believe it or not... even though this is an older cartridge...I do not have it.

For my card I used Doodlecharms. It too is an older Cricut cartridge, but is still one of my favorites.

Inside of card

I created this card on my Gypsy by welding two bushel baskets together to form base of card. Then cut top layers and embellished. I have really been using my Gypsy a lot lately and am loving the fact that I don't have to load all the cartridges into the machine to cut.

USTREAM Class Tonight...Shaped Explosion Box...

2010-09-13T06:27:00.000-07:00

My good friend and fellow crafter Kathy over at Paper Phenomenon is going to do a live Ustream class tonight on a shaped explosion box. She is not doing a barn, but a spook house! If you have not been to one of her classes you don't know what you're missing. We have so much fun. She is a blast and teaches a great class. It's tonight at 7:00 central standard time. Just click link...http://www.paperphenomenon.blogspot.com/ to go to her site and click the ustream link below the post and it will take you where you need to be. It will give us something to do as we all wait for the big launch. Hope to see you there!

3 Birds on Parade...Fall Card

2010-09-12T18:38:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I questioned if I needed this cartridge or not...Gasp! It is Adorable. Lots of cute birds and lots of extras. The wing tip below the scarf was my own little addition and not part of the original cut. This is my first project from this cartridge, but it won't be my last.

HSN and K&Company...

2010-09-11T16:31:00.000-07:00

I just found out that K&Company will be showcasing their new paper lines on HSN this Monday night. From what I understand it will be right after the launch of the Imagine so around 11:30 central time. The Imagine and more great paper...what more can one ask for. : )

On a side note...some of you may remember me posting about the yearly crop or kyrie krop in this case, that I go to. Kyrie is a little girl that lost her battle with pediatric brain cancer. After her death her parents got busy raising awareness and money for pediatric cancer research. Megan who is showcasing the new papers on HSN, is also Kyrie's aunt. She is a big part of the Kyrie Foundation. Be sure to watch for the new paper line and check out the Kyrie Foundation by clicking the link... http://kyriefoundation.org/Kyrie_Foundation/The_Kyrie_Foundation.html

Happy 16th Birthday Card...

2010-09-09T15:28:00.000-07:00

For my DS. I'm not the best with teen guy cards so I kept it simple and tried to use bright colors to make it pop.

Happy Birthday Brent!

This is a 5x7 card. The red mat (looks pink in the photo) was embossed with the Happy Birthday Cuttlebug embossing folder. The number 16 is cut from Base Camp Cricut cartridge. Although I had to cut the shadow and top layer at different sizes to get them to line up (think my cart might be defective...this is my first time to use it). The flame is from Straight From the Nest and topped with yellow Stickles for bling. The stamps that border the edge are Mega Mixed Messages from Paper Trey Ink. Border punch is by EKSuccess.

Overwhelmed with Projects and Life...

2010-09-09T06:30:00.000-07:00

Do you ever get so many projects going at once that you get lost? Well that's how I am right now. I have several projects at different stages and wonder if I will get any of them finished. Why do I start another project when I'm in the middle of one...I don't know, LOL! Not to mention life has been very, very busy and I've not had much time to put into my projects lately.

Today my baby is 16 years old...WOW!! I can't believe he's almost grown, but I can't say it makes me sad either...just surprised. I look forward to the next chapter in my life. Kara is off to college and doing amazingly well and Brent will be out of high school before you know it. It's so rewarding to sit back and watch the fruits of your labor as your kids flourish and grow.

Something new...aside from the many projects I'm working on I also have a new product I'm testing and can't wait to bring it to you. It's something that is working wonderful in the Cricut and will be great for many projects. There is something else I want to be able to use this product for, but am still in the trial and error stages of testing it. I'm also working with a supplier on availability and pricing. It's a specialty material so it's not going to be cheap, but should still be affordable for those special projects. I will post more on it soon.

Well enough rambling. Fun projects coming...Soon! By the way...who's on pins and needles waiting for the launch of the Imagine? Normally I don't get too caught up in the hype when a product launches, but this machine has me mesmerized and I can't wait to see more. Won't be long now. Have a Great Day Everyone!

Stuck On U Sketches...

2010-09-03T07:30:00.000-07:00

I just found out I made the design team over at Stuck On You Sketches. It's a fun and informative challenge blog. I am so excited to be a part of this amazing group of designers. Congrats to the other new DT members too! Be sure to check us out... http://stuckonusketches.blogspot.com/

Snail Mail

2010-09-02T06:33:00.000-07:00

My sweet daughter Kara, a junior in college this year informed me... I had not even mailed her one card, yet! What was I thinking, lol. Of course she is accustom to mom's handmade cards and I could never get away with anything less. ;) Here's her first card for the year...yes, I will be sending many more. ;) I'm happy she wants cards from her mom. :)

I must give credit to a circle mb member for suggesting I do a snail or turtle card since DD thinks I'm so slow sending them...thus inspiring this card. Snail mail gets slower all the time, ha, ha!

Cricut cartridges are Mickey and Friend for the fence, mailbox and sun. Paisley for the snail. Flowers are a Martha Stewart punch. Card is 5x7 inches. Sky is embossed on the Cuttlebug with the D'vine Swirls folder. Face stamps are from Peachy Keen.

Chirp Spotlight...

2010-08-31T18:59:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to say...I made this week's Cricut Chirp Spotlight with my barn shaped explosion box
http://www.cricut.com/newsletters/volume.aspx?ID=276.
To see lots of pictures and get all the details scroll down the page or click link... http://bugjunkie.blogspot.com/2010/08/explosion-box-with-twist.html. Thank you all for the many wonderful comments on this project!

Super, Super Simple Fall Card

2010-08-30T18:36:00.000-07:00

This really is just a super simple A2 sized card, but I really like the colors and thought I would share. All cuts are from Doodlecharms Cricut cartridge and all paper is from Stampin' UP!

Explosion Box With A Twist...

2010-08-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

This is my first try at making an explosion box. Of course I had to add a Bug Junkie twist to it!! ; ) I decided to try making it a shaped explosion box and this is what I came up with. You can use the same idea to make a cute spook house, gingerbread house, Santa's workshop and so on. Lots of possibilities for sure. Free cut file now posted on left hand side of my blog.

Love the open loft complete with a laying hen

The weather vane is a charm, but the new Country Life Cricut cartridge has a weather vane on it

The hay stack is made with the Martha Stewart branch punch

Remove the lid to find a cute scene on the inside...Complete with tags and photo mats

Love this little pecking hen and the cute ears of corn...both from Country Life

Bushel basket and leaves are from Doodlecharms...tractor is from My World, but there are tractors on several other cartridges as well.

I designed this box in Design Studio, but you do not have to have DS or the Gypsy to make this. You can take a 12x12 sheet of chipboard and cut out the four corner squares, each square is 3 3/4 x 3 3/4. Then score and fold the remaining squares to make five 3 3/4" squares. The roof is an 8" x 3 3/4" piece of chipboard...score at 1", 1 1/2", 3 1/2", 4 1/2, 6 1/2 and 7". A scoring board makes this much easier. Do the same for your decorative paper and adhere to your chipboard. For the lid cut a 5 3/4' square and score 1" in all the way around. Make a diagonal cut at the four corners and fold. Hopefully I've not confused you. : ) Decorate as desired.

Working On Something New...

2010-08-20T05:45:00.000-07:00

for you! It's an idea I've seen around for awhile now, but I've never made one. I'm really excited because I've added a new twist to this old idea and I really like how it's coming together. The fun part is there are so many possibilities on how to decorate and personalize it. I've already got ideas for a Halloween one and a Christmas one. So, any guessers out there? : ) I won't keep you waiting too long. I hope I can finish it and get it posted for you this weekend...maybe even yet today, but don't hold your breath, LOL. I do think it's something you all will have fun making so be sure to check back. ; )

And The Winner is...

2010-08-15T17:02:00.000-07:00

Number 11...Congrats Tammie, you are the winner of my Back to School kit giveaway!!

Tammie said...

Very cute layout! Thanks for the chance to win....Tammie M.

Thank you all for playing along!

Back to School Giveaway

2010-08-12T08:27:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year once again. In honor of back to school I am giving away one Back to School layout kit. Please note this is the kit and not the completed layout.

Click link for all the details on this kit http://bugjunkie.blogspot.com/2010/07/super-cute-back-to-school-layout-kit.html.

This was a super fun kit to make and is a perfect representation of that first day back to school. All you have to do to be entered in the random drawing is leave a comment on this post. Be sure to leave an email or blog where I can contact you if you win. I will draw a winner this Sunday afternoon. Good Luck!

The Polar Express Layout

2010-08-10T17:44:00.000-07:00

Here is another example of how the adorable train from the New Arrival Cricut cartridge can be used. It's so versatile and I just love it. The train, tracks and photo mats are all cut the same size as in my Welcome Baby layout below. Now I must admit, I'm not completely satisfied with how my "snow" turned out. I wanted this to be a very shimmery, snowy layout and I was playing around with how to achieve that look. If I were to do it again...I would do it a little different. To get the snow and ice on the train I used a combination of glitter and Stickles and it's ok, but not great. Love how the track turned out though.

Tip...when adding glitter to a project I like to run the image through my Xyron first. This gives a very even layer of adhesive for the glitter to stick to. That's how I did the train tracks.

This is not necessarily THE Polar Express from the movie, but rather just a fun toy filled train coming from the North Pole. However, if you've watched the movie you will get the significance of the jingle bell on the photo mat. My friend Wende and my DD Kara said I must add a jingle bell and I agree it's a great touch.

Notice I did mix some unexpected colors such as pink & brown with the red & green. If you look close there is a faint pink stripe in the background paper so I decided it was ok to do. : ) That's part of the fun...mixing colors and patterns and making them look right together.

Cricut Cuts

Paper Doll Dress Up - tree @ 3 3/4", the gingerbread man and the rocking horse both cut at 2 1/2" with REAL DIAL SIZE ON. Train @ 5"

Joys of the Season - gifts @ 2" and 2 1/4", sled at 1 1/4", bell on photo mat @ 1" and the tags at 4 1/4"

Winter Frolic - mouse at 2 1/4"

Every Day Paper Dolls - train track @ 2" and weld two together or just lay end to end on page.

Correction on New Arrival Layout...

2010-08-04T14:53:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry, but I just realized I posted the wrong size for the train. It should be cut at 5 inches. I posted 4", but that is wrong. With all the video problems and such I guess I got confused. I apologize for this. I am working on yet another project using this train and that's how I caught my mistake. I think you will like what I'm working on so stay tuned!

Embellishing Your Die Cuts - New Arrival Layout

2010-08-02T07:21:00.000-07:00

Using larger die cuts and making them work...For this layout I wanted big, chunky cuts that really made a statement on the page without overpowering it. I like how it turned out even though I mixed some unexpected colors and patterns (I wasn't so sure about the background paper with the polka dots). I had some issues with this video and it turned into quite a chore which made me a little silly. Hope you don't mind. ; )

Cricut Cartridges

New Arrival...train @ 5"

Everyday Paper Dolls - track @ 2"...weld two together

Create a Critter - lion, seal & hippo - all @ 2"

George & Basic Shapes - tags @ 4 1/4"

Photo Mats

The base photo mats are as follows below. Each mat that is layered on top is approximately 1/4" smaller than the mat you are adhering it to.

1 mat - 5 3/4 x 4 1/2
1 mat - 5 3/4 x 4 3/4
1 mat - 5 x 3 3/4
1 mat - 4 3/4 x 4 1/2

The monkey & train brads on the tags are by the Paper Studio's Spare Parts line.

UUUUGGGGGHHHHH...UGH!

2010-07-31T09:18:00.000-07:00

I had a new project complete with a video tutorial for you. Had is the key word, ugh! When I was finishing up editing and doing a preview of the video, I realized that the first several minutes of the video had a problem with the audio and you can't hear it very well. I will see if I can patch in the first part of the video with a new video. If it's not going to be right I will just post pictures of the project with all the information. Darn, I hate it when that happens...I had been working for two days on the video. : ( Oh well, there are worse things and at least I love what I'm doing. Well...most of the time. : )

Sensational Summer Scrapbooking...

2010-07-29T18:34:00.000-07:00

You may have already heard that Cathy from http://www.cricutcartridges.net/ has put out a new ebook called Sensational Summer Scrapbooking. Today I received an email letting me know that one of my projects is featured in her new book, yea! While I've not had a chance to dig into this book completely, I will say it looks to be full of information and ideas. For all the details on how you can order your ebook please visit http://www.summerscrapbooking.com.

Super Cute Back to School Layout Kit

2010-07-23T06:22:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe it's already time to start thinking about back to school, wow! If you're like me you have lots of pictures of that first day back. I always get lots of pictures while waiting for the bus and the bus coming down the road which is what inspired this layout. This is such a bright and cheery layout and it makes me happy. Maybe it's the thought of back to school that makes me happy, LOL...just kidding! ; ) Click on pictures to enlarge.

Cartridges used are...Doodlecharms, Locker Talk, Create a Critter, Paper Doll Dress Up, Everyday Paper Dolls and George and Basic Shapes. If you do not have one of these cartridges let me know and I will try to help you find a comparable substitution.

Pattern paper is by Piggy Tales and it is perfect for this layout. I just love the colors. Most of the solid color cardstock is by Paper Trey Ink and SU!.

I just love the kids waiting at the bus stop. If you have just boys or just girls you can easily change to suit your needs.

It's not back to school without a little bookworm. At least not according to my friend Kristin as she said I must add a bookworm and I think it is perfect. Thanks Kristin!

I Love how this Adorable little school bus turned out. It is the bus from Doodlecharms and with a little bling it really brings it to life. Of course you can personalize the side of the bus with your school name or back to school greeting. I will explain how to do this in the tutorial that is included in the kit.

Ok, every year what are we parents hit with right off the bat...back to school pictures, of course! What is usually included in your picture pack...all those little pictures that are sometimes sticky on the back and you never really know what to do with them. Here you go, they are the perfect size to make a pack of pictures to fit in this cute little back pack. I will explain how to do this and will even include the clear film / vellum to make this picture pack more realistic. I used the Argyle Cuttlebug folder to emboss part of the back pack.

Here is a close up of the Adorable school kids waiting at the bus stop. How Cute are they? What really makes them are their Cute little faces. With the help of Peachy Keen Everyday Character stamp assortment it is so easy to achieve perfect faces every time. Of course you can draw in the faces or leave them like the Cricut cuts them if you do not have face stamps. To learn more or to purchase the face stamps go to http://www.peachykeenstamps.com/ . I used item # PK-490 on this project.

Kit's are $25 each plus $5.50 priority mail shipping, if you're in the lower 48 states. I will combine shipping if you purchase more than one kit. Contact me for combine shipping quote.

All paper and cardstock needed for this layout is included in the kit along with all the embellishments and photo mats. You will receive all instructions, a picture and a cardstock guide to make it easy for you to recreate. You will need a Cricut machine and the cartridges listed above along with your favorite adhesives such as glue dots, pop dots, glue pen, glue runner, etc., ink and pens for detailing and your basic scrapbooking tools. I also used Glossy Accents on the kids eyes and pink chalk on their cheeks, both of which are not included in the kit.

French Manor...Think Outside The Box

2010-07-15T15:22:00.000-07:00

I don't think there is too much on this card that says French Manor! The orange slice border which could be lemon or lime wedges or slices of watermelon when done in the right colors are actually meant to be window panes. It's the window on page 36 of the handbook and the tag is on pg. 37. I used the fit to length button and cut the wedge border at 4 1/2 inches and the tag was cut at 2 1/2 inches.

Card for Peachy Keen Challenge

2010-07-10T16:44:00.000-07:00

Here is a card I did just for fun to submit to Peachy Keen's Summer Destinations challenge. The challenge was to make a card with your favorite summertime destination. I wanted to do something fun and different. Around here we like to go to festivals and baseball games and what do you eat at those summertime destinations besides hot dogs?...peanuts! Of course I thought of the cute little peanut guy on the Cricut Create a Critter cartridge. The second part of the challenge was to add buttons or bling so I added Stickles to the hat and gems to the bottom of the card. Peanut guy is cut at 3 1/2 inches and face stamp is from Peachy Keen Everyday Character Face Assortment. To see more fun creations for this challenge click on link http://peachykeenstampschallenge.blogspot.com/.

Emailing Cut Files

2010-07-07T19:39:00.000-07:00

For those purchasing my cut files, if you do not receive them in a timely manner (the day you purchase or at least the following day) please contact me as I've had a couple emails come back as undeliverable. Thank you!

Also, I have been converting some of my files to .gypsy files, but have not had time to make new Paypal buttons, yet. If you want to purchase a file that is a .cutfile, but need it as a .gypsyfile just let me know and I will see that you get it.

Cricut Straight From The Nest....From Photo Corner to Birdhouse

2010-07-05T07:58:00.000-07:00

Here is something creative you can do with all those cute photo corners on your SFTN Cricut cartridge. Using my Gypsy I welded a rectangle from George to the photo corner. Then I cut the layer piece with the bird and sized the scallop border from Plantin Schoolbook to match. I simply glued the scallop to the layer, but you could weld if you like. Then cut another smaller rectangle in pattern paper of your choice for the front of the house. Adhere all the layers together. The little scallop entry on the birdhouse is also on SFTN. Embellish with ink, stickles, and ribbon. Scallop border on bottom of card is Fiskars Threading Water border punch. This is an A2 sized card. As soon as I get the gypsy file uploaded I will post under free files for you.

My Debut Layout Kit - Oceans of Fun

2010-06-29T08:21:00.000-07:00

Click on pictures to enlarge

The kits are $24.95 each and $5.50 Priority Mail shipping to the lower 48 states. Will be happy to ship anywhere, just contact me for a shipping quote. I will combine shipping with any other kits I have. Contact me for a combine shipping quote.

I've actually had several of you ask if I ever sold kits or finished projects. Since I don't have the patience to recreate the same project multiple times... finished projects are not for me, LOL. However, I have really enjoyed putting this kit together and think you will have just as much fun making it.  Since this is my first time selling a kit I wanted to start small and see how it went which means I only have 5 kits available for sale so don't delay or they might be gone. Edit...1 kit still available.

Let me tell you little bit about this kit...When designing it I tried to keep the beginning crafter in mind.  What does that mean for you...It is Super Simple to make...the cuts are nice and big so they are quick and easy to cut and assemble. Although this layout will be easy to put together it is still detailed enough for even the most advanced crafter. I think in part because of all the wonderful papers I had to work with...they add so much dimension. All patterned paper /cardstock is by imaginisce and it is wonderful!  Most of the little ocean creatures and words are raised and glossy which really make them stand out. All solid color cardstock is from Papertrey Ink, with the exception of the white CS for behind the eyes of the die cuts, the tan "sand" and the gray for the anchor. If you've ever used PTI you know it is very sturdy, cuts easy on the Cricut and is wonderful for die cuts. The colors in the kit are fabulous and coordinate so well together.

Are you ready for even more good news? The only Cricut cartridge needed for this layout is Life is a Beach...that's it.  If you have a Cricut, even the baby bug and the LAB cartridge you can make this kit. The kit will include all the paper and cardstock for the base pages, photo mats, die cuts, the jute rope for the anchor, all the gems and bling for the treasure chest and even the "bubbles" coming from the fish and turtles mouth. You will get a written tutorial that includes all the sizes and information for your Cricut cuts and a color picture of the completed layout.

Note...the two photo mats (1 on each page) that have a horizantal beach design will vary. They are all cute and have glossy sea creatures and designs, but I can't guarantee which design will be on yours. I will make sure you get two different ones.

What you will need to complete the kit... a Cricut machine and the Life is a beach cartridge, adhesive, brown ink, pens or markers in white, black and brown for the eyes and doodle dots. Glossy accents if you want the creatures eyes to shine.  Swiss dots embossing folder if you choose to emboss the crabs legs as I did.

I will begin shipping the kits on Tuesday July 6th. If you have any questions at all please don't hesitate to ask.

Cricut Lite B is for Boy is Not Just for a Boy...

2010-06-20T14:07:00.000-07:00

As many of you already know Monique aka MonkeyDoodle Cricut was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. As with many of you I wanted to send her a card...I wanted it to be a card that would make her smile. Something made me think of the sock monkey on the new B is for Boy Cricut lite cartridge of which I just happened to have. I thought if I dressed it up in pink and replaced the heart on it's chest with a breast cancer awareness ribbon it would be perfect. I just had to post here for all of you even though I just mailed it. I don't think she will be stopping by so I'm pretty sure it's safe to go ahead and post. Hopefully it will make her smile. Please keep her in your prayers.

Life During Harvest Slideshow - No Crafting

2010-06-14T18:04:00.000-07:00

This is not craft related. It is a personal slideshow of my family during wheat harvest. I thought some might enjoy a glimpse of harvest and farm life. It's a crazy ride, filled with ups and downs. At times it's down right exhausting, yet it is so rewarding. It's special to me because we do it as a family. I'm not sure what we would do without Brent in the field and Kara helping with meals and errands. It truly takes the entire family and then some. Kara's BF Jordan has been a big help, too. Hope you enjoy a glimpse of my simple life.

Summer Fun Wordbook

2010-06-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

This is my first "real" project on the Gypsy! Are you surprised? ; ) I am telling you, since the latest update...I Love my Gypsy. I am thinking there will be lot's more Gypsy designs to come. For those wondering...you can now convert Design Studio .cutfiles to .gypsy. The latest update makes this process very simple. I plan to do a video tutorial to show how this is done. However, there are already many videos on youtube so you don't have to wait on me. : )

Now for the wordbook...Cricut cartridges used...George & Basic Shapes, Base Camp and Life is a Beach. Solid cardstock is from papertreyinc.com and patterned cardstock is from DCWV. I will post the .gypsy file under free files.

2010-05-30T16:49:00.000-07:00

My little nephew just had his tonsils removed so I wanted to send him a card. The whale from Create a Critter is the perfect cut for this card. I really like how it all turned out with the waves and the sand. I really like the dark blue cardstock for the whale, too. Patterned cardstock is from DCWV and all solid cardstock is from Papertrey Ink.

Matching Bag & Card Set Featuring The Forever Young Cricut Cartridge

2010-05-30T06:42:00.000-07:00

Had to do one more project with my new Forever Young cartridge. Here is a fun little bag with a matching set of trendy 3x3 cards. Perfect for a tween or young teen to write notes to her friends. ; ) Sorry I forgot to mention envelopes. I get all my smaller envies from papertreyink.com.

Fun & Trendy Card With The Forever Young Cricut Cartridge

2010-05-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

Since this is a long weekend and hopefully everyone has some extra time to play, I thought it would be nice to post several projects throughout the weekend to hopefully inspire you. : )

This is a super simple and fun card to make. I love the trendy colors. All cardstock is from Papertrey Ink in...True Black, Spring Moss, Raspberry Fizz, Hibiscus Burst, Orange Zest and Hawaiian Shores. Ribbon is also PTI in Raspberry Fizz.

Summer Harvest Mini Recipe Book Featuring The Preserves Cricut Cartridge

2010-05-29T09:58:00.000-07:00

The Preserves Cricut cartridge is the only cartridge needed to complete this cute little mini recipe book. You do not even need the Cricut Design Studio or Gypsy for this one. I had to make this a two part video so be sure to watch both part 1 and part 2 to get all the details. Some of my captions did not come out right in the second video for some reason so here is the info. again...
The strawberry lid is on pg. 53 of handbook & cut at 2"

Are You Ready For...Another Layout By Crystal...

2010-05-27T15:55:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's right Crystal is sharing her Nursery LO with us. It turned out so Super Cute! Notice some of the changes she made to make it her own and yet she did not use any additional cartridges. All items are from the cartridges I used in the original. She added different items to the armoire...a cute little truck and a stack of books. Notice the cute little onesie on the armoire door and of course the extra laundry in the basket below. I really like how she added ribbon to the top of the mobile that matches the bumper pad ribbon on the crib and offset the crib layers to give more dimension. Notice the buttons she added to the page for an extra touch. This is just so Adorable! Please be sure to leave her a comment as it was very sweet of her to share with us. Thank You Crystal!!

By changing the colors and a few items it is perfect for a little boy.

Checking In...

2010-05-26T07:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday All! I feel like I've not posted anything in awhile so I wanted to check in. I have been busy working on a new video tutorial.  It seems like it is taking forever so I guess I am out of practice.  I started it about a week ago, LOL!  I hope to finish it soon so I can get it posted for you.

I have also been getting a lot of requests and I want you all to know I'm not ignoring you and I will try to get to each one soon. The next thing I plan to work on is getting my files converted to Gypsy files so all of you Gypsy users can enjoy them, too. I did try converting my files in the past, but was unsuccessful. However, I believe the new update will make this possible.  I've also had requests to make a wordbook rather than a shape album and it is on my list to do as well. I will probably make it a video tutorial. For those asking to see the inside of my albums...if you watch my album videos I think I show most of the pages.

Also if you have a question you are wanting me to answer...please send me an email so I don't miss it. I do read all my comments and enjoy them very much. However, if you post a question on an old post it may be awhile before I find it.  You can email me at bugjunkie@live.com.   Thank you all for your support and all the wonderful comments!

Be sure to check back soon for a fun summer project video tutorial. This will be fun and easy and no Design Studio is needed.

Grandma's Pantry Layout by Crystal

2010-05-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

Crystal purchased my file, created it and was nice enough to allow me to share pictures with all of you. Didn't she do Fabulous! It is always nice to see someone else's take on a project. I just love how she did the trim on the mothers dress to make it look like more of an apron and added ruby red slippers on her feet. Of course the little girl and boy are adorable, too. Notice the shine on her canisters and the cute little pot holders. Her pie looks super yummy and I love the sparkle of her sugar. She is waiting on her JOTS cartridge to arrive so she can add the tea cups to the pantry. I think she did Wonderful. Be sure to let her know you appreciate her sharing with us by leaving her a comment. Thank you Crystal!

The first two pictures were taken with her phone so they might be a little dark, but I wanted to share them anyway. Click on pictures to enlarge.

Nursery Layout with Baby Armoire

2010-05-16T17:53:00.000-07:00

I thought I was never going to get this layout to come together, but finally it did. : ) You may recognize the baby armoire as the pantry from my Grandma's Pantry layout. This is a very versatile "piece of furniture" that has many different uses. I plan to bring you even more ideas on how it can be used.

Although there are many colors and different patterns to this layout, I think everything coordinates well and looks good together. Lots of cartridges used and I will list them at the bottom of this post. Click on pictures to enlarge.

Over all view of nursery

First page complete with baby armoire and stroller

Page 2 with crib and welcome banner

Armoire is full of everything the little one needs...diapers, clothes, bottle, lotion and of course a teddy bear and rubber ducky.

The perfect stroller for the perfect baby girl

No crib is complete without a cute bumper pad, snugglie blankie, and a sweet baby mobile

A special welcome for the little one

Armoire cartridges are posted on the left side of my blog under Grandma's Pantry. Cartridges used for the rest of the layout...

New Arrival ....Plane & banner, baby blocks, mobile (the umbrella cut and the confetti for the hanging items)

Everyday Paper Dolls....Crib, lotion, blankets, rubber duck, diapers, baby bottle

A Child's Year...dress hanging on door of armoire

George & Basic Shapes....basket sitting under armoire

Heritage....baby stroller

I think that is most everything. The stack of diapers in the armoire was cut by hand.

Grandma's Pantry and the Comforts of Home Layout

2010-05-07T18:18:00.000-07:00

There is nothing more special to me than spending time in the kitchen with my family. Nowadays with our busy lives that can be a real challenge. Those special times are the inspiration for this layout. I also had a wonderful grandma that could always be found in the kitchen baking something yummy. She is the inspiration for my pantry. Since there are no pantries on any Cricut cartridges I designed my own in Design Studio. Gotta love DS! To catch all the details in this layout, you have to stop and look. : ) I will try and point some of them out for you. Click on pictures to enlarge.

You can purchase this cut file and a complete tutorial with all the information on some of the extra details on the left side of my blog. The cut file also includes a bonus page on another version of the pantry and I give you many ideas and inspiration on what else you can do with it. So many possibilities.

Overall view of both pages

setting the table

Something in the oven

Notice the realistic look of the flour and the sparkle of the sugar

Every pantry needs cute little drawers and a homemade pot holder

Notice the shine on the cups to make them look like china

Setting the table with more "fine china".

I like how the ribbon accents on the oven mitts turned out

Notice the pot ring in the handle of the pot

I tried to give my turquoise "wall" the look of bead-board by adding subtle detail lines to it