Tag Archives: Cricut

Can you sponge your Dino?

The new challenge of the month over at H2H is all about sponge techniques! This one was fun! Because, I don’t know about you, but I like to channel my inner Tim Holtz every now and again! I saw him do this technique years ago, on a video, that was probably years old! LOL!! Basically he used a Misti tool to make a rainbow of colors on a stamp, by sponging colors onto the stamp and overlapping them.

So, before you leave, I would love for you to leave me a note and let me know which is YOUR favorite card, and let me know if you have tried this technique!

Mine didn’t ALL overlap, but some of them did! I just think the whole thing turned out great!

I also channeled my inner Jennifer McGuire, and made TWO dinos when I was stamping, to make two cards. However, I couldn’t decide which background I wanted, so I just went ahead and did two!

Before I swap over to the other card, I wanted to show something. I managed to blow a fuze when I was making this card. (literally, had to go and flip the breaker!) So, one of my pieces didn’t cut all the way. So, I decided to do something fun with the inside, and use that piece that hadn’t cut all the way.

I tore it into a ‘sloped’ shape, and then distressed it, and glued it to the inside of the card. I think it turned out great!

Ok, let’s see the other card, shall we?

This is the other dino! Isn’t he cute, too? I created a background with one of the images on the Artbooking cartridge. Then I cut it four times, to give it some depth

It was fun to do two different cards! It would have been much faster if I had done two of the same, but that’s ok too!

Last week, you saw that I was inspired by a friend’s son, and this week is the same! Just, a different friend! (actually, both friends’ sons like dinos!)

Like I said earlier, I hope that you will let me know which card is YOUR favorite! Also, if you might want to try this whole sponging thing, join us over at H2H for some fun challenges, and put YOUR artwork into the hat!

Thanks so much for joining me!

Gifts from the Heart with H2H

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Have you been watching the Crafting with Santa series? It happens every Wednesday on my FB page. Santa joins me and we craft a little something, that is a surprise to him until right then!

This last week we made these adorable little treat holders! I even shared the design space file for it! Makes it even easier!

The red and pink ones were the samples, and we made the green ones in the video! I love how well they turned out! Head over and watch the video and join in on the crafting with Santa!

Mini Album Challenge, week 2!

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Welcome back to the 2nd week of the Mini Album page challenge! Danielle and I are at it again with this weekly sketch challenge! We are having a LOT of fun with this, and we hope that you are enjoying seeing what we come up with each week!

Today we are working with this sketch.

For these challenges, we are picking a sketch, and we are working on them separately. That way you get two different ideas (in theory, at least!) for the same sketch! (in this case, if you follow the pin, there are even more ideas for this sketch, on multiple days)

Today I used the Spruced Up papers to make this fun little mini layout. the flip flaps allow me to add more photos to this small page! I just love how easy they are to add to the page protectors!

(I’ve found that it’s really hard to photograph pages in page protectors! Sorry!)

Now, I have actually created a cricut file for this page! You can find it here: Week 2 Sketch

This week I have a quick process video for you, the sketch is pretty simple, so I didn’t give any measurements, but it’s easy!

I hope you enjoy!

Remember, go over and check out the page that Danielle has for you! We would LOVE to see you participate! Let us know if you play along with the same sketch!

Adventure Awaits with H2H

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Are you ready for another Adventure? I know I sure am! At the beginning of the summer, Audrey went on a trip with one of her good friends, and they camped for a couple of nights at Crater Lake. It’s a beautiful spot in Oregon, with a gorgeous lake, and a hike around the bowl, and so many beautiful sights to see!

When they got back into cell range, she sent me a few photos, and I knew I needed to scrap them! So, I went back to the mini album idea, I’m thinking she will like it, at least, I hope she will! The Cricut You Are Here bundle have some GREAT stamps for travel! (not to mention some great cuts, too!)

I started with a New England Ivy cardstock base, and realized that it was too heavy. So, I added a bit of the wood grain paper from the Into the Wild paper packet at the top of the page. I left the green at the bottom because A. it was a bit heavier, and B. it would work well with the trees that are in the photo.

I stamped 4 of the images on white daisy in archival black ink, and then decided that the road sign needed to be green instead. So, I restamped it in Fern ink. I wanted to put a little something over the photo (once I get it printed), so I used a bit of vellum and stamped on it with the archival black ink. I used two different stamps to get the sentiment that I wanted.

I wanted the wifi stamp on there since there was zero cell service up there for her. So I stamped it in second generation charcoal ink, right onto the wood piece. I haven’t printed the photo yet, but this is the photo that will be going onto this page!

This will be an awesome page, won’t it? She sent me a few photos, so I might add a few flip flaps to put other photos and a journaling spot for her. I did stamp the little ‘you are here’ markers from the Escape to Paradise stamp set and thin cuts in sapphire, lagoon, and candy apple red to put a marker on the photo, but since I don’t have it printed yet, I don’t know which would look best. So, I have them attached to the back of the page with a bit of washi tape!

Thanks so much for stopping by! If you had this page, what photo would YOU put on it? Leave a comment and let me know!

All products used are CTMH unless otherwise noted:

You Are Here Cricut Bundle
Into the Wild Paper Packet
White Daisy Cardstock
New England Ivy Cardstock
Archival Black Ink
Charcoal Ink
Fern Ink
Vellum
3-D Foam Tape
Liquid Glass
2 x 3 1/2 Clear Acrylix Block
1 x 3 1/2 Clear Acrylix Block
Fiskars Paper Trimmer

Sweet! Yum! Treat Bag!

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Welcome back to Bags & Tags Tuesday! Today I have this sweet little bag of chocolate for you! It would be paired perfectly with a coffee, mocha, hot cocoa, or even tea!

As you can see, this sweet little bag will hold 3 Ghirardelli chocolates perfectly!

I used Pixie Cardstock for the bag and the straps. The little dot is the middle of the donut hole from yesterday’s card! (there are 2 more on the back side, since I mis-cut one of the donuts yesterday!) The dots and cup are from the Sugar Rush paper packet, as well as the “hello” sentiment (it’s from the same zip strip as yesterday’s card).

I used two of the three washi tapes that come in the Sugar Rush Washi Pack. They add just a bit to the whole bag, making it not too bland!

I hope you enjoyed this little bag! I’ll include the dimensions and such below!

Until tomorrow!!

~ Michelle

Bag dimensions and info:

3 x 4 15/16
scored at 2″ from each 3″ side. (so the long part across the top)

(2) 2 1/2 x 1 7/8
scored at 1/2″ on 3 sides (2 long and one short)
slightly miter the squares on the 2 corners

(2) 1/4 x 10 (handles)

Use your bone folder to crease the score lines.
Attach handles 1/2″ in from the sides, lining them up just along the score line.
Decorate the front of your bag before you put it together, as it will be easier to do at this point.
Attach center piece of the bag sides first (do both sides).
Then attach the sides to the front of the bag, and repeat on the back.

Life is Sweet

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Welcome back to the blog! Monday’s are card days! (I’d go with Make a Card Monday, but it’s already been taken by a number of people, but one of my idols, Kristina Werner was the first! (at least that I know of!)) So, until I come up with another catchy title, I’ll just go with something generic! hahaha!

I had so much fun making this card! It was directly inspired by this card! I loved the whipped cream on top of the coffee! Can you guess what image I used off of one of the CTMH cartridges that I used to make it?

I’ve gotten a lot of use out of this latte cup from the Artistry cartridge! I just used the slice feature on my cricut to not cut the lid of the cup. The sentiment on the card comes from one of the zip strips from the Sugar Rush papers (which is what I used for this entire card). This new paper pack is SOOOOOO fun!!

I used one of the Touch Twin markers to color the straw. I did have it white, but it didn’t stand out from the whipped cream, so I needed to do something different. So, here you can see my test scratch paper, and then the little strips that I was using to test the colors.

I hope you like the card today! Tell me, who would YOU send it to, and why?

Until tomorrow!

~ Michelle

Scrap Your Stash : Christmas Morning

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So, Saturdays are going to be Scrap Your Stash. Those fun things that you have had in your stash for more than 6 months . . . they may not be new and exciting . . . but you bought them for a reason! So, I invite you to join me, and use your stash up!!

So, I found this sketch on pinterest, and tracked it down to the exact location, and they even have a PDF download!!

I made sure to snap a photo of everyone that was opening presents on Christmas morning, and some of them are blurry and not so great, but, that’s ok!!

Now, the two different 4×6 spots aren’t glued down because I am going to be putting them into flip flaps when I put them in the page protector. I will be adding journaling to the page under those flip flaps.

This was fairly simple to put together, once I figured out what paper combinations that I wanted! I used both Yuletide Carol and Snowhaven paper packs. I used Watermelon and Umbrella fonts for my title, and used Photoshop to create the ‘shadow’ for it. Audrey helped me pick the papers for the words, and she is excited about this layout!

So, a couple of notes for you. . . . Kids LOVE to see photos of themselves. (at what point does that change, do you know? I remember being excited when I was young, to see pictures of me!) So, get the photos in front of them! Be it scrapbook pages, photo books, or even the digital photo frames!!

Now, the second note . . . you know that pretty paper that you got because it was just awesome! You know where it’s stashed, right? In the third box from the bottom of the cupboard, with some other papers that you loved when you bought them too, right? When was the last time you laid eyes on that paper? Not any time recently, huh? So, how about this for a mind blowing thought . . . if you put that paper onto a project, then you can share that paper with A. Yourself, B. Your family, and C. Your friends!! That means that EVERYONE can enjoy that paper that you loved when you bought it! (and let’s go Velveteen Rabbit here . . . all the paper wants to be loved!) So, I challenge you, in the next week, to pull out at least ONE of your “I can’t use this paper because it’s too pretty” paper, and create something with it. Scrapbook page, card, home decor item, a box, anything that brings you joy!!

Thanks for stopping by today!! I hope you enjoyed my page! I can’t wait to see what you have done with your stash!!

Until Tomorrow!

~ Michelle

Be Happy Layout

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So, today is Scraplift day! This day will include layouts and cards and basically anything that inspires me! I have many different pinterest boards for this, and boy, is my scrapbook one full!! Today, I was inspired by this layout. Seeings as I usually do 2 page layouts, I decided to create a second page to go with it. It ended up being an “inspired by” more than scraplifted, but I think it’s all good!

So, I started with Cricut Design Space, and created the following layout:

This page uses the Artbooking, Artistry, and Flower Market Cartridges. You can find the Design Space file here.

So, once I got this designed, I had to choose some photos. So, I went looking through my folders, and found some from my retreat in October, AND, it’s my friend Vickie’s birthday today, and had these GREAT photos of her and Jenn, and just KNEW that I had to use them!! (Sorry Mary, for you getting cut off in the photo! Definitely going to have to reprint them all so that everyone is on there, and they are better quality!)

I knew what paper I wanted to use too, because she just LOVES this paper! So, away I started cutting! Now, if you compare my hexagons to the design space file, you will see that a few are in different spots. As with any creative project, sometimes, things just have to change a little. (you’ll note that the banners didn’t end up on the layout either!)

Now, this paper pack (now retired) is a very summery paper pack, by design, especially with the complements. However, I just made it do what I wanted it to do!!

I created a little cluster with the stickers and vellum pieces, it’s so fun to put all the bits and pieces together! You can sorta see, in the photo above, the pink and yellow banner tails, those were long dove tailed on both ends banners (one pink and one yellow) . . . well, I wanted to make these little flags sticking out, so I cut it in half, and used them how *I* wanted to use them!

We did indeed have good times at the retreat! I am so glad to know all of the ladies that come to my crops, workshops, and retreats!

Thanks for stopping by to visit! I hope you are enjoying all of the artwork!! Now, remember, there are some January only things, you won’t want to miss out on them!

Welcome Home Wreath
January Stamp of the Month : Adore You

Thank you again for stopping by! I hope you have a great day! If you are in the local area, (or anywhere being hit by storms) stay home, stay safe, stay warm! Maybe do some crafting! I have a challenge up on my crop event, since it’s been cancelled, if you click that you are going, and post something that you craft on Saturday, I will have a fun little something for you! So, go and check it out!

Until tomorrow!

~ Michelle

Dinner with the Family

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The other morning, one of my girls called and wanted to go out to dinner, as a whole family. Seeing as I don’t get to see them very often, now that they have moved out, I agreed!

While I didn’t get many photos, they were fun, and the evening was great!

I started with the Vistual Texture pattern from the Cherish book. These books are so fun! Can you see what I did with the pattern to get to my finished page?

cherish-visual-texture <–Click here to download a PDF of this pattern!

I used the Adventure Fundamentals paper pack. The raspberry and willow are so pretty together, don’t you think? I have the tabbed journaling cards there to add some journaling to (which I WILL do, after I get the photos printed and added to the page)

Like the other day, I used my explore to cut the title. This time I used the Umbrella Regular font on CTMH’s Black Cardstock. I even have a little hint to share with you about it.

All of CTMH’s cardstocks have a white core. This is done so that the color on the cardstock is consistant. This also means that when you cut it, you can see the white on the inside. Sometimes, that is not really what you want, and you ink the edges to remove some of the white (or hide it a bit). However, with this title, I didn’t want to have to edge all the little bits here and there. So, let me show you my fun and easy trick!

This is the title cut, (mirrored) while still on my cricut mat. You can see that the word “the” is repeated, this was my “test” sample to show you. As you can see, the white shows already, before I take it off the mat.

So, after I take them off the mat, and put them onto the remainder of the black cardstock (yeah, it doesn’t look like it, because of the light), you can see the differences. (the arrows help some). On the left, is a fairly straight above photo. You can see on the lower word, there are many more white spots vs. the upper one.

On the right photo, the angle is slightly moved to a lower position, and you can see even more of the white showing.

Here is a comparison of the words on the same background paper, with better lighting. While very similar, you can still see more white on the one on the right. So, my little trick to share with you is to mirror your white cored paper to minimize the amount of white that shows!

I will be having the photos printed soon, and will show an updated photo on another post, so keep watch for it!

Now, I’ve shown you the wreath that is a special for January, but have you seen the Stamp of the Month? It is a GREAT stamp to add to your collection if you love making valentines, or plan on doing pages for valentines (Kids? Grandkids? that special someone?). It’s just $5 with a $50 purchase, or you can get it by itself for just $17.95.

I hope your week is flying by! I know it has been for me! Saturday I have a crop coming up for the local ladies. Are you nearby? I have a few spots open still! Just let me know if you are interested!

Until tomorrow!

~Michelle

New Year, New Album!

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Happy New Year! I hope you all celebrated safely last night! I stayed in and watched movies while hubby was out Uber driving. He called me between rides to share stories about the passengers that he had. And it was good that they all took Uber, as they definitely should NOT have been driving.

Sundays will be focused on a mini scrapbook series. I will show you different layouts that I have done for my black and white striped mini album, that cover what has happened during the week. It won’t have every photo that I take, but will have a few, for sure! Each week will have some journaling, at least to outline the things that happened during the week. There will be just plain ol’ average weeks, where we may not have anything exciting happen, but that is part of life too, right? Just the everyday stuff between the “special events”. But, those days are important too. They seem to go fast, because as we age, we don’t have the “firsts” like we did when we were young. (this was a discussion that hubby and I and a few peeps were talking about just a few days ago) So, we need to celebrate the every day, too!

Now, it’s the first, so there aren’t a whole lot of things that happened this week (of 2017), so today I am just showing a few pics of how I decided to do the title page. It was a combination of ideas that I have seen on Pinterest.

Here are the pieces before I put them in the page protector (to help avoid glare). I used one of the woodgrain papers from the Rustic Home Fundamentals paired with Black cardstock, and some retired gold glitter paper. (yes, we still have gold, but this was one of the other colors in the old 3 color packs)

I used my cricut explore to cut the numbers and words. I love being able to use the fonts that I have on my laptop! (especially since I seem to hoard them!)

This is what it looks like when it’s in the page protector. The page is 6×8, and has four slots that are 3×4. I think that it turned out great!

And here you can see it is in my mini album! I will have the next section for you next Sunday!

So, the new year brings many new things, like the Seasonal Expressions book, which goes live today! LOTS of fun new things in there! I’m going to share the papers below, but you can go to the site and check out all the new stuff in the shop!

Sugar Rush Paper Pack