Hoppy Birthday

This week I decided to use the Peachy Keen Challenge 13-12 A sketch for a co-workers birthday.

Here is the sketch:

Her birthday is at the end of the month and so is Easter so I used the Create A Critter cartridge to make a Easter Bunny and a cute little cupcake.

I used the Peachy Keen Critter Faces Set AMedium for the bunny and the Peachy Keen Wide Eyed Kids Assortment in 3/8 for the cupcake. I added some Glossy Accents to give the cherry a little shine.

The front sentiment comes from the Pink By Design Take The Cake stamp set and it is embossed in Recollections Party Pink.

The base of the card is embossed with a Couture Creations Houndstooth Embossing folder. The patterned paper is Echo Park Birthday Girl.  Divine Twine in Pink, American Crafts Ribbon and Bella Blvd Designer Tape in Pickle Juice Chevron embellish the front.

The inside sentiment is from the Pink By Design Hoppy Easter stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black Ink.

Southwest Party Invite

Over the last 2 weeks on the Cricut Craft Room they have had a sneak peek of the new Southwest cartridge.

You could use the cartridge in the Cricut Craft Room from March 6 - 20 for free and enter the Southwest Cartridge Design Contest and the Southwest Inspiration Contest.

So I decided to do both, make an inspiration board on my Pinterest Board and make a special Southwest Party Invite. Here is the photo  from the Community Affair Arts Festival that gave me the inspiration for this special invite.

Here is the invitation that I came up with.

Starting in the Cricut Craft Room I made 3 layers for my Southwest Inspired Party Invitation. I cut all the layers at 5", using 2 shadow layers for the card base. Also cutting 2 of the top layer: 1 with the cuts and 1 where I hid the contours to make it solid.

I used Teal cardstock to cut out the base and scored the back piece to make the fold so the card would open and close.

I took Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Vintage Photo, Spiced Marmelade and Mustard Seed and blended them on white cardstock. Then after allowing the distressed cardstock enough time to dry I cut out the front piece and attached it to the front of the card.

The piece that I made solid I used for the inside of the card. I embossed It's a Party from the Pink By Design Party Time stamp set in Recollections Glacier embossing powder.

I will be putting this invite in the Cricut Project Center and adding it to the Southwest Design Contest.

I can't wait to eat all the great Southwest food and have a great night with friends and family. Thanks to Cricut for the free cuts from the new Southwest Cartridge and the chance to win the cartridge to add to my Cricut library.

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Since March is craft month and St Patrick's Day and I'm Irish I decided to make some cute little treat holders for my co-workers.

I made another version of these boxes for Valentine's (here) as they can be made for any occasion with any theme. I originally found the tutorial  on Split Coast Stampers Flat Backed Treat Box, great source for all kinds of crafty goodness.

I love making these cute little boxes and filling them with a few yummy treats or treasures.... how fun! I made 2 versions of this treat box for St Patrick's Day.

Here is the first one:

I started with the October 31 Cricut cartridge and cut out the cauldrons but cut off the feet and stir stick at the top, then added another piece of black cardstock to the back.  I filled in the center of the pot with some gold Stickles then some gold rhinestones and let them dry.

I cut the rainbow from the Cricut Create A Critter cartridge then added the pot of gold with some popdots to give a little dimension.

I had some leftover Shamrocks from when I made the Kiss Me banner cut from the Cricut Spring Holiday Cards cartridge. So I added some adorable little faces on then from the Peachy Keen Hot Cocoa stamp set and added them to the front of the box.

Both sentiments are from the Pink By Design Luck O' The Irish stamp set and embossed in Stampendous Black Embossing Powder.

Yummy Chocolate covered Mints and Sour Green Apples await inside!

Here is the second box:

For this box I used some Shamrock paper from Recollections and added a thin black mat behind it. My Cuttlebug and a Spellbinders Labels Nine Die made the cut to use for the sentiment. 
Both sentiments are also from the Pink By Design Luck O' The Irish stamp set and embossed in Stampendous Black Embossing Powder. I added a few popdots to the back and placed it in the center.

More yummy goodness inside!

I hope everyone had a great St Patrick's Day and didn't drink too many green beers!
HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY from me to you!

Look the pot of gold...it glitters!

I will be adding this over at the Peachy Keen Stamps Blog Challenge 13-11 Anything Goes.

Also on Sarah Hamer's Link Up Tuesday.
Make sure to head on over to both of these great blogs and spread some bloggy cheer!

Listen to Your Heart

This weeks challenge over at Peachy Keen is a photo challenge. What a great photo they picked out for this challenge.

Create a project using the photo as inspiration. Interpret the photo ANY way you'd like, just be  sure to let them in on your creative process. The colors next to the photo are only suggested, but if they are what inspire you, then go for it!  Take whatever part of this photo that inspires you and go with it. 

Challenge 13-10 Photo Inspiration

I love trees and being out in nature. That's where I go when I need to think about certain things and get the most clarity. I could spend hours outdoors and why for most of my life I have lived in the country.

I started this card by using the Art Impressions City Park stamp and Memento Rich Cocoa, stamping it onto the cardstock and then stamping it on acetate to create the mirror image effect. 

I then used the following inks to make the background:

Adirondack Lights Aqua and Cloudy Blue, Memento Teal Zeal, Bahama Blue and Bamboo Leaves. I also used YG03(Copic Sketch) to make the moss on the tree in the reflection and on the tree (it's harder to see).

The sentiment is from the Pink By Design My Favorite Kind stamp set stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black. I love this sentiment because it has been true so many times for me.

The inside sentiment is from Pink By Design's Believe In Yourself stamp set and stamped in Memento Bamboo Leaves.

Don't forget to head on over to the Peachy Keen Challenge Blog and see all the great entries for this challenge.

Plus this Friday March 15 Pink By Design is having a stamp release and blog hop.. make sure you don't miss it!

I will also be posting this to the Ink It Pink - Anything Goes challenge over at the Pink By Design Blog.

Shine On!

This week I decided to combine two Blog Challenges into one. Peachy Keen Stamps Challenge#13-9 Just Cards: Oh My Stars and the Just Us Girls #178 Sketch Challenge.

This is the sketch that you had to use from Just Us Girls:

This is what I came up with, I think that the two challenges worked out perfectly together.

I started by using the Cricut Plantin School Book cartridge and cut out my star using the Roly Poly feature, so it is a little wider then the normal cut. I then pulled out one of my favorite stamp sets from Peachy Keen The Cornies Assortment. Added a little white Gelly Roll to the eyes and some chalk to the cheeks.

Oh My Stars ... She is such a cutie!

 I ran some blue cardstock through my Cuttlebug with the Provo Craft Stars Embossing Folder for the background and used the Spellbinders Classic Ovals to cut out my sentiment.

The sentiment is from the Pink By Design Illuminate stamp set and was perfect for my little star! It is embossed in Stampendous White Embossing powder.

Three little red star rhinestones from my stash to finish the card.

Illuminate the world with the light that shines deep inside your soul

The inside sentiment is also from the Pink By Design Illuminate stamp set and embossed with ColorBox Canary Yellow Ink and Clear Embossing Powder.

I will be entering this card into the following challenges:

Peachy Keen Stamps Blog: Challenge #13-9 Just Cards: Oh My Stars
Just Us Girls:#178 Sketch Challenge
Pink By Design: Ink It Pink Anything Goes
Pink Cricut: Link up Tuesday
Party Time Tuesday: #110 Die Cuts

Make sure to stop by these great blogs and check out all the fabulous stuff going on!

Kiss Me!

I can't believe that it is March already, the last 2 months have flown by. The great thing about March is that it is national craft month, so this month everyone is super busy in their craft spaces.

Also in March is St Patrick's Day... Maybe I'll be lucky and find a pot full of chocolate covered coins! A girl can dream..right??

So I thought that I would start off this month by entering the Luck Of The Irish Challenge #25 over at Cardz TV.

The challenge is to make a card, layout or craft project using hand stamped, digital stamped or electronically cut Shamrocks or Leprechauns.

Each week the Cricut Craft Room has a cartridge that you can try out for FREE for a week . Lucky me this week the Cut It Free For A Week cartridge was Spring Holiday Cards.

So I decided to make this fun Shamrock Banner.

KISS ME I'M IRISH

I opened the Spring Holiday Cards cartridge and used the Shamrock cut but hid the face features on it, so I was left with just the Shamrock. I cut them out of dark and light green cardstock and attached green eyelets to each side of the Shamrocks with my Crop A Dile.

I had to add some green brads to the lighter green Shamrocks as I didn't have enough eyelets. I strung orange ribbon from my stash through the eyelets to hold it all together.

Then using the Storybook cartridge I cut out all my letters along with its shadow for each.

I used the October 31 cartridge to cut out 2 cauldrons and cut off the feet and stir stick that was on top. Some gold Stickles and a few gold rhinestones and we have a pot of gold.

Hope you find a pot of gold(or in my dreams ...chocolate covered coins) this St Patrick's Day. Luck of the Irish to ya!

I will be entering this banner into the following challenges:

Cardz TV :  Luck Of The Irish Challenge #25
Catch The Bug: Anything Goes Saturday Challenge
Crafty Ribbon Challenge: #40 - Anything Goes with Ribbon
Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge: #67 - Show Me the Green and Ribbon
Simply Create Too Challenge: #32 - St Patrick's Day or use Mostly Green
Party Time Tuesday: #109 Anything Goes
Sandy Crafty Creations: March Anything Goes(With A Twist) Challenge