Crazy for Crafting

Happy Halloween From The McVey Family!

2010-10-26T14:37:00.027-04:00

I had a little fun this morning over at JibJab making this video starring my family.

Cast:
Son-in-Law Andy as The Doctor
Daughter Taryn as Frankenstein
Son Ryan as the Werewolf
Husband Mark as Dracula
and Me as the Bride of Frankenstein

Enjoy, then go make your own!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

New Projects on the Horizon

2010-10-11T10:56:00.000-04:00

First, I'm happy to report that I am now stitch-free! I had a nurse friend remove them Saturday, and I look almost human again without them. No Frankenstein costume for me this Halloween! The black eye is now mostly yellow and red and decreasing in size every day. I was actually able to put on a little eyeliner and mascara this morning!

In hindsight, I feel like I really was being watched over. It could have been very serious, but just one week later, I feel great! Thank you all so much for your well wishes after my fall. It was very special to have so many notes from all of you.

On the craft front - our current remodeling has given me a couple of ideas for home decor projects that will get me back to my Cricut. I have three in my head so far: some framed art, an unusual jewelry holder/display, and a holiday project using the discarded wood blocks from the rubber stamps that I converted to unmounted. (If you missed the video about how to do that, see this post.) I also realized that I never filmed and shared how I made an awesome, inexpensive ribbon rack, so that's to come as well.

I know Cricut and Gypsy are both feeling neglected, so I plan to get those projects started as soon as I can get this bathroom remodel done and clean up my craft room! It's amazing how remodeling one room can spin the whole house into disarray. I also have to share with you that a few of my craft tools have come in very handy while working on the bathrooms. My DH is very supportive of my crafting, but it's always good when he can see how many other ways my stuff comes in handy, know what I mean?

So, in summation, my eye is looking good, my house is looking good, and I should have some projects to post in the coming weeks. Thanks to all of you who have hung in there with me until I could get back to being creative!

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes,

Enabler Alert: You WILL want the IMAGINE when you see the images!

2010-10-08T15:25:00.001-04:00

Have you SEEN the awesome images for the new Cricut Imagine??? I've been out of the loop since its release, and I had openly said that I was not buying another machine. After all, I have the Expression, the Baby Bug, and the Gypsy. How could I possibly need another Cricut machine?

Alas, during my recent convalescence (see yesterday's post), I had plenty of time for some one-eyed viewing of videos about the Imagine, and I have to confess, I REALLY WANT THE DARN THING! I had not expected the images to be so incredibly gorgeous! The ones in this post are from Snow Angel, one of my favorites from the new Imagine Cartridge Collection.

My followers know that I had started working on breaking up the cartridge image sheets into smaller pictures for loading onto the Gypsy so you can see them easier - and not need your handbooks with you all the time. (Note: If you search for videos about the Imagine on YouTube, some of the older ones will say it's not compatible with the Gypsy, but Provocraft has since updated the Gypsy software so it IS compatible! Thanks PC!) I still have more of the "regular" cartridges to do, and I will continue to work on those, but I confess that I've gotten totally sidetracked by the beautiful new Imagine images! I've only gotten two done so far (click here to get them), but I'll have the rest uploaded soon, so check back here for updates. And if you have an iPad, I'll be posting soon about how to view all the cartridge images on it, so watch for that, too.

I can't end this post without a special thanks to Robyn, The Pink Stamper for some major enabling! When I saw her video about using RGB colors to match my Stampin' Up! paper, AND she used an old non-Imagine cartridge to print and cut images in her choice of colors, all the lightbulbs in my head went off! Hop on over to her blog to watch a few of her awesome videos and see why you NEED the Imagine!

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes,

My painting disaster

2010-10-07T12:07:00.003-04:00

I've had to put crafting on the back burner for a while as my DH and I do some major redecorating in our 25-year-old, very dated home - stripping wallpaper, painting, replacing flooring, changing light fixtures, etc. So far we've completed the master bathroom, and we're now working on the other upstairs bath, which needed the most serious work due to mold. We have literally stripped it bare except for the major fixtures.

I was all set and excited on Monday to spend the entire day prepping and painting, having decided at the last minuted to take the day off from work just for this purpose. I made a trip to Lowe's, stopped for a bite to eat, and rushed home to get started. Not more than 30 minutes into the job, I reached for the far corner, lost my balance, and down I went! I hit my head HARD on an unopened paint can, and I fell against the wall, hitting my hip, shoulder and knee on the way down. I don't remember too much after that except slapping a washcloth against my head to stop the bleeding and telling myself to call my husband and lie down before I passed out. Luckily, I never did pass out, but oh, what a headache.

3 hours, 8 stitches and a tetanus shot later, I left the emergency room. I was home 3 days - hubby's orders - but back at the office today and back to the remodel this weekend. In the meantime, I want to give DH a BIG shoutout for taking such good care of me with hot oatmeal cookies, frozen yogurt and back rubs. On top of all that, he's almost finished with the painting in the bathroom.

The good news is, I didn't spill the paint - and I don't have to spend much time on my hair for a while since people will only see my eye!

BLOG CANDY You Don't Want To Miss!

2010-10-01T10:24:00.003-04:00

Today I want to introduce you to a fellow crafter AND Disney addict! If you love Disney and Disney-related crafts, you'll want to sign up to be a follower over at Disney Dreamer Designs. Be sure to tell MELISSA(sorry about getting your name wrong the first time) how you found out about her when you visit, and leave a comment before midnight tonight for a chance to win crafty blog candy! She's giving away a pink ATG gun, so hurry over to enter! Thanks for the candy Melissa, and congrats on over 200 followers!

By the way, I started knitting a "nothing" last night. Read the post below to see what that's all about!

Knit One, Craft Too

2010-09-29T15:22:00.000-04:00

I suspect that many of you are multi-media crafters, as it seems that no crafter ever really just does one thing. If you're anything like me, you have no less than 5 or 6 projects in the works at any given time.

One of the earliest crafts I tried was crocheting, taught to me lovingly and with superhuman patience by my grandmother when I was just five years old. Years later, I discovered sewing, largely out of necessity in order to have pants and blouses that fit me at 5'10" tall. In middle school, I taught myself to knit. I learned by trial and error, following pictures and diagrams and ripping out many a row until I got it just right. By high school, I was good enough to knit sweaters for my husband and boyfriend (who is now my husband of 30 years and my biggest fan!) for Christmas.

Various crafts have come and gone through the years. In college, I learned quilting, needlepoint, crewel and counted cross stitch. After my daughter was born, I learned smocking and made pretty little feminine dresses for her. When my son was born, I was a stay-at-home mom and I delved into many crafts, including basket weaving and candy making.

Most of the crafts I've tried were tried out of sheer curiosity, the desire to learn something new, and the ultimate satisfaction of being able to sit back and say, "I created that!" Some of them were one-hit-wonders, learned just well enough to complete a particular project. Others resulted in my own little 15 minutes of fame, like the counted cross stitch design that I entered in an international magazine contest, won third place for, received a check for 50 bucks, and had published!

I've found some crafts that serve more as stress relievers than others, and once in a while, I just get a yearning to pick up a needle and thread or a pair of knitting needles and some soft, fuzzy yarn and find a quiet place to work, lost in my own thoughts. For me, the best craft for stress relief is knitting. More than once, I've been know to knit "nothing" just for the fun of it and the relief from the day that it gives me. It's a mindless, relaxing thing that I can do while watching TV or chatting with my husband, and when I'm done, I can tear it out, roll it back up in a ball, and use it again another time.

Recently, I called my daughter to see what she was doing on her day off. She was crocheting a granny aquare afghan. Surprised, I asked her how she knew how, because I had taught her basic crocheting, but never how to make granny squares. "YouTube," she answered. "They have videos about how to do anything!" I couldn't help but feel a little pride. As soon as I become a grandmother, I'll teach her to smock!

For those of you who knit, want to learn to knit, or know someone who knits, check out this great link with knitting-related gift items: Cafe Press, Knitting Gifts

Yes, I'm OK!

2010-08-14T20:47:00.001-04:00

I've started getting emails from some of you asking if I'm OK, so I thought I better check in just to say hi. I've been on a much-needed vacation in Hilton Head, SC with DH and DS this week, doing as little as possible and totally enjoying it!

I haven't even cracked open the laptop this whole week, though I have been using my new iPad to the max! I'm totally in love with this thing - in fact I'm writing this post on it. All I have to do now is get all my Cricut images loaded on it, and I've figured out how!

Anyway, I haven't disappeared again. Just took a week off! DH is headed to Paris without me next week, so I should have some creative time. We're leaving very early in the morning, so I'll be home soon!

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

Images for a DOZEN cartridges newly uploaded!

2010-07-29T23:30:00.001-04:00

A Garden Of Words
A Word Party
Base Camp
Billionaire
Cuttin' Up
Gypsy Font
Makin' The Grade
Mickey Font
Old West
Picturesque
Tear Drop
Wall Decor and More

Click the link below my header to go to the whole library!

Gypsies, and iPhones and Blackberries...OH MY!

2010-07-28T23:03:00.009-04:00

I've been wide awake until the wee hours of the morning lately, and my brain always refuses to turn itself off when that happens. With all the work I've been doing on the cartridge images lately, I guess it's no surprise that my thoughts turned to them, and I found myself wishing I had an iPhone so I could load all the images on it like I've heard some of you are doing with the handbook PDFs. Suddenly I had a lightbulb moment! I could put my images on my Blackberry!!! So, at 1:43 AM, I was out of bed looking in the dark for my purse with my Berry in it and booting up the laptop.

I have the Blackberry Curve 8530, and I use an 8G micro SD card in it, so I knew I had plenty of memory. With the memory card in my laptop, I created a file especially for the image files and put all the cartridge images in it (above). Notice the search box at the top of the screen in the photo below. This lets me search for the cartridge I want since each file is named by the cartridge name, ie "create_a_critter_01.jpg" in the photo. For example, to find Create A Critter, I just have to start typing "create" and the images will be pulled up for that cartridge.

Now I can enlarge them to fit the screen and scroll through them one image at a time (above). What I didn't think of was that I was going to be able to zoom in on the images to see the details better (below). Can I just tell you how excited I am?!?! Just last night I was in Wal-mart trying to decide between 2 of the new Lite carts, and I couldn't see the tiny images on the back without my reading glasses well enough to decide which one to get. If I'd only had them on my Berry already, I could have easily browsed them! I'm also thrilled that I can zoom in to see layers and colors better - something that you can't do with them on the Gypsy. I know you can also zoom on the iPhone, and they will be even bigger on it than they are on my Blackberry.

I can zoom in on one specific image in each .jpg to see the detail

I LOVE being able to carry all the images with me on my phone so I always have them with me to browse when an idea hits me! I hope some of you out there will be just as excited about it, too! Please do leave a comment if you use them this way. I'd love to have an idea of how many iPhone and Blackberry users there are out there making use of them! And tell me if you've used them on other devices, too. Your comments make my day!

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

AnnS...You were the winner!

2010-07-26T17:08:00.001-04:00

AnnS, it's been a week since the drawing and YOU WON! Please contact me so I can send your Everyday Paper Dolls cartridge to you! I couldn't find a way to contact you on your profile or your blog. Where are you???

Images Uploaded for 10 More Cartridges

2010-07-23T21:04:00.000-04:00

Basketball
Block Party
Cupcake Wrappers
Dude!
Hoot 'n Holler
Lacy Labels
Lovely Floral
Potpourri Basket
Sesame Street Font
Soccer

As usual, the link is just below my blog header that will take you to the library of all the cartridge images I've uploaded so far. This group makes 101!

If you missed the video tutorial showing how to unzip them and load them on to your Gypsy, there's a link above for that, too. Enjoy!

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

Images For 10 More Cartridges Uploaded!

2010-07-22T19:06:00.001-04:00

3 Birds On Parade
Carousel
Celebrate With Flourish
H2O
Locker Talk
My World
Rock Princess
Pumpkin Carving
Savory
Slumber Party

Link just below my blog header to the whole library -
91 cartridges available so far!

New Cricut Product??? Look what I found!!

2010-07-21T10:25:00.002-04:00

I don't usually post twice in one day, but this was just too exciting NOT to share! Could this be the new product they're promising us? A new Cricut that cuts AND PRINTS!! I know what I'm putting on my Christmas wish list. Oh, my wallet is groaning already!!

Check it out on Linda's blog, Just A Scrappin'

And, I am a subscriber to Linda's blog, but I JUST realized that she is the owner of the Cricut Cheat Sheets group. If you don't know about her Cheat Sheets, click on the link at the top of her page to find out how to join. I have to confess that I rarely have time to look at them when she releases new ones, but it sure is nice to know they're there on the group page as a resource! Thank you Linda!

If you've tried to contact me and I haven't responded...

2010-07-21T10:04:00.000-04:00

...please give me a few more days. As you know, I was away from blogging and crafting for a while, and I was also away from the computer for the most part at home. I work on a computer almost all day, and I'm currently answering about 20-30 emails a day at work, so I've been pretty much avoiding the computer at home except for working on the Cricut cartridge images for the Gypsy Photo App. Last night I decided I better check my personal email, and HOLY COW! I had 643 emails! It took me almost 45 minutes just to weed out the junk mail, and I was still left with over 100 "real" ones. So, if you've emailed me and I haven't answered you yet, please be patient with me and I will.

Most of you have emailed with questions about how to use the .zip files or how to upload the images to your Gypsy, and if you need help with that, please see the video tutorial that I posted Monday. It will walk you through the whole process, step by step. I start with how to create a special folder on your desktop for the files, then show you how to download to that folder and unzip - extract the image files using WinZip - and finally, how to use Gyspy Sync to load the images on to your Gypsy. I think it will answer all your questions so you can use my image files.

Thank you so much to all of you who have left messages and thank yous. It is much appreciated and keeps me inspired to do more!

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

Most Recent Uploaded Cartridge Images For Gypsy

2010-07-20T23:06:00.000-04:00

I uploaded some new files last night and tonight. Click on the link just below my header above to get to the full library, and sort the list by date to find the new ones!

Carousel
Celebrate With Flourish
Country Life
Graphically Speaking
Locker Talk
My World
Slumber Party
Speaking of Fall
Speaking of School
Speaking of Winter
Sports Mania

The Winner Is...

2010-07-19T23:03:00.003-04:00

Post #62, AnnS!
Ann said...

"Here's my story: Every time I went to a crop I would use Base Camp. I love the font. After one crop I decided to go on ebay and bid on it. I couldn't wait for the auction to end.I started going through my carts to make room for my new Base Camp and what do I find....a brand new, unopened Base Camp. I bought it and forgot all about it. Now I couldn't wait for the auction to end and I prayed I didn't win it...I didn't. lol"

Congratulations Ann, and thanks for sharing your story. Your Every Day Paperdolls cartridge will be on the way to you as soon as you send me an address. Enjoy!

TUTORIAL! How To Download My Cartridge Image Files and Load Them Onto Your Gypsy

2010-07-19T16:16:00.003-04:00

If you don't have WinZip installed on your computer, you will need it to unzip the files before you load them on to your Gyspy. Click here to dowload the free program.

Here is the video tutorial- I hope it helps!
Or click here to watch it larger on my Tutorials Page.

Images for 10 More Cartridges!

2010-07-18T20:16:00.000-04:00

Here are today's uploads:
Baseball
Going Places
Hello Kitty Font
Indie Art
October 31st
Pooh and Friends
Pooh Font
Sesame Street Friends
Simply Charmed
Wedding

Click on the link in my header above to find them all!

Today's New Images For Gypsy Photo App

2010-07-17T19:06:00.002-04:00

A Child's Year
Batman
Beyond Birthdays
Campout
Everyday Paperdolls - UPDATED
Freshly Picked
Life Is A Beach - UPDATED
My Community - UPDATED
Superman
Winter Frolic
Zoo Balloo

Click here to download these and images from 55 other cartridges.

Still time to enter to win BLOG CANDYand I PROMISE I'll do a TUTORIAL soon!

2010-07-16T14:57:00.003-04:00

If you haven't entered yet, please scroll down to my post from July 13 and find out how! I'm drawing a lucky winner on Monday, so be sure to enter today!

I promised you all a video tutorial on how to use the images I've been working on for Gypsy. My husband got home Thursday night from being out of town, so I didn't go anywhere near the computer the last two evenings, but I will get one made this weekend to show you how to download, unzip, and load onto your Gypsy. I am finding them SO useful for finding the images I want, and for visualizing the colors I need to cut the layered designs. It's been a big undertaking, and I'm not nearly finished with all of them, but I have to say that it's making me love my Gypsy even more! If you haven't downloaded any yet, you can click here for the whole list of ones I've completed to date. I'm adding more every day, so if your favorite isn't there, check back often. I'll post here as I upload them, so if you're a follower, you'll be alerted when there's one you want.

By the way, no one has asked me about how much space these images take up yet, but I anticipate that someone will eventually. I'm not sure how to look at exactly how much space there is left on your Gypsy (if anyone knows, please let me know), but I can tell you that when I uploaded my last set of images, Gypsy Sync said I still have 94% memory left. That's with the images for 57 cartridges loaded, so I'm not worrying about running out of room!

If you're downloading and enjoying the images, please do leave me a comment. It is very much appreicated!

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

Today's New Gypsy Images

2010-07-15T11:07:00.001-04:00

I didn't get too many new ones done last night, but listed below are a few, along with some updated ones.

I've had many emails asking how to unzip them and how to get them on to the Gypsy. I'm hoping to work on a video tutorial tonight that will lead you through the whole process, from downloading to viewing on your Gypsy. I can't promise it will be posted today or even tomorrow, since my DH has been out of town and is coming home tonight, but I will have it online as soon as I possibly can, so stay tuned. In the meantime, I might get a few more files uploaded if I have a slow day today.

I should also note that, if you are loading updated files to your Gypsy, the new files will overwrite the old ones, so you don't have to delete first. Super easy!

Independence Day - UPDATED
Just Because Cards
Mini Monograms
Mother's Day - UPDATED
Stretch Your Imagination
Winter Woodland

Click here to download these and all the previously posted image files.

More Gypsy Images!

2010-07-14T21:13:00.002-04:00

If you missed the last couple of posts about the images for your Gypsy, no worries! I have updated some that I wasn't happy with before, and tonight I've uploaded 4 new ones, listed below.

After you download and unzip the files, all you have to do is connect the Gypsy to your computer, start Gypsy Sync and choose the jpg files, and Gypsy will automatically put them in the new Photo App. Now you can browse the images on your Gypsy! Over on the Cricut message board, Jodie said she's found images she forgot she had by browsing the images. Now that's what I like to hear! So what are you waiting for? Go get 'em...Cartridge Images for Gypsy Photo App.

NEWLY UPLOADED:
From My Kitchen
Tags Bags Boxes and More
Tinkerbell and Friends
Walk In My Garden

UPDATED:
Happily Ever After
Home Accents
Joys of the Season
Live Simply
Love Struck
Mickey and Friends
Once Upon a Princess

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

It had to happen sooner or later. Oh, and there's BLOG CANDY coming!

2010-07-13T17:40:00.007-04:00

Yep, I am offcially addicted to collecting Cricut cartridges now. Why do I say that, you ask? Because I now have so many that I can't remember what I have and what I don't have. This weekend, I realized that I had bought a cartridge that I already had. And it wasn't a $39.99 mini or one that I got on sale for $29. Nooooo, I bought a full cartridge, MSRP $89 (though I have never paid that for one).

So, here I was all happy that I "finally" had my Everday Paper Dolls cartridge, I got my Gypsy out and connected it for linking and I got a message - "You have already linked a cartridge by this name." WHAT??? Not another PC Gypsy error! So I tried again. Same message. Now I run upstairs to look in my box of carts, and sure enough, there is one I've labeled "EDPD."

The bad news is that I bought the cartridge twice. The good news is, Gypsy didn't let me link it again, so the cartridge is still a Gypsy "virgin." I did already write "EDPD" on it in Sharpie, but other than that, it's new, in the box.

So, why am I telling you all this? Because, I have decided to make it BLOG CANDY!!! That's right, my just-turned-50-and-can't-even-remember-what-I-had-for-breakfast brain lapse means BLOG CANDY FOR YOU! All you have to do is become a follower and comment on this post and you're entered. If you're already a follower, just comment! (Don't forget to leave me a way to get in touch with you.) And if you have your own funny memory lapse story to tell in your comment, all the better. If not, well, I'll try not to hold it against you that your brain age is younger than mine. I'll draw the winner using a randomizer on Monday, July 19th at 10:00 p.m. EST.

Good luck to all of you! It's great to be back in Blogdom!

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

More Cartridge Images and some updates!

2010-07-12T10:59:00.007-04:00

Here are the cartridges that I have UPDATES for today:
Gypsy Wanderings
Create a Critter
Destinations
Doodlecharms
Dreams Come True
Easter 2010
Heritage
Mini Monsters

and here are the NEW images that I've posted: (link below for all images)

Stand and Salute
Straight From The Nest
Storybook
Snowfriends
Sentimentals
Sweethearts
Preserves
Paper Pups
Paper Doll Dressup
Paisley

Cricut Cartridge Images For Uploading To Your Gypsy

Enjoy!

Cartridge Images for your Gypsy - Updates!

2010-07-11T19:38:00.000-04:00

In my last post, I announced that I was working on creating images to upload to my Gypsy so I can use the new Photo App to see all the images on each cartridge. Well, I wasn't happy with some of them, so I've been working on enlarging a lot of them so you can see them even better. If you're going blind like me, bigger is better!

I decided that I wanted to fix the ones I'd done before I moved on to doing more, so I've updated and reposted some of them, and I'm working on redoing the others that I felt needed it. So far I've reposted the following:

Animal Kingdom
Disney's Cars
Celebrations
Christmas Cheer
Christmas Solutions
Cindy Loo

I think you'll find the new ones much better and worth the second download. I'm working on redoing the rest that need it, then I'll move on to others. Eventually, I hope to have them all for you, so keep checking back!

Cricut Cartridge Images For Uploading To Your Gypsy

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

I'm alive and well and LOVIN' my Gypsy!Here's how I'm using the new PHOTO APP!

2010-07-09T16:21:00.004-04:00

Ok, I know I've been MIA for way too long. Thanks to all of you who wrote or posted to make sure I was OK and let me know I was missed. You truly touched me and made me want to get back. Nothing was wrong - other than too much life happening. This is a crazy time of year for me in my job as Community Services Manager for a planned community of over 2700 homes. I handle boating rentals and registration, picnic shelter rentals, boat house staff and outdoor special events, including 4 big parties for about 1500 people, as well as producing a monthly 24-page newsletter and managing our web site. On top of that, we've had two really big special projects, so I feel like I've been living in my office. Then, as you know, my sister and her husband are divorcing, and I spent 2 weekends on the road to help with her move and one weekend with her here. It seems like the last six weeks have passed me by in a blur.

Work is still insanely busy, but I'm making an effort to take some time out for my crafting. After all, Stampin' Up! just released their new catalog, so I have workshops to plan and new crafty toys to play with! I have my first order of the new stamping year coming today - almost $300 worth! Between that and the new Gypsy updates, I can't wait to get back to my craft room!

In the meantime, I've been playing around with the new Gypsy features since the last update, and I LOVE that I now have the Photo App. So many have been baffled about what to use it for, but I immediately thought how awesome it would be to have the cartridge images on my Gypsy to carry with me wherever I go and not have to pull out my handbooks to see details and colors. So........I spent most of last night downloading the image sheets and cropping them into smaller pieces so they are large enough to see on the Gypsy screen. I'm thrilled with this capability, and I'm posting them all to share with all of you as I get them done. All you have to do it download and unzip them, then using Gyspsy Sync, move the jpg images to your Gypsy and start browsing the cartridges!

I'm starting with the cartridges I own, but eventually I plan to post them all, so keep checking back to add to your collection. Click the link below to get started!

Cricut Cartridge Images For Uploading To Your Gypsy

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

Stuff I love!

2010-04-27T23:03:00.002-04:00

Inspired by Robyn at My Pink Stamper, I made this little Google search video, just for fun. It gives you a very quick idea of some of the things I love - besides Cricut, of course!

It's super quick and easy to make one, so give it a try!

"When Your Day Sucks" Bouquet

2010-04-25T17:16:00.006-04:00

I'm leaving tonight to go help my sister move into an apartment because she and her husband of 27 years are splitting up. She's very depressed at the prospect of leaving her beautiful farm in the Virginia countryside and trying to start her life over in an inpersonal furnished apartment. I thought I would take her something that would brighten up the apartment, give her strength when she needs it, and hopefully make her laugh.
I saw a version of this bouquet quite a while ago made for a 40th birthday, and it said "40 sucks" and had 40 suckers in it. It could also be used for a hospital gift when a patient isn't allowed to have real flowers and say something like, "Being sick SUCKS. Hope you LICK it soon!" Whatever you use it for, the recipient is sure to feel loved.

Supplies:

• plastic flower pot

• glass florist marbles

• 1 large green silk hydrangea stem

• spanish moss

• wired florist picks

• Dumb Dumb suckers

• 1/2 florists foam ball to fit pot

• florists tape

• ribbon, card stock

• wire cutters

• hot glue gun and high heat glue sticks

Using hot glue, adhere ribbon to outside of pot.

Fill the bottom of the pot about half to 2/3 full to keep arrangement from being top-heavy when filled with flowers.

Using hot glue gun, generously put a bead of glue all around the inside top edge of pot and place foam ball so it fits just inside. Use a craft knife to trim the edge of the ball if necessary to make it fit.

Using hot glue and doing a small section at a time, adhere moss to completely cover ball.

Using wire cutters, cut hydrangea into smaller stems or bunches. Attach each bunch to florist's pick by wrapping the wire around the stem, then using the florist's tape to cover the stem and about 1/2 of the pick. Push picks into foam, spacing evenly around arrangment.

Cut flowers from assorted colors of cardstock. I used a flower from "Walk in My Garden" and cut at about 4". Using a craft knife, cut an "x" in the center of each flower.

Attach a pick to each Dumb Dumb as you did with the hydrangea stems by wrapping the wire around the pick and sucker stick. Insert a sucker pick through the center of each flower and finish by wrapping pick and stick with florist's tape, making sure to press sucker flat against flower and start tape tightly against the bottom and catching flaps that were made by the "x".

Add completed flowers to pot, filling in spaces between hydrangea picks. Print sign, sandwich pick between front of sign and a back piece, add ribbon, and add to the arrangement.

And the WINNERS are....

2010-04-21T23:48:00.001-04:00

The winner for tonight's drawing in celebration of my blog having 50,000 hits and the Blog Candy shown above is.....Staci from New Jersey! (her blog is Precious Memories Scrapbooking and More) Congratulations Staci! E-mail me your addy so I can send your goodies to you!

And the winner of the drawing when I hit 700 followers the other night was Nicole of Croppin Momma Designs! Congratulations Nicole! Your goodies are on their way!

Candy Bar Purse is back just in time for Mom!

2010-04-21T12:10:00.001-04:00

I just love seeing what you all do with my designs, and these 3 Candy Bar Purses from Staci at Precious Memories Scrapbooking and More are no exception. I absolutely adore the way she embellished them with the swirlies and flowers, and her color and paper choices are so cheerful! Stop by her blog and take a look at her other creations.

I thought this might be a good time to repost these with Mother's Day right around the corner. I know my mom would love one containing a Ghirardelli chocolate bar and a gift card tucked in the pocket. If you want to make your own Candy Bar Purses and missed the files the first time around, click here to go to my original post with links to the files for either Gypsy or Design Studio. You'll also need the George cartridge,12x12 cardstock, and a velcro dot set for the closure. Have fun with it!

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

Make Room For More Rubber and Ribbon!

2010-04-20T00:00:00.014-04:00

I am one lucky lady who has a big room dedicated to my crafting, but with so much room to spread out, I neglected to realize the importance of organizing all my stuff from the beginning. Once it began to get out of control, something HAD to be done! So, recently, I started an honest attempt at getting my scraproom in order. After all, if I'm going to continue to invite all of you in for tutorials, I must clean it up. My mom would be horrified at me having company when it's such a mess!

About 6 months ago, I started collecting the Jetmax craft storage cubes. That was a good start, but I soon realized that they weren't going to solve all my problems. The three biggest things that needed wrangling were my ever-growing collections of ribbon, rubber stamps, and card stock. Jetmax makes a couple of units that are perfect for the card stock, but I couldn't find a suitable home for my rubber and ribbon in Jetmax. In fact, I've been looking for more than 4 years for the "perfect" ribbon storage solution, and my stamps had simply outgrown the space I had available for them. Something had to change.

I'm so pleased with the 2 solutions I've found for my ribbon and rubber that I want to share them with you, but I've decided to do a whole series of how I've solved some of my craft room issues, starting with this one about converting your rubber stamps from wood mounted to unmounted. Thanks to the awesome new storage cases from Stampin' Up! I've started umounting all of my stamps and reducing their storage to about 1/4 of the space they took before. This is possibly the BIGGEST space saving change I could have made, and I can't recommend it enough! It's also allowed me to store similar stamp sets together so I can plan my projects more efficiently.
UPDATE: Thank you Jamie for sharing your idea for using the old wood blocks! Visit Jamie's blog to see what she did. I'm totally going to be scraplifting this one!

Below is the link for the video tutorial, along with information on how to order the cases and acrylic blocks. Take a look and start wrangling that rubber! And stay tuned for my ribbon storage solution!

Clear-Mount Stamp Storage Cases, (set of 4) $4.95 Item #119105
Acrylic Blocks
118487 Block A (1-3/16" x 1-1/4") $3.95
117147 Block B (1-5/8" x 1-15/16") $5.95
118486 Block C (2" x 2-1/4") $6.95
118485 Block D (2-7/8" x 2-11/16") $8.50
118484 Block E (3-7/16" x 4-7/16") $11.95
118483 Block F (4-7/8" x 6") $16.95
118489 Block G (3/4" x 2-1/2") $4.50
118490 Block H (1-5/8" x 4-7/16") $8.50
118488 Block I (2-1/4" x 5-7/8") $11.95
118491 Block Bundle (Blocks A-I) $69.95

Click the Stampin' Up! logo to go to my site where you can order these products and wrangle YOUR rubber!

click here to view larger on my tutorials page

CELEBRATION - Blog Candy!It's not too late to enter!

2010-04-18T12:56:00.017-04:00

Click the image to see it larger

And the WINNER IS.....Staci from New Jersey! (her blog is Precious Memories Scrapbooking and More) Congratulations Staci! E-mail me your addy so I can send your goodies to you!

WOW! I can't believe I've hit 50,000 visits already! I can't thank all of you enough for making me feel every day that my blog is worthwhile. I love sharing with all of you, and I love being a part of the online crafting community. I have made some wonderful friends because of this blog, and I hope to make many, many more.

In celebration of my 50,000 visits, in the year that I turned 50 - two big milestones - I have some BLOG CANDY to give away! Last week I promised you all a peek at my haul from Tuesday Morning. Well, I decided not to show you and save it as a surprise giveaway instead, so here is part of it - the part I'm giving away! All you have to do to win is be or become a follower AND leave a comment under this post. On Wednesday, April 21 at 11:00 PM, I'll choose a winner from the comments and post the winner here.

But wait, there's more!! I'm currently at 683 followers. If I reach 700 by midnight tonight, I'll also give away a pink Target pencil case for storing Gypsy, a 3-pack of styluses (is that the plural of stylus?) that includes one of the new bendable ones to "attach" to your finger for those marathon Gypsy design sessions, AND a surprise package of miscellaneous scrapping and cardmaking supplies.

That's TWO chances to win a prize - one at midnight tonight and one on Wednesday! All you need to do is comment, then spread the word so I can get 17 more followers by midnight tonight! Easy Peasy!

PS - Don't forget to leave me a way to contact you! If your user ID doesn't connect me to your email, please leave it in your comment so I can let you know the minute you win! Good luck!

Had 703 followers by 9:27 PM Sunday! Thank you all!
THE WINNER OF THE MIDNIGHT DRAWING IS....

Nicole of Croppin Momma Designs! Congratulations Nicole! E-mail your address and I'll get your prize to you ASAP!

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

In Remembrance...

2010-04-16T09:56:00.009-04:00

April 16, 2007, it was an unusually cold day, actually snowing in parts of Virginia. Late that morning, I got a frantic text message from my daughter, "Mom Meg isn't answering her phone!" Knowing my daughter's impatience and tendancy to panic easily, I texted back, "How long have you been trying?" She asked in return, "Haven't you heard what's happening??" At that point, I called her. I was at work that morning, insulated from the news. She had already heard that there was a sniper shooting people on the campus of Virginia Tech, and 2 were already confirmed dead. Meg, one of her closest friends, was there for her first year of graduate school.

Immediately, I turned on the small television that I've kept in my office at work since September 11, 2001. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. There was live footage from the campus, and you could clearly hear gunfire. My mind flashed back to my four years there as a student. I had always loved how peaceful it was on our campus in the little southwest town of Blacksburg, Virginia. We were a large school - population nearly 25,000 then, but the little town of Blacksburg had only a population of around 8,000. The student population in 2007 was over 40,000, but the town is still small. It was unfathomable to me that this was happening there.

Right away, I got on the phone to call my husband and my sister and her husband. All four of us are VT grads. Over the next few hours, we tried to get in touch with people that we knew had kids there. Eventually, my daughter heard from Meg - thank God for Facebook! As you can imagine, phone lines in and out of Blacksburg were all busy, so many parents tried frantically for hours to reach their children. Ultimately, it was Facebook that most of the kids used to communicate with each other and with their families. Later that afternoon, I got another text message from my daughter; "They say 32 dead." It was a haunting message that I looked at many times over the next weeks, still not believing it had happened.

When word began to come out about the victims, we were shaken to find out that an old friend that we adored had lost his beautiful daughter, and a co-worker of my husband's had lost a nephew. I felt helpless. I wanted to help in some way, but there was really nothing I could do but offer words of love and support. Then I got an idea: I would appeal to all of my stamping friends to send cards to the families. I posted on Splitcoast Stampers and asked for cards to be sent directly to me, which I then forwarded to our friends. The response moved me to tears. Cards flooded in for weeks. The one pictured here is the one that I made.

On this day, three years later, I am aching to be on the Virginia Tech campus for the memorial services. My sister and her son - now a sophomore there - are running in a 16-mile marathon today in rememberance of the 16th of April, 2007. Please say a prayer for them, and for the families of the vicitims. Three short years later, it will be a difficult day for them.

Put a smile on your mail carrier's face - VINYL PROJECT!

2010-04-15T15:11:00.005-04:00

Here's a quick project that you can do with leftover scraps of vinyl, though it turned out so cute that you just might want to go in search of some specifically for this use. All images are from the Walk In My Garden cartridge, and I used pieces from my vinyl scraps for most of the images. I'm lucky enough to use a Cricut Expression and outdoor vinyl at work, and I bring home all the scraps from those projects.

Provocraft makes adhesive vinyl in many colors, and in my area, Joann's carries the largest selection. Michael's carries limited colors as well. If you haven't used vinyl before, you'll also need to purchase transfer tape or contact paper for application. I personally use contact paper because it's so much cheaper. It's very sticky off the roll though, so place it on your clothing and rub and remove 3-4 times before using to de-stickify it just a bit.

If you've never used vinyl in your Cricut projects and need a tutorial, here's a really good one from Above Rubies Studio. She used blue tape to transfer, but I prefer the contact paper so I can see through it and get it aligned just right. Take a peek at it, then spruce up your mailbox for spring!

UPDATE: GREAT idea from CherB at Cheryl's Window - use removable vinyl so you can easily remove it and change for the seasons and holidays!

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

Stampin' Up! Reveals New Color PaletteOrder Your Favorites Before They're Gone!

2010-04-14T16:20:00.012-04:00

Click the chart above to view

or print a larger version, with

retiring colors page

Stampin' Up! has kept up with the changes in color fads for the past several years through its "In Color" Collections, which were changed each year to complement the standard 48-color palette, plus a neutrals collection. This year, they're streamlining the system and presenting a palette that contains only 40 colors. Love it or hate it, it's definitely updated to reflect the changes in color trends and customer use. Stampin' Up! will continue to release 5 new In Colors each year, and they will have a lifespan of 2 years. That means that there will always be 50 colors to choose from, with 5 new colors per year.

The new color line-up will become effective with the July 2010 catalog, so retiring colors will only be available until the end of June. If one of your favorites is retiring, I suggest you order well in advance of that, as I suspect that as June nears and they run out of a retiring color, they won't restock. You can order from me online by clicking here or on the Stampin' Up! logo that is always on this page at the right - part way down the page. (I'm not a hardcore seller, but every little bit you buy from me helps keep me in craft supplies so I can keep this blog going!) Remember to also order stamp pad reinkers and extra markers if it's a color you really love!

Here's a complete rundown of what's staying, what's going, and what's making its debut!

Carryover Colors
Old Olive
Pumpkin Pie
Real Red
Regal Rose
Tempting Turquoise
Always Artichoke
Brave Burgandy
Elegant Eggplant
Garden Green
More Mustard
Night of Navy
Not Quite Navy
Bashful Blue
Certainly Celery
Perfect Plum
Pretty In Pink
Rose Red
So Saffron
Basic Black
Basic Gray
Chocolate Chip
Crumb Cake (formerly "Kraft")
Sahara Sand
Very Vanilla
Whisper White

Returning "In Colors"
Melon Mambo
Pacific Point
Tangerine Tanerine
River Rock
Soft Suede
Red Riding Hood
Rich Razzleberry
Wild Wasabi
Pink Pirouette
Baja Breeze

New Colors
Daffodil Delight
Cajun Craze
Early Espresso
Cherry Cobbler
Marina Mist

Retiring Colors
Pink Passion
Pixie Pink
Pale Plum
Orchid Opulence
Lovely Lilac
Lavender Lace
Almost Amethyst
Bordering Bleu
Brocade Blue
Ballet Blue
Brilliant Blue
Taken With Teal
Glorious Green
Handsome Hunter
Sage Shadow
Mellow Moss
Green Galore
Gable Green
Barely Banana
Yoyo Yellow
Summer Sun
Apricol Appeal
Only Orange
Really Rust
Ruby Red
Cameo Coral
Blush Blossom
Creamy Caramel
Close To Cocoa
Going Gray

Don't delay - order your extra card stock, inkpad refills and markers in your favorite retitring colors before they're all gone! Just click here to go to my Stampin' Up! page to place a secure online order!

Make it a COLORFUL day!
Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

New Jetmax Pieces at Michael's with PHOTOS!

2010-04-12T20:50:00.007-04:00

These might not be new to some of you, but they are totally new to the Michael's stores in my city, and trust me, I've been to ALL of them! The best part is, they are all 50% off at Michael's this week, so if you've been working on your craft room, this is a great time to pick up some more! Please forgive the quality of the photos. I took them with my Blackberry from the boxes when I was there today during my lunch hour.

I bought 2 of these units. They are $79.99 normally, so I got them for only $40 today. I think the "drawers" are heavy-duty coated cardboard, so they aren't going to hold heavy books, paints, etc., but what I loved about them is that they have lids on each one, and they fold almost flat, so if you wanted to use one section as a shelf, you could easily fold up the box for storage. I plan to use mine for yarn and my spare rolls of ribbon where they'll be safe from dust. And yes, I have that much yarn and ribbon!

The glass door cube is my new favorite! I can picture them decorated in all sorts of ways with cute adornments cut in vinyl on the Cricut. The unit has one shelf inside and is $34.99.

Finally, a file drawer unit for your 12x12 card stock! The drawer has rails and comes with 4 hanging file folders. I'm hoping they will come out with packages of additional folders soon! $34.99

The workstation cube comes with 4 canvas drawers and a drop-down door that is held closed by a strong magnet. I got to see this one assembled, and I have to admit that I like it better than I thought I would. The drawers are fairly small, so the fact that they're canvas isn't a sturdiness issue as long as you don't overload them. They would be nice for small jars of glitter or embossing powder. I believe this one was also $34.99.

Additional new pieces that aren't pictured:

Divider set to fit either the 3-drawer cube or the one-drawer cube with shelf. 6 dividers to make 12 sections, $9.99

Mini drawers, fit the top 4 sections of the Embellishment Center. Package of 2, $9.99

Paint Bottle Tray, heavy plastic with 36 wells for storing paint bottles (such as Apple Barrel acrylics) upside down, fits in the full size drawers, $3.99

Peg Boards, hang on the side of any cube, $19.99 (additional pegs sold in packs of 4)

Wall-Mount Magnetic Embellishment Board with 4 Storage Tins, can't remember price, sorry!

Announcing 16 Members of theRoyal Crafting Court!

2010-04-10T22:01:00.004-04:00

Click the image to enter the Blogdom

On the second day of April, in the year two thousand and ten, it was decread that all those who freely share their cut files, tutorials, patterns and other craft related treasures on their blogs or web sites, shall be rightly recognized as craft royalty and be granted the right to wear the crown of the Crafting Queen.

As one of my first coronation subjects, SassyLady, put it, this award is for "worthy ladies and gentlemen that share the desire to pass their crafting love and skills to all the subjects in the kingdom without royal fees or taxes." As they spread their wealth throughout the land, these clever subjects deserve to be treated as royalty, with those of use who use their ideas bowing at their feet (or at least visiting their blogdoms and leaving a comment).

The Royal Coronation was kicked off by me crowning six deserving ladies and asking them to go forth throughout the Blogdom and crown other worthy subjects. The Court is pleased to present to you the first 16 members of the Royal Court. Though they have not demanded that you pay taxes when visiting their Blogdoms, they do adore comments and will work hard to keep all of their royal subjects happy so long as they feel appreciated. And when you visit my sister Queens, please be sure to tell them that Queen Cindy sent you!

If you know of a Crafting Princess who deserve to wear the crown of the Crafting Queens, please email me and I will invite them to the next coronation!

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

ENABLER ALERT!! Songbird Card Stock Stack

2010-04-08T22:13:00.005-04:00

I found this great card stock stack from DCWV and just HAD to have it to go with my new Cricut Straight From The Nest cartridge! I have no idea what I'm going to make yet, but with this card stock stack and such a cute cartridge, it's sure to be adorable!

The stack includes 36 sheets, each cuter than the next. I found it at Michael's, and I'm sure Joann's will carry it, too. Be sure to check it out on your next craft shopping trip!

Get rid of those blemishes and under-eye circles!!

2010-04-04T12:53:00.011-04:00

Have you ever wished you could make yourself look less tired in a photo, or wanted to remove a blemish that popped up the morning it was taken? Did the lighting make your under-eye circles look even worse than they really are? Well, you can easily fix all of that in digital photos, and I show you how in less than 10 minutes!

If you have Photoshop Elements in any version since 3, you can use this simple and quick technique. I have even provided you with a photo to download so you can practice along with me. Just click the link below to download the photo, open it in Photoshop Elements, and follow along with my video. Pretty soon, you'll be making all your friends and relatives look even more gorgeous than ever!!

Download the photo from the tutorial so you can follow along with me.

Click here to go to YouTube to watch in a larger window

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!Presenting a new award!

2010-04-02T15:35:00.004-04:00

Those of you who have followed me for a while know that I started this blog with a commitment to you that I would always offer my files and project tutorials for free. I feel very strong about that commitment, and I particularly admire other bloggers who feel the same way. For us, our reward is in knowing that our work is used and appreciated by others, and we get that mostly through comments on our blogs and emails from our followers. That doesn't mean that we don't also appreciate an occasional shout-out! I know personally that receiving a mention or award from another blogger means the world to me and totally makes my day!

I've been lucky enough to be honored several times by other bloggers' awards, and I wanted to pay it forward and create an award of my own - with a bit of a twist. So...

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! A Royal Proclamation!
On this date, Friday the 2nd of April in the year 2010, I hereby create this award for all Crafting Queens or Kings! To be crowned, a blogger or web site owner must share files, templates or tutorials free of charge, and must do so equally for all of the loyal subjects in Blogdom (ie. no "members only" or paid membership blogs, please). Blogs who sell things are OK, too, as long as they offer something crafty and free on a fairly regular basis. To crown someone, leave them a comment or send an email directing them to your blog to pick up their crown.

Receivers of the award must pay it forward to at least one other crafty web site or blog, and should link back to the site that crowned them. If you've been crowned, please send an email to me at Cre8tveLdy@aol.com, along with your web or blog address and the website of whoever crowned you, so I can list you as a Royal Blogger. (If you need the "King" version of the award, let me know and I'll email it to you.)

I hope you will proudly display this award on your site, and I thank you for being such a benevolent Queen or King who is so generous to your loyal subjects!

And now for the first crowning ceremony, I would like to send you to the following Blogdoms:
Audrey - Cute and Some
Cheryl - Cheryl's Window
Crystal - Design Create Inspire
Elizabeth - 217Creations
Pam - TheBugBytes
Sheila - She's A Sassy Lady

Be sure to be a good royal subject and leave them a comment when you visit, so they know how much you appreciate them!

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

Gypsy Quick Tips

2010-04-02T13:49:00.009-04:00

I was over on the Cricut message board last night and came across a thread about a feature on the Gypsy that apparently a lot of people didn't know. I added a tip of my own that I had recently stumbled across, and then I started thinking that it might be a good blog entry - a few "little known" Gypsy tips. For some of you, this might be old news, but for others, it will make you love your Gypsy even more!
Here are 4 good ones to know:

1) On the keyboard overlay screen, hold down the upper left silver button and click on any key to see it full screen size. Release the button and tap again to close it. This is an awesome one because you can see the image in detail!

2) When you're on a screen that has a list you can scroll through vertically, the left silver buttons scroll through the list one item at a time.

3) On the work mat, if you zoom in as far as the Gypsy will let you, you are looking at your image (or the part of the image that you can see) at the actual size it will cut.

4) When using the search function, searches are case sensitve. All keywords are lower case, so for best results, don't use capital letters when performing a search.

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

Popcorn Box - Updated files and supply option

2010-04-01T09:59:00.000-04:00

First, thank you all for your wonderful comments about my Tuesday Treats Popcorn Box. I have to say that it's one of my favorites, too, even with all the "drama" surrounding its production. (See yesterday's post if you don't know what I'm talking about.)

I wanted to update you on two things about the popcorn box. As I explained in my post yesterday, I have reposted the files so that there are actually 4 versions - 1) Gypsy using Plantin and TBBM, 2) Gypsy using George and TBBM, 3) Design Studio using Plantin and TBBM, and 4) Design Studio using George and TBBM. I redid them after realizing that many of you probably had either Plantin or George, but not both. If you downloaded the first version, you might want to go back and download it again. If you have the most recent version, it will say "UPDATED" in the zip file name. Once you unzip it, you will see that there is a version for George and one for Plantin. You simply use the one for whatever cartridge you have, and you can delete the other. I hope now that many more of you will be able to use the file now!

Second, last night I was looking at the service that tracks the hits on my blog. It tells me where people come from to get to my blog - like a link from another blog - and I often find ones from google. I love those because I can see specifically what people have searched for to find me. Anyway, this one had searched for "popcorn card," and there was another entry that I clicked on where the lady had done an adorable little card from a retired Stampin' Up! stamp (that I have never seen and REALLY want now!). She was using Liquid Applique instead of the Tulip Puffy Paint. It basically worked exactly the same and gave the same effect, so if you have some LA in your stash, you don't have to run out for Puffy Paint - unless you NEED an excuse to go shopping!! I'm always willng to be your enabler, and I won't tell your hubby...wink, wink.

Have a wonderful Easter weekend. Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

Some much needed sunshine!

2010-03-31T16:55:00.007-04:00

Just when I was feeling quite low, my dear blogging friend, Audrey, sent me a little ray of sunshine. Audrey, you yourself are a constant ray of sunshine to me, and this award means so much coming from you! Your creations inspire me, and your positive attitude and generosity are truly to be admired.

I'm supposed to pass it on to 12 other bloggers, and I will in a separate post, but first, I hope you will indulge me and allow me to pour my heart out and cleanse my mind. It's a tale of how a a blogger can seem so put together online (at least I hope I seem that way) and be falling apart behind the scenes, and about how crafting can truly be much-needed therapy during tough times. I've gotten so many wonderful emails from many of you asking me how I manage it all and how I find time to be creative. As you will see, I don't always manage it well - and it's OK to have those times, especially when you have such a great support group like I have in so many of you.

As most of you know, yesterday was my debut on the Tuesday Treats blog. What most of you don't know is what went on behind the scenes. Last week, just as I was just getting ready to put my project and tutorial together, my 16-year-old niece went into the hospital with a mysterious, life-threatening infection. It presented as viral meningitis, but tests ruled that out. The doctors were then unsure what it was and began calling other hospitals. In the meantime, my sister - a pharmacist - insisted that they put her on antibiotics. Thank God they did! By the next morning, they had determined that she had something called parapharyngeal cellulitis, which is extremely dangerous. The doctor told my sister that she probably wouldn't have made it through the night if they hadn't given her the antibiotics when they did. Knowing how worried I was, I can't even imagine how my sister and brother-in-law felt! This all came on the heels of a very stressful month at work due to a big project.

So, by Sunday night, I knew that my niece was out of the woods and resting at home, and I had to get to work on my videos! I took half a day off from work on Monday to go home and make them, but due in part to my exhaustion and emotional state and in part to the electronics gremlins, it took me forever to get them made. It was one of those days when it seemed like everything I touched went wrong - camera battery was dead, tripod broke, my video software had gotten corrupted and had to be reinstalled, and a host of other small things.   I finally thought I had it all together and started, only to have to restart 2 more times. By just before midnight on Monday, I finally had everything uploaded and ready to post.

The next morning, I discovered that I had done the wrong page assignment - flashback to high school nightmares!!! But this was worse because it meant my mistake had messed up the person that was supposed to do the popcorn box cut, so now she had to scramble to change her plans. I felt just horrible, but she graciously accepted my apology and told me it gave her a good excuse to go to the craft store and buy more stuff...LOL! Thank you Elizabeth aka Emonty! You're a doll!

Then last night at about 11:30, something made me think about the cartridges that I used on the popcorn box card, and I jumped out of bed to get my Gypsy and check it. Yep, I had used both Plantin and George, but I had only listed George on the post (plus TBBM, of course). I know few people have both Plantin and George, so I had intended to only use one of them. In fact, I had hoped to only use TBBM for everything but the envelope and lettering. I figured that you could always find a ready-made envelope or use one from another cartridge, and you could use any font for the lettering.  In my hurry to get the files finished and uploaded in both DS and Gypsy format, I forgot to check.

This morning when I got to work, I got online for a quick check of the comments on my blog, and there was a post that I did NOT intend to post yet! It's about a project that is in progress, but not yet complete. Instead of clicking on "save" after writing it, I must have clicked on "publish." I don't even remember doing it.

Soooo....tonight I will be working on 2 versions of the project - one for George owners, and one for Plantin owners. Of course, you'll have to have TBBM for either. If you already downloaded the one from yesterday and don't have all 3 cartridges, check back tomorrow and I'll have the "fixed" ones uploaded so you can download the one you need.

If you've read this far, God bless you! I felt that I owed you all an explanation for my recent mental lapse. I'm forgetful in the best of times, and the last month has not been the best, by any means. The good news is, I have a saint for a husband, a wonderful family, and good friends - both online and in real life. And of course, I have my crafting. I think I need a vacation!! Thank goodness I have a wonderful trip with my husband coming up in May.

Finally, I just want to say that having all of you to design and blog for keeps me motivated and happy, even when the things are tough, so THANK YOU to all of you, my newfound friends!

My debut on Tuesday Treats, and I brought the POPCORN!

2010-03-30T00:01:00.009-04:00

Admit it, you've done it, too - bought some craft item in the store because it looked really cool, then stashed it away and never used it. Well, about 6 months ago, I was looking in the paint section at my local craft store and picked up a 6-pack of Tulip Puffy Paint. Now, I was no stranger to puffy paint. I had used it long ago on various projects, but the bottles had long since dried up and been thrown away. So why did I buy more? Simple...the package said "puffs like popcorn." What a fabulous idea that I just HAD to try - but never did. Never, that is, until Pam gave me my Tuesday Treats assignment, and it was the popcorn box from TBBM! I KNEW I bought that puffy paint for a good reason!

My original idea was to make the box and attach "popcorn" all around the edges, then fill the box with movie candy, a package of microwave popcorn, and movie tickets. This idea rattled around in my brain for weeks, but I could never really picture it in a way that I thought I would like. Then I ran across a card online that was basically a sleeve with a slide-out card, and this idea was born! I'm thrilled with the outcome, and I have a few ideas to use with it, though I'm sure some of you will think of others. Please share them if you do so I can post them here and on Tuesday Treats as updates.

Here are mine:
"We go together like popcorn and movies." (borrowed this one from a stamp)
"POP on over to the theater for a night at the movies, on me." (enclose movie theater gift card)
"POP on over for a movie night and slumber party."
"Popping up a good time......"
"Popping up good wishes for you...."
From Melanie: "Popping by just to say..." (Happy birthday, thank you, congratulations, etc.)

So, pop yourself some real popcorn and pull up a seat to watch the videos. Happy crafting. Just try not to get butter on your projects!!

Cartridges: TBBM and either George or Plantin
UPDATED: the zip file will include a cut file for either George or Plantin, along with TBBM
Popcorn Card files for Design Studio
Popcorn Card files for Gypsy

Click here to watch the video on YouTube in full screen

Click here to watch video on YouTube in full screen

Click here to watch video on YouTube in full screen

The Funny Bunnies have BABIES!

2010-03-27T13:11:00.025-04:00

If these little critters look familiar, it's because they're the spittin' image of their parents, Bonnie and Benjamin the Funny Bunnies! They've been reborn in miniature to dress up a plain old candy bar for Easter gifts for my co-workers. After all, good things really do come in small packages!

You can probably make most of the parts with scraps of paper and cardstock, but you'll need a fairly large piece for the wrapper itself. I recommend a lighter weight paper for the wrapper and cardstock for the bunny parts. You'll also need 1/4" googly eyes, and I use ink and sponges to add dimension to the pieces, and Stickles to add some sparkle. I used clear Stickles over the pink cardstock.

I didn't make a tutorial, because the assembly for the bunnies is exactly like that for the gift bags, so if you missed that one, be sure to watch it for tips. For the wrapper, just wrap over the existing one on the candy bar and adhere on the back, then glue your assembled bunny on the front. Quick and easy!

Cartridge Needed: George
Funny Bunnies Candy Bar Wrappers file for Design Studio
Funny Bunnies Candy Bar Wrappers file for Gypsy

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

The Ms. Bright Side Award and 5 blogs to visit

2010-03-24T15:15:00.002-04:00

The owner of K-E Kreations recently blessed me with a very kind gift - The Ms. Bright Side Award! She wrote on her blog, "I would like to pass this award on to the following wonderful bloggers who always inspire me, have great words of wisdom, and who simply share fabulous tips to make me a better crafter." As I told her, if I can be "Ms. Bright Side" in just one person's life each day, that makes me smile!

You all know that I love to design and share my designs with you. My "payment" is not monetary, but in the lovely comments and response that I get from all of you when I share a new project. All of you are the reason that I blog, and the reason that I share projects, tips and advice based on my own crafting experience. To receive awards is the icing on the cake, and very sweet icing at that!

Upon receiving this award, I'm supposed to list 10 things that make me happy, list 5 pieces of trivia about myself, and pass the award on to 5 fellow bloggers. So, here goes...

Ten things that make me happy:
1. My husband
2. My children - including my new son-in-law (Love you Andy!)
3. My pomeranians, Roxy and Lulu
4. My "sweet" little cat, Sugar who adopted us one cold, rainy February day when I just couldn't leave her outside
5. Crafting, of course!
6. Traveling and seeing new places with my husband
7. Chocolate
8. Real, authentic Sangria and Spanish food (thank you Emilio's Restaurante')
9. Fresh raspberries
10. MY BLOG FOLLOWERS!

Trivia about me:
1. I'm an ex-kindergarten teacher, then preschool director, but I left that profession 11 years ago for my current job.
2. I've known my husband since we were both 3 years old, we started dating at age 15, married at 20 and have been married almost 30 years now. He is my best friend and loudest cheerleader!
3. I'm a Coach purse addict and I don't want intervention.
4. I do at least one Sudoku puzzle a day to TRY to keep my brain sharp.
5. I can't stand to kill anything, so I take spiders and other bugs outside instead of squashing or flushing them. My co-workers call ME when there's a bug or crawling critter to be gotten rid of!

And the 5 bloggers that I want to share this award with are:
1. Audrey, Cute and Some - Audrey is a constant source of encouragement and cheer in my life, and a true friend that I hope to meet someday! Maybe at CHA in Chicago?? I'm working on DH on that one! Audrey often leaves comments for me on my blog "just because." On top of being just a downright amazing person, Audrey is SUPER talented, and she's becoming a regular featured crafter in the Cricut Chirp! Be sure to check out her blog and become a follower. You'll be happy you did!

2. Cheryl, Cheryl's Window - Cheryl and I have so much in common, and she's another internet friend that I'd love to meet. We seem to have the same taste in both crafts and men - both of our husbands like comic book superheroes! She's incredibly talented and a natural teacher. Please stop by her blog and have a look around.

3. Pam, The Bug Bytes - When someone needs help with a Gypsy, everyone over on the Cricut message boards knows that Pam is the woman with the answers! If she doesn't already know the answer - and she usually does - she will find out for you. Pam is also the co-creator of Tuesday Treats, where a new designer every week presents a project and tutorial. Pam is a talented crafter, but we all treasure her most as the message board teacher and cheerleader. Give me a "P"...give me an "A"...give me an "M"...PAM PAM PAM, we love ya' Sweetie!

4. Elizabeth, 217Creations - Lately, Beth has been blowing me away with the lace pages she's created! She has an incredible eye for design, and she's sweet as can be, too. She just posted a project she made as a designer for Weddings With The Cricut that is so gorgeous that I wish I'd thought of it before my own daughter's wedding last November. I don't think Beth's brain ever stops creating because she presents one stunning project after another! Be sure to visit her blog.

5. And last, but by no means least, Shelia aka SassyLady, She's a Sassy Lady - Sheila was one of the very first message board members that befriended me, and she continutes to be a source of encouragement, support and inspiration. She's also the scrapbook layout QUEEN! I'm contantly in awe of the gorgeous pages she does! Sheila, you rock!

FIXED: Mini Easter Egg Box

2010-03-22T10:20:00.000-04:00

I had some reports that the flap on the mini box lid was cutting off in the Design Studio version, and sure enough, it wasn't welded. You can either click on it and select "weld" or you can downlaod it again below. That should fix it! I'm at work now and don't have my Gypsy with me, but I think that one is OK. You should still check it before you cut. Just open the file and click on the preview (eye) icon. It might take it a minute to "build" the preview, but once it does, only the lines that you want to cut will be red, and the others will be grayed out. The score marks will be dark black, as they are not welded. If you find that any part of the Gypsy files isn't correct, PLEASE let me know by leaving a comment under this post so I can fix it ASAP!

Thanks to those who notified me about the problem!
If you missed the original post for this project, just scroll down to the post from March 20, 2010 below this one. You can find the files for Gypsy there!

Easter Egg Box files for DS

A Pair of Easter Egg Boxes

2010-03-20T11:54:00.009-04:00

I've already confessed my love for Cadbury eggs, but my husband loves them even more. He looks forward to them all year long, and I love surprising him with them. I wanted a pretty little package to present them in, so I designed this egg box, and then I thought a mini version would be cute, too. It holds the small eggs that you find in bags, and I used the Butterfinger ones here - my favorites!

I didn't tie them closed in my photos because I wanted you to be able to see them clearly, but you can use your imagination and pretty ribbons to really dress them up for a beautiful presentation. You will also need a piece of clear acetate for the window. I save it from any and every kind of packaging that I buy so I'm recycling and it doesn't cost me a thing!

Who wouldn't love to receive a pretty box of chocolate eggs - big or small?

Cartridge Needed: George
Easter Egg Box files for Design Studio
Easter Egg Box files for Gypsy

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

A Cheeky Little Chick

2010-03-15T21:07:00.013-04:00

I think I'm finally out of my creative slump! I've had a few Easter projects on the drawing board, but just didn't have the motivation to cut and post them. Today, I decided to snap out of it, and I like what happened! After introducing you to the Funny Bunnies, this cheeky little chick demanded her own 15 minutes of fame, so here she is, all ready for Easter! I think she is looking quite egg-cellent!

There's no tutorial, but if you missed the one for the bunnies, it's pretty much the same process, so you can check it out.

If you download the files, please leave me a comment, and if you make her for a gift bag, Easter egg hunt bag, scrapbook layout or other project, PLEASE take a picture and send it to me! Thanks for looking!

The only cartridge you need is George.
Cheeky Chick files for Design Studio
Cheeky Chick files for Gypsy

Lacy Easter Egg Basket With Ribboned Handle

2010-03-07T17:45:00.008-05:00

I literally dreamed up this little basket Friday night and I'm so egg-cited with the final result! You should be used to my bad puns by now - my husband makes me do it...LOL! Anyway, I had a dream about giving them to my co-workers, and I was dying to make it when I woke up Saturday morning, but I was out of town at my sister's. Luckily I had my Gypsy with me, so I started designing it on my way home in the car Saturday night.

I love the delicate look created by the overlay and the ribbon-threaded handle. It's small enough that it only takes a handful of chocolates or other goodies to fill it up, but it's big enough to hold a chocolate bunny or even a small gift, and the reinforcement of the ribbon threaded through the handle and around the body of the basket makes it sturdy enough to hold them! I've included some rick-rack (not used in mine) in the file to give you some decorating options to make several baskets that look different, or so that you have a less frilly version for the males on your Easter gift list.

I didn't make a tutorial for this one because it's pretty simple, but here are the basic instructions:
1. Cut, score and fold basket base and overlay.
2. Adhere overlay to base, matching edges and holes in bottom. Attach rick-rack, if desired.
3. Apply adhesive to tabs on basket base and assemble sides, gently curving to follow egg shape.
4. Adhere handle to sides of basket, aligning holes. Beginning at top, center of handle, weave ribbon in and out of holes until you have gone all the way around back to the center (you will need about 28-30"). Tie bow on top.

5. Use Stickles to "paint" the design as shown. The colors I used are Yellow, Eucaplyptus, Orange Peel and Star Dust. I left the flowers unpainted so the pink of the base would show through.

That's it - simple but elegant! If you have any questions at all, you can either leave it in a post below or you can email me. Please do comment if you download it, and as always, I would love to see photos of yours!

Cartridges: George and Basic Shapes, Easter 2010

Easter Egg Basket File for Design Studio
Easter Egg Basket File for Gypsy

You might also like my Bunny Basket if you missed him!

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

Funny Bunny Gift Bag

2010-03-01T17:36:00.005-05:00

I saw some adorable Easter gift bags on my last trip to Wal-Mart, but as they always are, they were a little pricy. I took a long look at them, remembered some pretty pastel gift bags I already had, and I decided I could make them. After all, the price isn't the only thing that matters - people love something that you have taken the time to make for them, right?

I had a lot of fun making these "funny bunnies." It took me back to elementary school days with construction paper, glue and crayons. Only the tools are a little more sophisticated now. Back then, adding glitter to something meant Elmer's glue and loose glitter and paper cones for dumping the glitter back in the jar. I've been a messy crafter all my life, really diving in, not afraid to get my hands dirty, so I inevitably ended up with glittter and glue in my hair and on my clothes. Whoever invented Cricut, Xyron, Stickles and similar products have made me a happy girl, indeed! With a whole craft room full of supplies at my disposal now, I still find the simpler projects to often be the most satisfying - and adorable! And so, I give you Bonnie and Benjamin - my funny bunnies.

This project is simple enough that it didn't need a tutorial, but I thought some of you might enjoy watching the process with some of the techniques from my stamping experience. Besides, I got a shiny new camera Saturday and was dying to take it for a test spin! I'm still working on camera placement and lighting, but this video is decidedly better than the last - and you can watch it in HD!

I hope you enjoy these little critters. I can see them used in SO many ways, so use your imagination and send me your pictures! And as always, a comment is very much appreciated if you download the files.

Cartridge(s): George
Funny Bunny files for Design Studio
Funny Bunny files for Gypsy

Watch Video Tutorial

Cricut kisses and crafty wishes!

I'm a Beautiful Blogger!

2010-03-01T11:02:00.005-05:00

Did you think I had gotten really vain? I was just SO excited to get this award by not one, but TWO followers! The first one came from one of my favorite people on the web - Thank you Audrey from Cute and Some! I have gotten to know Audrey in the past month or so, and she is so kind, generous, spiritual, friendly, creative, talented...the list could go on and on! Please go visit her blog.

Before I could even finish this post, I also recieved the award from Sparksgal at My Crafty Place. Be sure to check her out, too. Sparksgal, you have no idea how this makes my day!

The rules are that I have to list 7 things about myself, so....
1. I'm addicted to coffee! I roll out of bed every day craving it, and I usually have 3 cups before 10:00. After that, it's Diet Coke.
2. I love Pomeranians! I have 2 girls now, but I had 2 boys for 16 years, and I miss them terribly
3. I love Disney! I have lost count of how many times I've been to Disney World - it's at least 40. I used to run a forum on AOL for Disney fans, and we did twice-weekly chats with Disney trivia games every Saturday night. I made some great friends there, and still keep in touch with some of them 10 year later!
4. I love books and reading
5. I love movies, especially in the theater. My husband and I try to go to one at least every other week - sometimes more.
6. I love the theater!! My husband and I try to go to NYC at least once a year to see a couple of Broadway shows...and to shop and eat! It's such a great city!
7. I am the Community Services Manager for a large planned community - over 2700 homes - and I love my job! I also happen to live in the community I work for, so it's like getting to help my own neighborhood and getting paid for it! My main responsibilities include: monthly newslettter editor, web site administrator, boating rental programs, pavilion/facility rental programs, boat registration for about 600 boats, and all community events. I throw 4 parties a year for a mere 1500-2000 people, complete with live bands, food, beer and wine, and fireworks once a year. My husband calls me the party girl...LOL! I do a bunch of other stuff, too, but most of it's boring.

So, now you know a little more about me - maybe more than you wanted to...LOL!
Thanks again to Audrey, and to all of you who have made my blog take off the way it has! I never dreamed when I started this blog in November that I'd already have almost 600 followers! Thank you all!

Now I'm supposed to pass the award on to 15 other bloggers. This is going to be so hard because I follow some really amazing crafters on their blogs. Narrowing it down is going to take some effort - oh, my brain is hurting already! I am listing some here that aren't just Cricut sites. I also follow stamping and digital scrapbooking sites, so I hope maybe sharing some of them will help you to find something new! Please visit them and leave them some love!

She's a Sassy Lady - The title of this award fits Sheila perfectly. She's a beautiful person who does beautiful work! If you're a scrapbooker, you need her on your blog list!
The Bug Bytes - Anybody who owns a Gypsy needs to "meet" Pam. Questions about your Gypsy? Pam's the go-to gal! Pam is also a co-creator of Tuesday Treats.
Cheryl's Window - Cheryl makes gorgeous Cricut creations, and she's just getting started on making video tutorials, but she's a natural! Take a look!
217 Creations - Elizabeth is one of my MB friends and a truly sweet, generous lady who also happens to be a very talented crafter!
Design, Create, Inspire - Crystal aka MyaMagoo is my Canadian MB friend and the other co-creator of Tuesday Treats. She is a wiz with the Gypsy, and she shares her files for free!
Waltzingmouse Makes - Claire designs some gorgeous stamps, and she's a super nice gal, too. She is the original designer of the Three Kings Box and graciously allowed me to create it in Cricut and share with all of you!
Summertime Designs - Some of the most beautiful digi-scrapping stuff on the web
A Southern Belle's SVGs - I always try to support anyone who shares their hard work for free, so check her out if you use SVGs
My Crafty Life - Dan is another generous crafter who gives away lots of freebies!
Just Give Me Stamps - A very talented stamper
Kwerner Design - She has an amazing eye for design! Check her out for card ideas!
Kevin and Amanda - Digital Scrapbooking and great photography tips!
Okie Lady Bug's Scrap-n-More - A Criut lover's favorites list just wouldn't be complete without Okie's blog! Check out her post from February 18 for a Mardis Gras mask that is to die for!
Royal Things - Cindy's work is some of the most beautiful I've seen. To be truly inspired, you MUST check her out!
Miller's Ink - Lynn does gorgeous cards! Being a card maker myself, I love to follow her blog. Check her out!

Bunny Basket tutorial now online - UPDATE for GYPSY users!

2010-02-24T23:48:00.003-05:00

Here's the new version of him that I created for the video. Please leave me a comment if you watch it or if you download the files. I LOVE to hear from you. It will make me very "hoppy!" Enjoy!

Click Here for Bunny Basket Tutorial

GYPSY USERS: If you previously downloaded the Gypsy version of this file, I discovered problems that are now fixed. Click here to download the updated file.

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

Bunny Basket to make you "Hoppy"

2010-02-23T23:31:00.009-05:00

Ok, I can't help the bad pun...that's what we do in my family. Anyway, I finished this project last night and I was so happy with the way it turned out! Don't you just love it when a project comes together just the way you imagined it?! I think he's super cute, and he's big enough to set on a table filled with half a dozen eggs as a decoration, or you can give him to a friend or child on Easter morning. I just love the 3D facial features - the little pointy nose, googly eyes and "real" whiskers. The bottom is doubled, so it's fairly strong, but don't count on being able to carry him by his ears if you load him up too heavily.

I had the idea that I would coat the whole thing with Mod Podge to make him really strong, but I was too excited to share him to wait that long. I also planned to do a video tutorial to show you how to put him together, but we have a super big project going on at work, and when I got home tonight I was exhausted and had a headache, so the tutorial will have to wait until tomorrow. If you can't wait, I think you can figure it out with the photos.

The Basics: You'll need two pieces of heavy-weight double-sided (optional) card stock for the basket and ears, and scraps for the facial features and insides of the ears. I loved the clean, finished look it gave the inside by using a pretty double-sided cardstock. I used three 8" pieces of thin twine for the whiskers, knotted in the middle. The knot hides easily under the nose. You'll also need some really good white paper glue that dries clear for the reinforcement on the inside bottom piece and for the facial features. I used my ATG gun for most of the actual basket assembly. Use two regular brads for the handles - the size you get in the office supply store. You'll notice there are 2 ovals for the bottom of the basket. One is just slightly smaller and is to place on the inside bottom after you've attached the sides to the larger oval. The smaller piece covers the tabs on the inside and adds strength.

Jan, this one's especially for you and dedicated to your grandson. Maybe you can make one for him and give him some special Easter hugs and kisses for me!

Cartridge(s) Needed: George

Bunny Basket files for Design Studio
Bunny Basket files for Gypsy

Cricut kisses and crafty wishes!

I've received a new award!

2010-02-23T20:32:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Mary aka ScrapbookingGrandma, I've been given the Sunshine Award! Mary and I first "met" on a yahoo mail group about Sure Cuts a Lot, and eventually we ran across each other on the message boards at Cricut.com, too. Mary is a very generous and talented lady who posts lots of ideas and files on her blog, so be sure to check her out!

Also thanks to Deanna at Deanna's Papercrafts. Deanna's blog was new to me when she sent me this award, but she has some absolutely adorable stuff! Please check her out!

Part of receiving this award is to pay it forward by nominating 6 other bloggers, so here are 6 of my favorites. Please pay them all a visit!

Cheryl's Window by CherB
217Creations by Elizabeth aka Makeupgirl 217
Scrap and Dance by Michele
Cute and Some by Audrey
IzzyBoo Creations
Scrappin' Phlen by Jen aka Phlen

Mary and Deanna, thanks for speadin' the sunshine my way!

Another AWESOME Tuesday Treat!

2010-02-23T09:45:00.000-05:00

It's Tuesday, and that means another great project over on Tuesday Treats from designer CherB. I'm starting to wish I had gone earlier in the schedule so I don't have to follow these brilliant designs! My TT debut isn't until April, so I guess I have some time to really ramp up my project!

If you don't already know about Tuesday Treats and you use either Gypsy or Design Studio, you'll definitely want to check it out. It's a site just for a bunch of us from the cricut.com message board to share our projects and ideas using either photo or video tutorials, and you'll get SO many great ideas from a group of the most creative ladies on the web! Go check it out and sign up to follow so you don't miss a single project!

Boutique Tissue Box Cover

2010-02-17T21:42:00.004-05:00

Yes! I'm back to designing again! This time I've done a little home decor item to share with you. I never seem to be able to find tissue boxes that go with my decor, and at this time of year, we have tissue boxes in every room! So, I decided to dress mine up a bit using my Cricut. It's fast, easy, and inexpensive, and you can make one for every season or every occasion!

This project isn't complicated to put together, but I made a video tutorial anyway. I figured it would be good practice for making my Tuesday Treats video. Remember it's my first on-camera one, so forgive the bad lighting and going off camera once in a while. I hope they'll get better, but I think this one will help you - and you only have to stand me for 6 minutes this time!

There are 4 versions of the files. You have your choice of Gypsy or Design Studio format, and I have created the files so that you can cut it on 12x24" cardstock, but since that's a bit difficult to find, I also designed a file for cutting from 2 sheets of 12x12". I use 12x12" in the video.

As always, I only ask that you leave a comment if you download the files.

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

Cartridge needed: "George and Basic Shapes"
Boutique Tissue Box files for Design Studio
Boutique Tissue Box files for Gypsy

Click here to go to the VIDEO TUTORIAL on You Tube, or click on the tool bar at the top of the page to go to my Tutorials Page.

Your pictures in words...or making words with your pictures...or a picture is worth a thousand words

2010-02-14T18:40:00.001-05:00

Now that you know the basics of making your own word art, learn to make words with photos for a custom, personalized page header or blog title. It's tons of fun and oh, so satisfying to create a look that used to be only available to the professionals. If you have 20 minutes, I'll show you how you can do it too!

If you missed the first tutorial on making word art, you can watch them first. Just click here to watch both lessons.

Word Art For Your Blogs and Scrapbooking

2010-02-13T02:50:00.001-05:00

I finally got this video tutorial made and uploaded. First my computer wouldn't cooperate with Movie Maker, then we lost our internet because of all the snow we've had. Tonight I finally got all the parts to come together and I have it ready for you! This tutorial will show you how to make word art with digital backgrounds like the "PICNIC" above. My next one will show you how to use photos to make a page title, like I show in the post below this one. Have fun, and please leave me a comment on You Tube to let me know if you find it helpful.

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

Ask and you shall receive!

2010-02-12T15:51:00.002-05:00

Wow! 204 of you voted in my poll asking if you would like more tutorials on using Photoshop Elements in your scrapbooking, crafting and blogging, and a full 93% of you voted "yes"! Those of you who have followed me for a while know that I love to answer your requests, so I'm brushing up my skills and planning a whole series of techniques that I think many of you will find useful.

If you have a blog or website and you post pictures of your work, you will definitely want to check out my videos on how to watermark photos. They are already posted on my Tutorials page, and there are 2 different methods for 2 very different looking watermarks. Make sure you click on the 4 arrows on the lower right corner to view them full-screen.

If you're a scrapbooker and you've never tried digital or hybrid scrapping, you might be surprised at what you can do with your computer. Hybrid scrapping just means combining digital methods with the traditional ones. Be prepared to become hooked! There are so many amazing effects you can create with your digital photos before you even print them out, that you'll find yourself scrapping in a whole new way. There are some super easy techniques that take just minutes but add a major "WOW" factor to your photography.

Other techniques I'll teach you will enable you to create your own embellishments, like word art (one example is shown at the top of this post), buttons, brads and ribbons. If you're scrapping at midnight and find that you don't have just the right color button, you'll be able to create one that lays flat in your scrapbook but still has visual dimension. There are also lots of free digital scrapping elements on the web that you can use as they are or modify to fit your own needs. I'll show you some of those tricks, too.

What if you don't have Photoshop Elements? Just about any photo editing program that allows you to use layers will work very much the same for the techniques I'll be teaching. If you don't have editing software at all, there's a very good free one called Gimp that is a good place to start experimenting. You can download the most recent version here.

I'm excited about this new series of tutorials, and I have some ideas about using the Photoshop techniques in combination with some Cricut projects. Can you say, PUMP UP THE CREATIVITY!?!?

Fifty is Nifty!

2010-02-09T14:40:00.002-05:00

My celebration actually started yesterday. When I got home last night, DH sent me to the sofa in front of a roaring fire and brought me a glass of wine and 2 dozen roses - yellow, my favorite. Then he served me dinner while I watched "The Bachelor." Yes, I confess, I watch it. Then I watched CherB'S awesome tutorial about her reflection card and followed along with my Gypsy. How awesome is technology?!?!

I started today with a great cup of coffee and a bagel with my favorite olive and cream cheese spread, FREE from my favorite NY bagel place - and his are "real" NY bagels 'cuz he's from there. He is turning 50 in 4 weeks, so we have a special connection....LOL!

The staff at work is taking me to lunch today, and DH is taking me to my favorite Spanish restaurant for dinner, where the owners are friends and they know it's my birthday, so I'm suspicious that they have something up their sleeves. I'd be happy with just a pitcher of their fabulous sangria!

I'm proudly wearing my LARGE black "50 - Over the Hill" button that my dear mother sent me, along with an application to AARP...LOL! But, I'm a "glass half full" kind of girl, so I think I might have to get out the Cricut and change the button to read "over the HUMP." After all, life is good these days. I have the best DH in the world and he's been taking me on awesome trips now that the kids are grown. I'm very proud of my kids, I have a job that I love (having any job these days is a good thing), and my DH pretty much lets me buy what I want for crafting. How lucky can a girl get? It's a good day to turn 50!

And the winner is.....

2010-02-09T09:55:00.001-05:00

...DISNEYNUT77! Congratulations Gloria! I'll be sending out your Easter 2010 cartridge as soon as you contact me.

Thank you all for entering and following! I have lots of ideas for new tutorials on Photoshop, as well as new Cricut projects, including one that I'm VERY exited about that uses the Easter cart. Stay tuned and I'll try to keep you busy!

POP the COLOR in your PHOTOS for drama in blogs and scrapbooks!

2010-02-07T16:05:00.002-05:00

Have you ever wondered how this very dramatic and artistic effect is achieved? I can show you how it can be done in just five minutes! View the newest tutorial on my revamped Tutorials Page and you'll be amazing your family and friends with your "darkroom" skills in no time! Shhhhh...don't tell them it's EASY!!

Click here to go to the tutorials page now!

Matchbook Valentine - Quick and Easy!

2010-02-06T10:17:00.016-05:00

This is not my original idea. It's been around for as long as I can remember. As a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, I've been making them for many, many years as quick make-and-takes at workshops. They originated as a project that was done with blank door hangers that Stampin' Up! used to sell, which meant they were already cut and had a hole in them for the doorknob, making a perfect window. When they were no longer for sale, I quit making these little cuties. Last week I came across an old sample of one, and I thought "That would be so easy to make with Cricut!" Off I went to design one!

I love this project because it's easy to whip up enough for a child's classmates, but you can also make them for just a few special people and really dress them up. If you have Design Studio, it's super easy to replace the heart with another shape to make them suitable for just about any occasion!

1. Score fold lines where indicated by the small tick marks. Fold and burnish. 2. Fill a small cellophane bag with goodies. Do NOT overfill. Bag should lie relatively flat and have plenty of room to fold over to close. You can also use the small pre-filled bags of candy that are availabe this time of year with the kids' Valentine's cards or with the Valentine's candy. I found Sweet Tarts, Swedish Fish, Sour Patch Kids and Skittles in the perfect size. 3. Insert one end of the candy bag or the folded-over end of your cello bag into the fold of the scalloped end and staple about 1/4" from the bottom edge. (see photo of opened matchbook.) 4. All that's left to do now is add a little ribbon to the bottom to cover the staples and close the matchbook! You can decorate further if desired. And don't forget to save all those heart cutouts - give them to the kids to make their own Valentines!

You only need one cartridge - George!

Matchbook Valentine files for Design Studio

Matchbook Valentine files for Gypsy

P.S. - Don't forget to take my poll in the post below, and sign up to win the BLOG CANDY in the post below that one! Enter just once, PLEASE!

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

New tutorials planned??

2010-02-05T17:45:00.022-05:00

I got great feedback from many of you about my video watermark tutorial. Thank you all for your comments! As I said in that video, there are many ways to create watermarks, and I am working on another tutorial on a watermark that looks embossed into the photo. Watch for it this weekend!

Several of you who left comments also asked if I planned to make more tutorials about using Photoshop. I hadn't really planned to at the time, but the more I thought about it, I thought that since we're all artists of one kind or another, and since so many of us scrapbook, that there might be some interest in creating special effects with your photos. One of the possibilities is pictured here. (That's from my daughter's wedding in November.) How cool would that effect be to use in your scrapbook? There are some other more practical techniques that I could cover that would help you fix little "problems" in photos, and some that are just plain fun.

Don't worry - I won't stop posting Cricut projects and files, but I thought this might cover something of use to many of you, too. So, take the poll , and let me know if you're interested. It's right under my avatar on this page.

UPDATE: The tutorial for this technique is now online! Click here to watch!

A birthday for me, BLOG CANDY for you!

2010-02-03T06:00:00.003-05:00

In celebration of my big FIFTIETH birthday (that wasn't as hard to type as I expected it to be), I'm giving away a gift because I feel so incredibly blessed. I have the good fortune to have a husband who completely indulges me and my crafting "needs," and I want to pay it forward.

Yep, it's the Easter 2010 cartridge, and it's up for grabs to one lucky bunny! All you have to do is leave a comment under this post to enter the drawing and you just might have this new cartridge to put in your Easter basket. It's a brand new cartridge in an unopened package and linkable to Gypsy.

I'll use a random selector to choose the winner on my birthday, February 9th. Be sure to leave your email in your post, and check back here on the evening of the 9th to find out if you won so you can give me your shipping address. Good luck!

P.S. - Hop over to see what one of my followers and Cricut MB buddies did with the TreatHeart Box I posted Sunday. She turned it into an adorable cookie holder! See her photos at My Polar Expressions.

SCORE! Super Bowl Football Box

2010-02-02T21:22:00.009-05:00

A follower emailed me last night and asked if I could come up with something to give to her guests as they leave her Super Bowl party this Sunday. Well...you KNOW how I love a challenge! This was one of those rare projects that came together exactly as I pictured it. Because time was short, I used Tags, Bags, Boxes and More instead of making my own box, but I made the football, goal post and word out of good ole' George. I hope she likes it, and I hope some of you can use it, too.

I wanted to get this posted tonight, so I didn't take the time to make a downloadable tutorial. I've included it here instead. Enjoy!

1. Assemble the football as pictured above. Adhere to box flap, then assemble box.

2. Fold goal post legs in half, as shown. Turn back ends about 1/4" in opposite directions. Repeat on other goal post leg.

3. Adhere the 2 layers of the goal post together if desired, making sure to leave the flaps that you folded on the ends unglued.

4. Insert ends of goal post legs into slots in box top and glue on the inside, as shown.

5. Apply velcro dot set to inside of flap.

6. Fill with goodies!

Football Favor Box files for Design Studio

Football Favor Box files for Gypsy

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

A TreatHeart for a Sweetheart

2010-01-31T19:00:00.004-05:00

You all probably thought I had forgotten about my promise to post a new Valentine's Day project today. Well, I didn't forget...just got very distracted with the video tutorial I posted earlier (see the post below this one). I had hoped to have this posted earlier, but better late than never, right?

It's a simple little open-top box that would be perfect for party favors at your child's school, or placed at each person's place at the dinner table on Valentine's Day. All you have to do is tuck in a few little wrapped candies or some of those mini bags that you can get this time of year in the candy aisle of just about every store. I used a 3x5" cellophane bag and filled it about halfway with M&Ms and tied it with a silver ribbon. I'm pretty sure you can get the bags anyplace that sells candy making supplies. Just be sure you get food-grade ones. Some of the bags they sell at craft stores aren't intended to be used with food.

As always, I would LOVE to see what you create with the file, so send me your photos! And check out my new videos and tell me what you think of them, too.

UPDATE: One of my followers and Cricut MB buddies used this box as a cookie holder - brilliant idea, Nikki! I should have thought of it, after all, I had a whole plate of chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the over when I designed this. Hop over to Nikki's blog, My Polar Expressions, and see how cute she made it!

Cartridges: George and Basic Shapes, Plantin Schoolbook

TreatHeart Box for Design Studio
TreatHeart Box file for Gypsy

How To Create WatermarksMy First Video Tutorial!

2010-01-31T16:10:00.002-05:00

Well, you asked for it, and here it is. It only took me two takes to get it recorded, but getting it edited and online was another story! It never occurred to me that there was a limit on length of videos on You Tube, so I spent quite a while breaking it up into parts, but I think it looks pretty good for my first attempt.

I hope you will find it somewhat helpful. Keep in mind that this is only one of very many ways to make watermarks, but I've had so many inquiries about my "fancy" one that I thought some of you might find it useful.

Go to my new Tutorials Page to view it.

Sharing my COPYRIGHT NOTICE with other designers, fixing some gypsy files, and other stuff I thought about when I couldn't sleep last night

2010-01-30T12:07:00.011-05:00

I stayed up late last night, waiting for the snow storm that was supposed to begin around midnight. By 2:00 AM, it still hadn't started, so I finally went to bed. As you can see, it finally did come, and it's supposed to snow all day!

While I was up, I did a lot of thinking about the situation with my files being "borrowed" by another blogger (she did apologize, and I respect her for that), about some of my gyspy files that people have had problems with (mystery solved by TheBugBytes and Makeupgirl217 - THANK YOU LADIES!), and about some of the new projects running around in my brain.

I'm going to be working to fix my gypsy files and uploading them again, so if you have one that isn't working properly, give me a few days and try to download it again. It will note that it's the updated version of the file.

Now, you all know about the events of the last few days, and many of you have been involved in the discussion about protecting your own designs. I have done a lot of thinking since Wednesday about how I want to handle sharing my files now, and I have come to the conclusion that I won't let this incident stop me from creating and sharing as I always have. I really never considered that as an option. It's a very positive thing in my life, and it gives me great joy. You're stuck with me for a loooong time!

That doesn't mean that I'm not going to do more to protect my work. I have taken several measures to do so in the last couple of days. I have signed up with two services, thanks to the advice of some other very helpful and generous designers, and I recommend that any of you who share your designs do the same. If you're just getting started, do it now so you won't have to spend the HOURS going back to do it that I'm now going to have to do. PLEASE, don't let what happened to me stop you from taking part in this amazing community, but do take some precautions.

The two services are:
My Free Copyright
Copy Gator

I've also written up a Notice of Copyright that I will include with all files that I share from now on. Over the next week, I'll be working to replace all of my files with zip files that include the cut file, photos, tutorials and my copyright notice, and that notice states that my files are to be given to others only in the format of the original zip file so that the copyright information will be passed along as well. I have uploaded a copy of my notice, and you are welcome to download it and use it as a model for your own. This is the one time that you CAN copy it (link is above, in the first sentence of this paragraph) for your own use - changing the personal information to your own, of course. It's in a pdf, so you won't be able to copy and paste unless you have a full version of Adobe Reader, but you can copy the wording. Use any program you have to type it up, then go to cutepdf.com for a freeware version of a pdf writer to convert it to a pdf. If you download my copyright notice, PLEASE leave me a comment here. I would love to know how many people it helps!

Finally for the good news, I have TONS of new projects on the drawing table! There is one coming tomorrow, so check back for it! And, I just have to spill the beans...there's BLOG CANDY coming very soon! Anybody ready for EASTER projects???

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

Purses, Chocolate and Gift Cards....Oh My!

2010-01-29T06:00:00.008-05:00

OOPS! Design Studio LINK FIXED!
My friends all know that I have an addiction to purses. It's so bad that DH outfitted the hall closet with shelves just for my purse collection. To make matters worse, my daughter works for Coach (my FAVORITE brand of purses), and had an internship at Coach headquarters in Manhattan over the summer. I was insanely jealous! The little enabler even sent me "secret" pictures all summer long of new designs that hadn't even hit the market yet. But I digress...

My love of purses was my inspiration for this little lovely. I wanted something pretty and unique that I could use to present giftcards to my friends and nieces of all ages. I feel like giving just a gift card is a bit boring, so I try to always give a little something else, too. What's better than chocolate?? I think no matter what age a girl is, she loves purses, chocolate and shopping, so I made a purse to hold a Ghirardelli candy bar with a pocket on the front for the gift card. If you need an more inexpensive little gift, just include the candy bar and use the pouch for a handwritten note. I've included a little note card within the .cut file.

What I really love about this project is that it can be made cute for a little girl or sophisticated for an adult. It would also make a great Valentine for someone special!

The only cartridge needed for this project is George and Basic Shapes.

Candy Bar Purse files for Design Studio
Candy Bar Purse files for Gypsy

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

I'm sad to have to write this post...

2010-01-28T12:54:00.019-05:00

but something happened to me last night that I feel I need to address - and to share some advice with other bloggers and designers.

As my followers know, I love to share my Cricut and other designs with all of you, and I never sell them. They are free for the taking - with limits. They are MY creations, and they are MY property. They are protected as such by copyright laws. I have a disclaimer right here on the main page of my blog stating the conditions under which you may use them.

Unfortunately, as I was blog hopping last night, I stumbled upon a blog where the owner had taken a number of things from my site and used them on hers, including ALL of my Design Studio files. To her credit, she did leave the file names intact, and they include my full name; however, she had stored them in her own library at box.net and linked directly to them from her blog. When you went to that library, it said it was created by her, making it appear to some that it was her stuff.  "The Legal Stuff" statement on my blog specifically states, "If you post information about my files to any blog, web site, message board, mail group or other public forum, please direct users to this blog rather than attaching the file itself or emailing it." Ironically, she had also taken my "legal stuff," containing this wording, and posted it on her site. She had changed a few words here and there, but it was so close to mine - including my phrasing and punctuation - that it was what grabbed my attention and made me dig deeper into her site whereupon I found my files. She even used the button that I created on my site to link people to her library.

Now, I know when I post files here and make them free, that I take a certain amount of risk. That being said, my designs are legally protected, as are any designs from any other site that you might download things from. It is up to me to grant permission for use as I see fit. The first thing you should do when downlaoding a file is ALWAYS read the designer's/author's terms for how their files can be used.

You might be asking yourself why I care so much that someone is offering my files on her site if I'm giving them away free anyway. Well, here's why: Crafting is relaxing, therapeutic and fun for me. It's my ME time. Because I work full-time, I don't craft to make money. I share my work with others for free because it makes me happy to see my work enjoyed and put to good use. I LOVE to get photos from people who have made my projects. I get ideas from YOU about how to dress them up. I get inpiration when you contact me.  Does it make me mad when someone takes that project and tries to make it look like it's theirs, even if it's in a passive way? You bet it does! It's just not the right thing to do to someone. A person who tries to pass my work off as their own isn't taking money out of my pocket, because I don't do it to make money. They're taking my JOY!

From a more practical point of view, it needs to be said that, many of my designs have taken hours to design, test, tweak, test again, cut and embellish, take photos, write the tutorial and post to my blog. For example, I spent an entire Sunday completing the one that I'm unveiling tomorrow. My file hosting site shows me statistics so that I know how many times a specific file is downloaded. It gives me an idea of what all of you like. It inspires me to create more projects to share based on what kinds of projects seem to be used the most. If people are getting them somewhere else, I have no way of tracking that.

I think 99% of people who use files from other designers appreciate what goes into them and do the right thing. I choose to believe so, anyway.  So how do I prevent my work from being used improperly? How do you? It's simply not possible to completely guard against that, but it is possible to educate others about the proper etiquette and the legal issues. I truly believe that many, if not most incidents of "stolen" items are innocent mistakes.

Protect your work. It's worth taking the time to protect your photos by watermarking them. Make sure you post copyright notices on any written tutorials you create. If it's a video tutorial, add a copyright statement to the video itself.  When you share your files, put your name in the file name itself. For example, I use this format when naming my files: test_file_CINDY_MCVEY.cut. Sure, someone can change a file name, but it's one more step they have to take to use your projects, and in my recent case, she didn't even bother to do so. It would have been very time consuming since she took about 50 of them! If you're not comfortable using your real name, use your message board name or email identity - something that will be your file "watermark."

There are many tutorials out there about how to watermark a photo. I can't give specific instructions here, because it all depends on what graphics program you use. Do a google search for watermarks for your specific software, and you will find lots of info out there. You might have to wade through them to find a good one, but they do exist. People on the internet are very generous and willing to share their knowledge. You might start with youtube.com if you're a visual learner.

UPDATE: I now have video tutorials about 2 different methods of creating and using your own watermark. Click here to go to my tutorials page.

I'm fairly new to the Cricut blogging world, but I'm not new to the craft industry, and I'm very "old" at posting on the internet. I built a Disney website completely from scratch about 15 years ago that had a lot of copyrighted images on it that I created with Disney content. I had permisson from Disney to use them, but they appeared all over the internet in a very short time on sites that lifted them from my site and did NOT have permission from me or Disney. I also have some limited experience with copyright laws, as I was published in an international craft magazine many years ago, and I have a "real" copyright for that design, filed with the United States Copyright office in Washington, DC.

"You do NOT have to have an actual piece of paper that says your design is copyrighted. Any original works from 2002 to the present are automatically copyright protected from the moment of their creation. You may still register a copyright in order to establish the date of copyright protection and provide better protection against copyright infringement, but it’s not necessary to register a copyright in order for a work to be protected."
This is important to designers like us, because most of us have no intention of going to the trouble and expense of actually filing a copyright application for every design. I could do that, but it would cost me time and money, and that would mean that I couldn't share my projects as often or as quickly, and I'd have to charge for them to recoup my expenses. I don't want to have to do that - and I don't have the time to!

Here is a link from the United States Patent and Trademark Office that explains copyright in pretty simple terms, if you're interested in reading more about it:
A Copyright Refresher

I didn't come into this blog naively thinking everything I posted was "safe." That never makes it less disappointing and disheartening when it happens to you. So, what can you do with files and photos you get from my blog? Here are my terms: (and you DO have my permission to use these DOs and DO NOTs)

DO use my files for personal projects
DO use my files to make gifts
DO post photos of your own projects made using my files , but give me credit and point people to my blog to get the file - and send me the photos! I love to see your completed projects!
DO share my blog address with others so they can follow me, too!

DO NOT sell my files alone or in any package
DO NOT use my files in any class, tutorial or make-and-take without my prior written permission
DO NOT use my files to make projects for any contest
DO NOT use my files to make products intended to be sold without my prior written permission
DO NOT post my files in any public forum, web site or mail group
DO NOT email my files to others. Sure, you can send it to your next door neighbor or the 3 ladies you scrap with on Thursday nights, but I'd rather that you introduce them to my blog so they can follow me, too!

Basically, if you know in your gut that you shouldn't do it, it's probably wrong - and illegal. You should follow these guidelines for ANY project you get from another online source, even if it's not stated that it's copyrighted. As I stated above, it's copyrighted automatically and the author is not required to state that in order to be protected. Play it safe and ASK PERMISSION before you do anything that you wouldn't want done with YOUR hard work! You might be surprised at how generous the designer is!

If you've read this far, THANK YOU for "listening!" I love my newfound Cricut friends and followers, and you can rest assured that this won't stop me from creating and sharing!

FOR OTHER BLOG OWNERS, feel free to link to this article from your blog to help educate your followers and maybe help other designers protect themselves.

UPDATE: The person in question has removed everything that she copied or took from my blog. There are some things there that she apparently took from others, though. I DID receive a response from the blog owner. Her email had gone into my spam folder. I apologize to her for saying that she had not apologized to me.

UPDATE 2: Thanks to HappyHappyJoyJoy from Holidays with the Cricut for this advice: "Go to My Free Copyright and sign up right away. Then, put the info on your blog. What that does is put a digital time and date stamp on anything you post on the blog (within a POST, so be sure and introduce the files in a POST). Then, it shoots you an email about it with the time/date stamp. It's so you don't get into a contest over who posted something first.

Cricut Kisses and Crafty Wishes!

Rate Me!

2010-01-27T12:24:00.002-05:00

I want to know what you think of my blog in comparison to other Cricut-related sites on the web - how helpful, useful, informative and fun you find it.

I would love it if you would take just 10 seconds to rate me. It's totally anonymous, and you can leave comments, if you wish. Click here to hop on over and tell me what you think!

Gypsy Shoulder Bag Available For Separate Sale

2010-01-26T19:00:00.003-05:00

There has been lots of chit chat on the Cricut message boards about the best bag for Gypsy. I posted last week about the "official" Provo Craft clutch that looks like a Vera Bradley and gave links for purchasing it online. Now I've learned that the black and pink one that was included in the HSN Gypsy bundle can be purchased separately.

I have this bag, and I love it! It is large enough to hold the Gypsy with a silicone cover on it, the power cord, the car charger, the cartridge linking cable, the USB cord, and the cord that connects to the Cricut - with room to spare! I keep a small notepad and pen in mine to jot down design ideas or make quick sketches when I'm on the run. It has dividers with velcro so that you can configure it to suit your needs, and it has a zippered mesh pocket in the lid to hold an extra stylus or other small items. The construction is excellent, and the fabric feels almost velvety.

This bag isn't one that you'll be able to slip into your purse for a run to the soccer game, but if you are looking for an overall storage solution for the Gypsy and all of its accessories, I highly recommend it. I took mine on a recent plane trip to Florida, and I felt confident that my Gypsy was well protected.

Hallmark Scrapbook is currently selling the shoulder bag for $29.99 plus shipping on their web site. I have never ordered from them myself, but I have heard good reviews about their service. Do be aware that they are not filling orders again until January 28, as they are all at CHA!

Click here to order from Hallmark Scrapbook

Design Studio Update Includes "Once Upon A Princess" and "Cake Basics

2010-01-25T14:59:00.003-05:00

Provo Craft has just released a font pack update to include the new "Once Upon a Princess" and "Cake Basics" cartridges. Click here to download it and play with some designs while you wait for the release of the cartridge, said to be in mid-February.

Be sure to scroll down to the second green button unless you also need the November update.

CHARMing Favor Box For All Occasions

2010-01-24T17:13:00.006-05:00

I've been a little absent from posting new projects lately. Got sick, went on vacation, got sick again....well, you know how life happens and messes up your best-laid plans. But all the interruptions didn't stop my brain from working on ideas, and I'm really happy to share this one with you just in time for Valentine's Day....or St. Patrick's Day, or a baby shower, or any number of other occasions that you need a small favor for. The takeout box that I posted before Christmas has been downloaded 1385 times -WOWIE! I'm glad you all liked that one! I think you might like this one just as much because it's SO versatile!

The "charm" of the box is in the 6 optional embellishments that you can easily attach to the box when you tie it closed. Some of the charms are double-layered, so you can really get creative with your choice of papers, colors, and embellishments. I used Stickles on a couple of mine to add some bling. They're large enough to hold a large variety of treats and gifts, but small enough to set on a plate to add a nice touch to your table, the perfect size for a child to give as valentines, or a great little alternative to a card for tucking in a little cash. I know all you creative ladies will find dozens of other uses for it!

I didn't make a tutorial for this one, because it's so quick and simple, but if you have any problems or questions, please email me. The Design Studio file has 7 pages - 1 for the box and 1 each for the six optional charms. For you Gypsy users with multi-page issues, I've made each page a separate file and zipped them up for one easy download.

Now, I have just one request for my followers who are downloading files. I want to see pics of your projects! I love seeing how other people interpret and jazz up my designs, so please email me your photos. I get inspiration and ideas from all of YOU, too!

Cartridges needed are: George for the box, heart, star, & shamrock; Walk in My Garden for flower, Mickey & Friends for Mickey.
EDIT, Jan 25: You will need New Arrival for the onesie

As always, the only "payment" I ask for my files is a comment. I love comments! OK, that's two requests, but who's counting?

Cricut kisses!

CHARMing Box Files for Design Studio
CHARMing Box Files for Gypsy

PC Announces New EMBOSS PLUS Plates at CHA

2010-01-23T17:30:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Tammy over at Creative Critters for her awesome video about this new product, Cuttlebug folders that emboss and cut in one step! This is going to be a must-have for me!

Scroll down to the post below this one to see Tammy's video about the new Cricut Cake machine, too.

PC Announces the Cricut Cake at CHA

2010-01-23T17:20:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Tammy over on her blog, Creative Critters for this very informative video about the new Cricut Cake machine. It answers a lot of the questions people have been asking.

Put new COLOR in your creations!

2010-01-22T16:49:00.008-05:00

Don't you just love this color combination? No, it's not a paint chip from the hardware store. It's a color combination that my computer picked for me! As a Stampin' Up! demonstrator for 10 years, I can't tell you how many times a customer has told me, "I'm just no good at putting color combinations together." Most of them are better than they think, but until they gain some confidence, I direct them to this nifty little site on the web to help them get started, and I send seasoned crafters there to help them choose colors that may be out of their comfort zone.

It's called simply, SU Color Combos. Now, you'll notice that the colors in the database are all Stampin' Up! colors, but don't let that stop you from using it if you don't use SU products. It can still spark some great ideas for color combinations that you might not have thought of before, and all you have to do is search through your paper stash (and I KNOW you have a stash) and find the best matches. If you use Close To My Heart products, try the sister site, CTMH Color Combos. Both pages are courtesy of scraptitude.com.

Give them a try. Instructions are at the bottom of each page. It's easy and it's fun!

Bigger paper means bigger BOXES!

2010-01-21T16:00:00.010-05:00

Most of you know about my passion for designing boxes. In fact, making boxes was my main reason for "upgrading" from the Baby Bug to the Expression. I've really enjoyed being able to cut from 12"x12" paper, but I pretty much shelved the 12"x24" mat unless I was cutting vinyl. Once I started wanting bigger boxes, I started to buy large sheets of artist's paper and cutting it down to fit on the 12"x24" mat. That meant there was waste, and that stuff isn't cheap, though it does come in some nice textures. Provocraft makes 12"x24", but as far as I know, it's only available in pads of assorted colors and not individual sheets (available at ritzcamera.com).

Well now somebody has come to the rescue of all the damsels in distress out in Cricut Craft Land. Couture Cardstock is unveiling its new12"x24" cardstock next week at CHA!! It will come in 25 totally yummy colors and retail for just $1 per sheet! Here are some of the colors, but hop on over to their site for a peek at all 25!

Pretty Clutch for Gypsy

2010-01-20T20:49:00.008-05:00

A few days ago, I posted a photo of the cute little Disney purse that I bought last week at WDW to hold my Gypsy. Now, I know not all of you are Disney fans - though I can't imagine why - so I'm bringing you news today of another adorable little purse that's been designed especially for Gypsy.

Cricut gals have been all abuzz over on the Cricut message boards about this new clutch that looks very much like a Laura Bradley purse. It has a pink corduroy lining, magnetic closure, detachable strap, and zipperd pocket. I've heard from a few people who've already gotten theirs that it's roomy enough to carry the charger and USB cable as well. At only $18-20, it's a great accessory for your Gypsy so she can travel with you in style!

I can't vouch for any seller of this clutch, but I did do a little searching for you, and I found them available at the following:

Crafter's Candy Store

Scrapbook Farm

StampingScrapping
Stamps Alive!

Disney and a new blog

2010-01-19T23:08:00.001-05:00

Would you believe that I have another obsession besides my Cricut? Yep, I do. It started when I was 12 years old and visited Disney World in Florida just 8 months after it opened. My mother is from Miami, so we went almost every year while I was growing up. I continued that tradition with my own kids, and now I've lost count of how many times I've been. Last year I was a very lucky girl and got to go to Euro Disney in Paris! (Finally something good about all my husband's traveling for work.)

My daughter is now just as obsessed, and in November, she took her new husband on his first Disney trip for their honeymoon. Taryn and I have both been to Disneyland in California, and she has been to Tokyo Disney twice - the lucky girl!

I got a lot of insight into Walt Disney World in Florida when I worked for AOL for several years as a live Disney chat host. I met so many awesome people who worked for Disney in one way or another, and I got a lot of perks from knowing them - free park admission, VIP show seats, private character meetings and some serious resort rate discounts! Those days are gone, and my family and I are on our own now to find the steals and deals, and we want to share what we know with first-time visitors and fans. Many of you here have already told me that you're also a little Disney crazy, so I wanted to tell you about my new experiment. It's a mom-daughter venture, and we'll both be posting. I'm including the link in this post, but there will be a permanent link in the toolbar above, just below the page header, and there's a link back to here on the Disney page, too.

It's a very new page, so there isn't much in the way of posts yet, but there's a great little news feed with Disney-related stories and updates, and there's even a jigsaw puzzle all the way at the bottom of the page that will change periodically. Sprinkle yourself with a little pixie dust and fly on over for a look. Leave me a comment, too. You KNOW how much I LOVE comments!

2 Disney Divas

And the winner is...

2010-01-18T09:47:00.000-05:00

...Debbie from Wisconsin! Congratulations Debbie! Get in touch with me with your full name and address so I can send your prize on it its way to you!

To the rest of you, I can't thank you enough for your kind and encouraging comments. My followers have doubled in the last 2 weeks, and I'm so grateful to all of you for making my blog a success. Your comments inspire me to come up with new and interesting projects for my fellow Cricut lovers. A couple of my box designs came about because of special requests, and I do love a challenge, so if you have something specific you'd like to see, by all means, let me know. I'll do my best to make it happen for you. Just give me lots of time if you need it for a specific event, as I work full-time and can't always find time for crafting every day.

While you're here, scroll down to my last post. I've been given an award and asked to give it to three other bloggers. I've chosen three of my faves, and the links to them are listed in the post. I was also supposed to list 10 things that knock my socks off, and it reveals a few things about me, so read it if you want to know a little about what makes me tick!

My first BLOG AWARD!

2010-01-17T23:35:00.003-05:00

A dear new friend that I met on the Cricut message boards just a couple of months ago presented me with this, my very first blog award. I just started this blog in November, and I couldn't be more flattered that Sheila from She's a Sassy Lady chose me for this award, because she does the most amazing scrapbook layouts and has such a great eye for design and colors. Thank you, Sheila!

Part of the award process is that I have to list 10 things that knock my socks off, and then give the award to 3 other blogs. The blogs I have chosen are:

Capadia Designs - I look forward to everything new that Diane does, and she has done some awesome videos!

Scrappin' Phlen wins my vote for the cuteness factor. She does adorable stuff!

Clever Someday is a site that's more about SCAL and SVG's. She has some really GREAT info there for converting images to be cut with Cricut.

Now for the 10 things that really blow me away:

My husband. He's SO smart and so good at what he does and ha has impressed engineers in the electrical power industry all over the world so much that he's in 2 international committees and travels all over the world. But more importantly, he's been my partner for almost 35 years - since we were both 15 - and he not only treats me like a princess, but he totally supports my crafting habit! I'm very lucky to be married to my best friend.

My daughter, Taryn. She knocks my socks off because she's such an amazing, giving and compassionate person. She is beautiful inside and out, and she makes me proud of her every day.

My son. Ryan has had struggles all of his life, but he keeps on keepin' on, and he loves family. I know he is a good soul because he has never met an animal that didn't like him. I think animals have a 6th sense about people, so as much as they all love him, I know he will be OK in life.

My pets. I have three - 2 pomeranians and a calico cat. They are part of the family, and they bring me joy and peace every day.

Service men and women. The selflessness displayed by those in the military amaze me every day. Anytime I see a person in uniform, I personally thank them. My wish is that everyone reading this will do the same from now on. They put their lives on the line every single day so that we are safe and free.

The ocean. I am awed by it every time I go to the beach.

Disney World. I have loved it since my first trip in 1972, and dozens and dozens of trips later, I still can't get enough of "the happiest place on earth."

Coach purses. Ok, I have another addiction besides crafts. Lucky for me, my daughter works for Coach, and lets me use her discounts! Unlucky for me, I have run out of room for them in my closet, and my husband now says I have to get rid of one each time I buy a new one. He might as well ask me to give away one of my children!!

Anything with raspberries. I love raspberries. Period.

And you knew I was gonna say it...my CRICUT! It's the greatest craft invention since glue! I love my Cricut!

Disney-fied My Gypsy

2010-01-17T16:40:00.014-05:00

I got my Gypsy from HSN when they offered the bundle, so I have a very nice bag for her, but it's too bulky for me to take everywhere, so I've been on the lookout for something small but still with a handle. I had just about given up on finding exactly what I wanted when I saw posts over on the Cricut message boards about the Vera Bradley clutch made to fit the Gypsy. Yep, that was what I was gonna get. Then I went to Disney World last week...

On our first day there, I wandered into the hotel gift shop and saw a cute little purse that looked like it would perfectly hold the Gypsy along with the power and USB cords. I mustered up all the will power I had not to buy it until I could bring my Gypsy with me to check the fit. After all, she was with me on my trip, and they had the purse in the hotel gift shop. I had 6 more days to buy it.

The next day, I found a little Mickey Mouse charm. I'm sure they are meant for cell phones, but it is perfect for my Gypsy stylus! Isn't he adorable?!?!

All week, I saw that little purse at gifts shops all over the Disney parks, and all week I resisted buying it. On my last day there, I still had not brought Gypsy down to try out the purse. I could go upstairs and get her, but my feet had blisters, my back was aching, and it was late on our last night there, so I had packing to do. "What the heck," I told myself, "I can use it for something. A girl can never have too many cute little purses, and I do LOVE Mickey!" So, I bought it and ran upstairs, blisters and all, to see if it fit. It does, and I love it! I think Gypsy - and my new Mickey charm - will be very happy living in it! I might still have to get the Vera Bradley clutch, too. You know...just as a backup.

Almost home!

2010-01-16T18:56:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting here in the Orlando airport, waiting for my flight and feeling so recharged after a GREAT week at Disney! That place never ceases to amaze me, and I always come home in a great mood. My daughter and I are working together on a new blog all about Disney, so if you're a Disney nut like I am, watch here for my announcement of it's "unveiling." I will be posting my recent trip report, and my daughter will be posting her trip report from her honeymoon in November.

This time, I'm also coming home from Disney with new project ideas! I've been making notes all week, and I can't wait to get started on some of my ideas so I can share them with you. The photo in this post is a clue to one project (smile).

Then there's that BLOG CANDY! Oh my! Almost 400 of you have entered the drawing! I am overwhelmed at the response, and even more so at your lovely, encouraging comments. I'll draw the winner's name first thing Monday morning, so if you haven't already entered, there's still time. Just scroll to the post below this one, and leave me a comment. Please, enter only once.

I have picked up quite a few new followers this week, and I feel so undeserving of some of your comments, as I'm really no Design Studio expert, and I'm very much a newbie with my Gypsy. But, you seem to like what I'm doing, and I love doing it and sharing it, so watch in the coming weeks for some new projects for both DS and Gypsy users. And check back Monday to see who won the new Mother's Day cartridge!

I'm CELEBRATING with BLOG CANDY! A NEW CARTRIDGE!

2010-01-08T22:01:00.000-05:00

I humbly started this little blog November 15, thinking I would post once in a while, but mostly just to share my designs with fellow Cricut addicts from over on the Cricut.com message boards. Little did I know the love I would feel from all of you who have become regular visitors. On December 5th, a mere seven weeks after my first post, you all helped me reach 200 followers! THANK YOU! I am truly touched and honored that so many of you have found my blog interesting enough that you have become fans. Some of the comments and emails I've received have given me such smiles and the inspiration to keep creating!

I recently came across a pretty good deal on two of the new limited-edition Mother's Day cartridges and I bought them both. They arrived today! Since I don't NEED two, I'm giving one away! As thanks to all of you for making Crazy for Crafting so successful, I'm going to give one lucky follower a brand new-still in the package-never been used-NEVER BEEN LINKED TO A GYPSY- Mother's Day 2010 cartridge!

All you have to do to qualify is to leave a comment below this post. If you've used one of my Design Studio or Gypsy files, I'd love it if you told me about it. If you just found my blog, tell me that, too. Remember, if you're commenting as anonymous, I can't contact you, so you will either have to leave me an email or check back here often to see if you won.

I'm leaving Sunday on a much-needed vacation to Disney World with just my DH, so I'll leave this open until I return, and I'll draw the winner's name on Monday, January 18. Don't forget to become a follower. I just might have more "candy" in the near future!

UPDATE on new Flexible Stylus for Gypsy

2010-01-08T09:34:00.002-05:00

In my last post, I showed you a video about a new flexible stylus that wraps around your finger. Sounds like a great idea to me! I can feed my mat and paper into the Cricut, or do other things in my craft room, and the stylus will still be attached to me so I don't set it down and promptly lose it under a pile of scrap paper. Even more appealing to me, my hand won't cramp after a couple of hours of designing on my Gypsy.

There was lots of talk over on the Cricut.com message boards about where to find them, and several ladies were able to find them at game stores, but they either came with the clear Gameboy shield as in the picture that I posted previously, or they came in a pack with 2 other regular stylus. Well, last night I stumbled on a post (sorry I can't remember who posted it) that said the inventor herself was taking orders for individial ones online with free shipping, and she takes credit cards and Paypal. I promptly went to her site and ordered one for just over $8!

Everyone who has already used it has been singing its praises, so I'm psyched about getting mine! I will let you know how I like it when I do. In the meantime, if you want to order one, go to her site, ThumbStylus to order. I don't know how long she's offering the free shipping, so you might want to check it out ASAP. If you already have one, please leave a comment here so we can see what you think of it!

NEW stylus for Gypsy??

2010-01-06T20:40:00.005-05:00

I ran across this online today, and I'm thinking it might be just what the doctor ordered for those marathon Gypsy design sessions when my fingers start to cramp into something that looks like it came from the Sci-Fi channel. I hear you can find them at Game Stop stores and Wal-mart. Now I might not have to get my index fingernail filed into a sharp point!
For more info: Comfort Stylus

Get organized in the new year!

2010-01-03T12:21:00.004-05:00

I was looking around over on the Cricut message boards this morning and came across a post from a member suggesting that someone make a cut file for a folder to store the Cricut books and overlays. Well, it just so happens that I made my own storage system back in 2008, and I thought, what better time to share that with all of you than the start of a new year!

I want to apologize for the bad pictures. I wasn't very good at taking them back in 2008. I've been nursing a terrible cold for 3 days, and I'm not feeling like taking new ones, so these will have to do for now, but hopefully you can get the idea. I really do LOVE this storage system because it can grow as my cartridge collection does, and it's easily adjustable to whatever your needs are. Since I put this all together, the Snap-Ware containers are also much easier to find. Back in 2008, I could only find them online and I paid much more for them, plus the shipping. Now that you can find them in stores, it's a very inexpensive storage solution!

One final note: People have asked me if I keep the original boxes, and the answer is "yes." I don't intend to ever sell them, but I LOVE those boxes with their magnetic closure. In true packrat style, I keep thinking I'll do something crafty with them one of these days!

Cricut Organizer System files for Design Studio
Cricut Organizer System files for Gypsy

A New Years resolution I can keep!

2010-01-02T10:51:00.012-05:00

I quit making New Years resolutions years ago because I was rarely able to keep them much past Valentine's Day. This year I think I have one I can keep because it's something that truly makes me feel good and recharges my batteries. What is it? Well, look at the image in this post and you'll see...6 little words that will hopefully guide me throughout 2010. All of them are ideas that obviously lend themselves to crafting, but they can also all be related to other areas of our lives every day. I know that, if I live by these words, my life - and my craft room - will be fuller and richer. I hope you will all try to do the same, and I hope you will continue to come back here so that I can TEACH and INSPIRE you by SHARING the new creations that I have DREAMED up and IMAGINED you CREATING in your own craft rooms!

Happy New Year to all of you. May your Cricut fill the coming year with many happy chirps!

Hexagon Box for a little Elegance

2009-12-30T10:20:00.003-05:00

I don't know what it is about a hexagon or octagon box that says "elegance" to me. Maybe it harkens back to the days when ladies wore hats and kept them in fancy hat boxes in their closets. I've wanted to make one of these for quite some time now, and I finally had time over the holiday weekend to get it started.

I didn't think I'd be able to get this posted so early today, but we had a bit of excitement in our house late last night. When I went to let my dogs out for the last potty break of the night, a bird flew right in the front door! I have lots of baskets hanging from the beams on my family room ceiling, and he was apparently hiding in one of them while I searched high and low throughout the house for him. I finally gave up and went to bed, only to hear a huge "crash" when he knocked a brass "basket" from the ceiling and it hit the hardwood floor. My son and I spent about 20 minutes trying to herd him toward one of 2 open doors while the temperature in the house dropped to about 30 degrees, but we finally got him out around 1:30 am, and I went to bed. Unfortunately, the adrenaline was pumping and I was wide awake, soooo....

I finished this little box, wrote a post for it and went to bed. Note to self: when you write at 2AM, you make a LOT of mistakes, including not adding any links to the files! I won't do that again. I had to totally rewrite this one this morning.

Anyway, I'm thrilled with the outcome, and I hope you will be, too. It was a difficult box to get a good photo of, but I think you can get the general idea from this one, though it looks a bit distorted. It's much prettier in person.

Note: The lid of this box fits tightly, but it does fit. When you're putting it together, go a little tight on the bottom of the box, and not so tight on the lid. You'll also notice that there are tabs on the 6 top pieces. Those of you who have made my boxes before know that I hate raw edges on them, so these tabs are to reinforce the top edge. Put the 6 sides together first, then fold the tabs in to the inside and burnish well to make sure the adhesive sticks.

As always, I love comments, so please leave me one below if you download the file. And if you haven't noticed yet, I've added a Gallery where I'm posting all of my project photos in one place, along with links to the original posts - and files. If you send me a photo of a project you made with one of my files, you just might find it featured in my Gallery!

Enjoy the new box, and have a SAFE and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Cartridges Used: George, Accent Essentials
Hexagon Box file for Design Studio
Hexagon Box file for Gypsy

My blog got a New Year's facelift!

2009-12-29T23:17:00.002-05:00

Most of you know that I've only had this little blog for about 6 weeks, and I used ready-made backgrounds and other elements to start with so I could get up and running in a hurry. Being the creative type like all of you are, and not wanting to have a blog that looked like anyone else's, I have been doing a little research on how to design my own. Well, today I really spent the "rump time" at my computer and put together a whole new look, and I have to say that I'm pretty darn happy with the outcome! I still have some tweaking to do to some little things that will likely drive me crazy until they're fixed, but overall, I think I have a look that I'll stick with - at least for a few months.

I want to thank the desingers that I got the "papers" and other elements from to put my page together. Amanda over at kevinandamanda.com has some gorgeous stuff, and she's also a very good photogrpaher who gives tutorials on her site sometimes. Be sure to check her out. I also want to thank Carrie Stevens at Creative Complexions. I got most of the elements I used from her site. Both ladies offer free downloads.

So, now that I have the blog all spiffed up, what about a new file? Well.....I just so happen to have one almost ready to share with you. It's an elegant little hexagon-shaped box. Think miniature hat box. I have some final details to work on, but I will have it ready for you as my New Year's gift tomorrow afternoon, so come back to check it out. I think you'll like it!

Tall Box Trio

2009-12-27T14:04:00.007-05:00

I know I promised to get this posted this morning, but converting to Gypsy gave me some trouble, and I didn't want you Gypsy ladies to feel left out, so it took me a little longer than I anticipated.

These boxes came about as a result of a special request from Regina over on the Cricut message boards. She needed a tall box for the bottles from Bath and Body Works that she was giving for Christmas gifts. I liked the one I designed for her so much, that I played around with it and came up with 2 more lid versions. I also love that it's adjustable for items of different heights. The three boxes in the photo are all cut the same size, but the deep lid allows for taller items. Don't you just love things that are versatile?!

I have included a tutorial, although the assembly is really very easy, only because there are some little tabs for the top edge of the box so there won't be raw edges. I don't like raw edges on my boxes because it makes them less sturdy, and I think they look more "professional" with finished edges. The tabs are to be folded to the inside and adhered down. There's a short tutorial with photos so it will be clear what to do with the tabs.

You will need two full sheets of 12"x12" cardstock for this box. You will also need the George cartridge for the box with scalloped edge lid, and George and Plantin Schoolbook for the rick-rack and flower lids.

If you download this file, please do leave a comment below. It is much appreciated, and it inspires me to create more projects to share!

Cartridges: George, Plantin Schoolbook
Tall Box Trio files for DS

Tall Box Trio files for Gypsy

Merry Christmas to my readers!

2009-12-26T10:43:00.004-05:00

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and that Santa was very good to you! I got my Christmas present months ago when my husband let my buy and USE my Gypsy early. Isn't he the best?! He thinks the Cricut is awesome, so he pretty much lets me have anything I want that's Cricut-related, even though we're currently paying off my daughter's November wedding and my son's tution is due this month. My family is healthy, my husband and I both have jobs, and I have all next week off to play! I am very blessed, indeed!

We had a wonderful two days in our hometown with both families, and I never even went near a computer - or (gasp) anything crafty. I'm home now, and I have a few things left to do before our Christmas celebration Sunday with my daughter and her new husband, but I'm ready to get back to my Cricut!

I have an adorable little box to share with you tomorrow. I call it my "tall box," and it has 3 different lid options in one file. It was a special request from Regina over on the Cricut message boards who needed a box that would hold the bottles from Bath and Body Works that she was giving for Christmas. I designed this box for her, and I love it so much that I'm going to share it with all of you. The picture seen here is one that she made with the scalloped lid option (thank you Regina for test cutting it!)

I have some tweaking to do before I pass it along - you know what a perfectionist I am. I plan to have it ready to share with you by tomorrow morning, so please be sure to check back to download it. As always, it will be available in Design Studio and Gypsy format.

Happy Holidays and Cricut Kisses!

To see post with links to files for this projects, click here.

I've been featured! SO excited about my new venture!

2009-12-21T21:22:00.005-05:00

Believe it or not, every once in a while, I do take a break from my Cricut. Recently I made my very first digital scrapbook, and it's been featured in The Friday Five at Scrapblog.com! If you haven't heard about Scrapblog, let me tell you about my first experience with them:

As some of you know, my daughter got married November 8, and our awesome photographer took 850 pictures!! After literally HOURS of narrowing them down to "only" 120, I tackled something totally new for me...digital scrapbooking. I got the idea when I stumbled upon scrapblog.com while looking for cool stuff for my new blog (I only started this blog a little over a month ago), and I played around with their freebies for a few minutes. OK, it was really more like a few hours. The next day, I jumped in feet first, and 4 days later, I had a completed scrapblog. Have I mentioned that I'm a perfectionist?

The cool thing about Scrapblog is, it's all online, so you don't have to buy any software, and it's so easy to use that the learning curve is relatively small. You can create one page or a whole book. You make the pages totally personal, including backgrounds, embellishments, frames and text. You can add shadows, change the opacity to create a faded look to your photos, change them to sepia tone, antique them....the list goes on. You can choose to add shadows to your embellishments to make them look 3D, or you can leave them as is. You can put stitches and pins and buttons on your pages. You literally control every detail of your page - perfect for a perfectionist like me. And did I mention the "shopping?" Scrapblog offers loads of free backgrounds, frames and embellishments, but you can also purchase them with Scrapblog credits. Just buy credits with your credit card and shop away in their online galleries!

Once your scrapblog is done, you can "publish" it online, complete with optional music, for your friends and family to view, or you can order it printed in hard or softcover - up to 100 pages. I think the prices are very reasonable.

My wedding album was 37 pages, and I ordered 5 hardbound and 5 softbound copies for family Christmas presents. I received the books late last week, and I have to tell you, I am TOTALLY impressed, and I think my family will be, too! The books are top quality and professional. I will absolutely be making more books with Scrapblog! Check them out at scrapblog.com.

If you would like to view the scrapblog, click here, and be sure to click on "view full screen" at the top right corner to see all the details!

Need a last minute gift? Fill this little TAKEOUT BOX with goodies!

2009-12-20T18:16:00.005-05:00

I made my annual batch of peppermint bark today, and then I realized that I needed something to put small batches in for a few people, so....I went to my craft room and came out with this little cutie! It's shaped like the traditional Chinese takeout box, but it's constructed a little more simply, and it's so easy to make that you don't even need a tutorial! Just score, fold and adhere the bottom and side, add an optional ribbon handle and you're done! I whipped up 5 in about 30 minutes, start to finish. The file doesn't include holes for the ribbon so that you can use it without if you'd rather. I just used a 1/8" hole punch on mine, but you can use an awl or paper piercer, or you can use a standard punch for larger ribbon.

Please be so kind as to leave a comment below if you download this file! :)

Cartridge: George and Basic Shapes
Takeout Box file for Design Studio
Takeout Box file for Gypsy

Princess Crown Box

2009-12-19T17:29:00.004-05:00

My inspiration for this box was a Lindt Truffles Christmas box, and yes, I bought the box of truffles just to bring it home and use it as a design reference. That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it! Anyway, I've had it for a week, but I hadn't had time to really tackle it until today. We're literally snowed in here with about 10" of snow, so I figured today was the day, and I've been in my craft room ALL day!

I'm SO happy with this box that I'm considering it my "crowning achievement." I gave it its name because it reminds me of the top of those puffy crowns, and my daughter has always loved Disney princesses, so I named it in her honor.

This box isn't one that you'll want to use if you need to make a lot of them because it's both labor and materials intensive, but the results are so stunning that it's definitely worth the effort and card stock, and the ooohs and ahhhs that you're sure to get from the recipients won't hurt either.

For best results, you need heavy cardstock, because this is a large box, measuring 4.5" square on the bottom and sides. It will take two 12"x12" sheets for the box and one 6"x11" piece of coordinating card stock for the closure. You will also need either tag board or a piece of heavy weight acetate for the template to make the curved score marks. I used a piece of plastic from a retail bubble packaged item. It's thick enough to withstand lots of scoring without becoming misshapen and giving you distorted score marks. It helps if you have the deep cut blade and housing for your Cricut to cut the template, but you should have good results using the multi-cut function if you don't. The only cartridge you need is George.

I've zipped the cut files together with a detailed tutorial with photos, so please give it a try, and let me know if you find the tutorial helpful or if something isn't clear so I can change it where needed. If you run into any trouble at all, please e-mail me, and I'll be happy to try to help.

Cartridge: George and Basic Shapes

Princess Crown Box for Design Studio

Princess Crown Box for Gypsy

FREE Cricut Cutting Guide - 448 materials tested!

2009-12-18T09:00:00.002-05:00

Having trouble figuring out which settings to use when you're cutting with your Cricut? Does one kind of cardstock cut perfectly when the blade is at 4 but barely at all when you cut another kind of cardstock? Well, Megan Gravener over at Above Rubies Studio has done all the testing for you and put together the most comprehensive guide I've seen anywhere. She tested 448 different materials and gives you the settings for each one! Best of all - it's free! All you have to do is go to her site, look for the "FREE" button on the top of her page right next to her logo, click it and give her your email, then download it! Don't be surprised if you find something else of interest while you're there!

Above Rubies Studio - FREE Cricut Cutting Guide

Christmas Leftovers...already???

2009-12-17T16:58:00.004-05:00

Yes, I already have Christmas leftovers! If you made the sliding window box that I posted yesterday, you noticed that you had a cute little leftover rounded square with a star in the middle. Well, waste not, want not, right? So I made a quick little Christmas card from them! And since it's a star, you could use it any time of year if you use other paper, and you would have a beautiful gift box and matching card for a birthday, graduation or someone who just got a big promotion - anyone who's a star!

I used 1/2 sheet of 8.5"x11" cardstock for the card base, and cut the layer 3/8" smaller than the card front. I sponged the edges of both the die cut and the green cardstock, then I distressed the edges of the green. I used Stickles just inside the star to give it some bling. The ribbon is tied in my signature half-bow. You just tie a bow like normal, but when you pull the second loop through, pull it all the way until the tail comes out and then tighten. It's so easy and elegant, but it looks a little less "frilly" than a bow. Give it a try!