My Craft Spot Fall Release Party - Day 5

I can't believe it's Friday already. The week has flown by and what an exhausting (but fun!) week it has been! Today is the final day of sneak peaks for the My Craft Spot Fall Release Party. All week long, we have been sharing projects created with the FIVE NEW stamp sets and FOUR NEW sets of metal dies. Tomorrow, we'll celebrate with a full reveal of the NEW products and a blog hop - with prizes at each stop along the way. How exciting!! Today, we are showcasing projects created with the fun NEW Batty for You stamp set.

Perhaps it was my early introduction to Charlotte's Web, but I actually like spiders! As such, as soon as I saw the "Along came a spider" sentiment, I knew I had to try it out. My spider is from Stretch Your Imagination. Because I imported the spider into my Silhouette software, I was able to use the offset feature to create a shadow. I also dressed her up a bit with glossy purple shoes googly eyes, a shiny nose and a little bow made with lilac baker's twine.

The web borders on my card were created with the NEW Fancy Edges - Halloween metal dies. For my sentiment, I first cut a label with Ornate Labels metals dies and stamped a border using a stamp from the Ornate Labels - Christmas set. The fun sentiment is from the fabulous NEW Batty for You stamp set.

Over at My Craft Spot, there are lots of other great projects created with the NEW Batty for You stamp set. Be sure to check them out - and leave a comment there for Kimberly for your chance to win today's prize: Hocus Pocus crinkle ribbon. Be sure to visit again tomorrow for the full reveal of ALL NEW stamp sets and metal dies, as well as a blog hop with prizes at each stop along the way!! Plus, all NEW products will be available for sale too!! 

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My Craft Spot - Fall Stamp Release Party - Day 1

Welcome to Day One of the My Craft Spot Fall Stamp Release Party!!  Get ready for a week full of fun with all the new products coming out this week.  Every day, there will be projects posted using Kimberly's new stamps and metal dies - and we'll finish things off with a blog hop on Saturday!!  There will be prizes offered at My Craft Spot each day, and on Saturday, EACH design team member will be giving away one of the new releases (courtesy of Kimberly).

I used a few of the new stamps from today's set to create my fall card.  The "patterned paper" is handmade with little stamped leaves from the set - and I used the same maple leaf in the middle of the card centrepiece.    In fact, with the exception of the 3/4 inch circle in the middle, the entire centrepiece was made with the new metal die set and today's stamp set!!  I popped the centrepiece and the middle circle for a bit of added dimension.

The tree on my card was cut using Stretch Your Imagination.  I stamped the tree with a woodgrain stamp (Market Street Stamps) and then ran it through my Cuttlebug with the woodgrain folder.  

I finished things off with some wonderful Marmalade crinkle ribbon from My Craft Spot.

If you haven't checked out today's stamp set release sneak peeks at My Craft Spot, why not head over there now... and be sure to enter on Kimberly's blog for your chance to win today's prize!  

Come back tomorrow to see my project made with the second My Craft Spot Fall Stamp Release set!!  

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Thanks to all who left such lovely comments for me during last week's Fantabulous Cricut Crawl.  The winner of the $15US My Craft Spot gift certificate is Carri from Double Click Connections.  Congratulations Carri!!!

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My Craft Spot Stamp Release Party - Day Three

We're halfway through this week's Stamp Release Party at My Craft Spot - and we're having so much fun! 

Today's stamp set is Happily Ever After!
(All of the new stamp sets will be available to order and ship on Saturday!!)

I used Stretch Your Imagination for the image of the bride and groom.  It's been ages since I've used this cartridge and I'm so glad I pulled it out!  I love the look of the silhouette couple.  I popped them on a lovely flourished frame from Ashlyn's Alphabet - another cartridge that hasn't seen much light recently!  The white oval mat behind the silhouette couple was embossed with my tiny hearts Cuttlebug folder.

I added some elegant black diamond crinkle ribbon from My Craft Spot and a large gem to my card.  The sentiment from the new Happily Ever After set is just the perfect way to finish off my wedding card.

You'll be delighted with the rest of the design team sneak peeks at My Craft Spot.  Be sure to head over to My Craft Spot to check them out - and to comment there for your chance to win today's prize - a Friends and Neighbors stamp set!

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A Note of Appreciation

It's time for another challenge at Fantabulous Cricut, and this week is all about making music!  My middle guy has been taking piano and guitar lessons for a few years but has decided to give it a break as he transitions to high school.  I made a card to go with the gift he gave his teacher to thank her for all she's done.

I used a Creative Memories corner rounder to punch the corners of my 5x5 square card as well as the corners of the mats.  The mats are stamped with a little line/dotted stamp that I received with a bunch of goodies from Heather of Princess' Paper Projects.  The guitar playing rabbit (who we think is singing some Aerosmith songs - my son's favourite!) is from Campin' Critters and the musical notes are from Stretch Your Imagination - all of which I inked.  I also added a bit of doodling.  The sentiment is from Stampin' Up and punched with a Stampin' Up window punch.  I added a button, some twine and a few copper pearls to finish things off. 

I can't imagine a life without music.  If I'm not listening to tunes, I'm singing them unaccompanied!  I'd love for you to head over to Fantabulous Cricut to check out the rest of the design team inspiration - and to enter your own creation.  This week's prize is the NEW Candy Corn Kisses stamp set from My Craft Spot!

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Happy Birthday, Robin (FCCB)

It's Robin's birthday - and everybody at Fantabulous Cricut is celebrating!  Robin is the wonderful creator and leader of the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog.  It has been such a delight to get to know Robin over the past number of months and I am blessed to have the opportunity to work with her.  Happy Birthday, Robin!

This week's challenge at Fantabulous Cricut is to make a birthday-themed card or project, such as a banner, centrepiece, layout... You choose!  I opted to make a card.

I made my card using Stretch Your Imagination.  This isn't a cartridge that I have used much but as I was looking for birthday cakes, this one came up in my search and I fell in love with not only the tall cake but the whimsical frame to go with it. (I also noticed a few other fun images in the handbook.  I'm going to have to spend some more time with this cartridge!)

In order to create the white mat for behind the frame, I simply hid the inner contours of the image.  After cutting, I ran the white mat through my Cuttlebug, using the Happy Birthday folder.  I had to run it through twice, turning at a 90 degree angle in order to emboss the bottom portion of the mat.  This folder lends itself quite nicely for that.  I then cut the frame itself in black.  I added pink gemstones all around the frame as well.

I used some chunky glitter crystals for the cake itself and then layered all the other pieces.  I used Pop Dots to adhere the cake to the mat.  I punched some corners to match and finally tied on a pink bow for a final touch.  I love the way this card turned out - and I hope Robin does too!

Head over to Fantabulous Cricut to wish Robin a happy birthday - and to submit your birthday card creation in this week's challenge. 

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Crossing Guard Gingerbread and a Winner

I made this card for my youngest son's crossing guard.  I always make her a card with a STOP sign (like the one she holds as we cross the road).  The gingerbread man and house are from Stretch Your Imagination.  I used Going Places for the STOP sign, welding a rectangle from George and Basic Shapes on the shadow to make a hand-held sign. I ran the top mat through my Cuttlebug using a snowflake folder (which certainly has been getting a lot of use these days!).  I added some pen dots, glitter, some snowflakes (cut with a Martha Stewart border punch), a gem and a ribbon.  I finished things off with some EK Success photo corners.

This week's challenge at Bitten By the Bug 2 is to use a gingerbread man.  What perfect timing for me with this card! 

I would like to extend a huge welcome to all my new followers!  Last week's Fantabulous Cricut "Deck the Halls" Crawl was so much fun and I enjoyed reading all your comments.  Thanks so much!  The winner of my blog prize is #37 - Scrappin' Diva Angie.  Congratulations Angie!  Please send me your mailing address (smallbitsofpaper at hotmail dot com).  You have two weeks to claim your prize.

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Just Married Card

About 10 years ago, a young girl from China lived with us while she studied in our city.  I used to love our after-dinner walks together.  She would practise her English and I would learn all about her life and her culture.  Canning decided to stay in Canada and continued her studies to become an accountant.  She lives in the "Big City" (Toronto) now and has met a man!  I've made this card for their upcoming wedding next month.

I used Paper Doll Dress Up for the car, and cut two layers, inking both.  The bride and groom were cut from Stretch Your Imagination.  (I had this cartridge for about a year before I opened it last month.  I can't believe all the goodies I've been missing!)  I used Design Studio to flip the groom in order to make the couple look like they're both in the car.  I embossed the bride's dress with a Cuttlebug border folder.  The veil was cut with vellum.  I've also used vellum for the faces of the bride and groom.  I even made a tiny necklace for the bride!  The groom is flat against the card, but the bride is popped a bit and the car is popped even more.

The sentiment frame was cut from Ashlyn's Alphabet.  I cut a green shadow layer and then used the same cardstock as the bride's dress to do the middle layer.  The top layer was cut from vellum and the sentiment is computer generated.  I attached eyelets to the frame and filled each eyelet with a bead to tie in with the beads trailing from the car.  I added buttons to the wheels and a few rhinestones on the right side of the card.  I did have some beads there, but apparently they had other plans and left their positions.  My glue dots were too big and I did not want them visible so opted for the rhinestones.

This card will be entered at the following challenges:
Fantabulous Cricut - For the Bride using something old (I've had the beads forever!)
Practical Scrappers - eyelets

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Hippo Birdie Card

I made this shape card for my youngest, who will be turning 8 in August.  Like his mother, he loves jokes and plays on words so I know this will be a hit with him. (I'm trying to get ahead with my card making as I recently learned that I need to take two courses this summer.  I was originally just planning to take one.  Eek!) 

For this card, I used Design Studio to weld the shadows of the hippo (from Animal Kingdom) and bird (from Stretch Your Imagination).  I also copied and pasted the hippo shadow, flipped it, and welded it to the image in order to create my card base.  I then cut the hippo and bird (as well as the bird's tiny feet and beak) without the shadow feature.  I cut the 8 and its shadow from Makin' the Grade.  I inked everything and drew around the inner contours of the hippo.  I attached little black gems for the bird's eyes and wiggle eyes for the hippo.  I also added a little feather to the top of the bird.  Everything was glued flat for this card, with the exception of the top layer of the 8.  It was popped with tiny PopDots.

Using the blackout feature, I cut another image of the hippo for the inside mat of the card.  I computer-generated the sentiment for the inside of the card and used a digi-stamp from OWH Stars and Stamps.  I resized, cropped, and flipped it to go around the sentiment.  As you can see from the photo, the bird's shadow was only used for the front of the card.  It looked a bit silly to have it on the back, so I decided just to use the hippo.

I'm submitting this card at My Creative Time with Emma V. Aguilar.  Episode 46 begins Throwback Thursdays.  This week is all about Animal Kingdom, and the prize is a set of Punny-licious stamps from My Pink Stamper!  Oh, how I LOVE these stamps!!  I don't know if it's my undergrad degree in linguistics or just part of my genetic make-up, but I love words and plays on words.  These stamps were made to complement the Create-a-Critter cartridge which I've just ordered.  My mind is already creating!

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Lady Lenore Layout ~ Fantabulous Cricut Crawl

I discovered Fantabulous Cricut yesterday. This week, they are hosting a Fantabulous Cricut Crawl. You can read all the details here.  Basically, the challenge is to follow links to different blogs, each one having a different element to incorporate into your project. There were eleven elements total, and I was able to use 10 of them. It was quite a challenge!


I decided to do a layout. I am much more of a card maker than a scrapbooker, and was quite out of my comfort zone on this one, but for over a year now I’ve really wanted to make a page for my daughter, using photos taken as she performed in her school play, “The Worst High School Play in the World”. In a nutshell, the play is about a prince that gets kidnapped as a baby and left in the forest. He is raised by a family of squirrels (that’s why I have squirrels on the page), but is eventually discovered by a monk. When returned to civilization, he meets “one with small feet” (aka a woman) and falls in love. In the end, the crown is returned to him and everybody (except the villain) lives happily ever after. It was a great play and the kids all did a super job. It was a far cry from the worst high school play in the world.

The first stop in the crawl was Angi's blog. Angi gave detailed instructions on how to make an accordion flower, and challenged us to use one in our project. Oh boy! I’d never made an accordion flower. I was able to understand the directions, but my first attempt ended up to be much larger than I liked and looked ridiculous on my layout. I ended up cutting my strip at ¾ inches and was much happier with the results. I even used my new Itty Bitty Bits punch for the tiny scallop circle in the middle.

Next, it was off to Brenda's blog.  Brenda challenged us to create a journal box with our Cricut. I used Stretch Your Imagination for this one. I’ve had this cartridge in my craft closet for well over a year – still in its plastic packaging!! I welded together two boxes with ticket corners and added a swirl to match the one in the title for my page. I computer generated my journaling as I am far too hard on myself with respect to my penmanship. As I don’t scrapbook much at all, this was new for me as well.  (Ugh - I just noticed an error!)

I was then taken to Candace's blog.  Well, there we were encouraged to do some embossing on a Cricut cut. Everybody knows how much I love my Cuttlebug, so this was a pleasure for me to do! I embossed my tree trunks and “leaves”, the squirrels’ tails, the acorn tops and the lettering for my title.

On Lori's blog, we were challenged to use a die cut negative. I did this for the swirl next to the title as well as the swirl in my journal box. I used the swirl from the title in the corner of the photo, under my accordion flower.

Nana challenged us to use a Gypsy. I don’t have Gypsy, but I do have Design Studio. I used it for my entire project! I welded the title shadow, adjusted image sizes, and simply lay things out to cut. However, Nana did note that if we didn’t have a Gypsy we could incorporate a swirl into our project. As previously mentioned, I have a swirl by my title, one in my journal box and another in the corner of the photo.

It was then on to Penny's blog. (I found Fantabulous through Penny. She’s got some great creations with plays on words. I love that!) Penny challenged us to use a shadow. I’ve got quite a few on my layout! Most elements contain a shadow. I always like to add shadows to my work, so this was a challenge with my name written all over it!

Robin encouraged us to use Cricut markers – or another sort of pen. I never knew that gel pens could be used with the Cricut until I read her blog! I need to look for the special mini gel pen holder in order to use them. Thanks for the information, Robin! I have had my markers for ages, and this was only the second time I’ve ever pulled them out. I used a Cricut marker to add another frame inside my journal box. I also outlined the swirl of the journal box before cutting. It’s difficult to see in the photo (see the journal box photo above), but it adds an extra bit of contrast.

Next, it was off to Sammye Jo's blog. Sammye Jo challenged us to use inking or drawing on our die cuts. I inked the title, the squirrels, acorns, trees, apples, and grass. I also drew the squirrels noses and whiskers and added some gel pen to the apples.

I am afraid to say that I drew a blank at Sharon's blog. Sharon gave a wonderful tutorial on glass etching. I just didn’t know how to fit it into this project. I’ve never tried glass etching before, but Sharon makes it sound so easy. Perhaps I will give it a go another time. I know where to find the instructions now! I’m sorry, Sharon, that yours was the only element I did not use....

Next, it was off to Tammy's blog. Tammy challenged us to do some paper piecing. This is an easy task with the Cricut! I did paper piecing for the trees, the squirrels, the acorns and the apples. Those apples were a challenge with their tiny little stems!!

Finally, I was at the last blog – Valerie’s Crafty Go Lucky blog. Valerie challenged us to incorporate a food element on our project. Initially, I just had the acorns (food for squirrels at least!), but the trees needed more than just the embossing I had done. I added some apples and it seemed to be just the right touch!

Thanks, ladies, for your encouragement and challenges. This was just what I needed to make a layout. I was far out of my comfort zone, but ended up thoroughly enjoying the process. My daughter is delighted with the end result too! This was a “fantabulous” way to spend my day off.

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