Super Fantatic Deals!

I was in the Walmart in Mumford today after work to pick up some prints and decided to swing by the craft section just to take a look and I found a great deal!  They have packs of adt paper on for 10.00 and each pack contains 120 sheets!!  The paper comes pre-cut as well, you get 32 sheets of 12x12, 24 8x8 (great for mini albums) 24 8.5x11, 24 5x7 (great for card bases or photo mats) and 16 2x12.  I bought 4 different packs; I love the idea of pre-cut paper (especially 5x7) because it really helps to cut back waste.

 I was so excited when  i found this I just had to rush home and share it, I'm hoping to check out the Walmart in Bayers Lake to see if they have any different packs.

Your'e a Doll

I love puns especcialy when it comes to cards, that what is what inspired me to make the following cards

the "doll" was cat at 3' and the paper is from Basic Grey (one of my favorite brands) Indian Summer line, and  I added gems to two of the corners.

A lot of Cricut cuts have score lines, if you have any of the software you can edit those out.  I often trace them to highlight details, for her I traced her eyes and mouth.

The sentiment was cut at 1 1/4 and shadowed.  It's hard to tell in the photos but the top layer is glittery, I used Sookwang tape and burgundy Glitter Ritz so I could customize it.  Sookwang is a SUPER sticky tape that you can get in rolls as small as 1/4 inch or as thick as 4 1/2 inches, you cal also buy it in sheets.  Any sheet adhesive would work, all you do is adhered one side to your card-stock (it doesn't matter what color you use unless your glitter is clear) the Cricut will cut it but you have to use one of the Cricut Deep Cutting blade, at a medium pressure and a slower speed.  Once your letters are cut peel off the top layer of backing and add your glitter.

I made a similar version for my boy-friend Dan, the night is cut at 4', his lance is cut at 2' and the dragon is also cut at 2.  I used a metallic paper so his Armour would look "real", the background paper is by Karen Foster, and the stamp is by Inkadinkado and I stamped it using Versamark ink and silver embossing powder.

Celebrate with Style

Good news! I called Provo Craft today and they are sending me out a new cord for my gypsy and it should arrive late next week, assuming the Canada Post lock-out doesn't last that long I should be posting new projects soon ( I can't wait, my head is just bursting with new ideas!)

Now on to the crafts! I have noticed a big trend in handmade cards: shaped cards!  There is a way you can make them with your Cricut using a gypsy, design studio or the new Cricut Craft room and I will show how to do it that way soon but for now I wanted to show a much esier way.

I cut that hat, shadow and layers at 7' (it measures about 7x4 1/2 when finished) I cut two of the pom-poms to add some extra colour.  The "celebrate" was cut at 1 1/2.

I used a brad to secure it, and allow for motion.  this type of card can be done with multiple images, as long as it has a center point to attach.  For those of you who don't have a Cricut trace a template onto the back of your paper and then cut it out, use a sticker (cover any exposed sticker with baby powder after you adhere it to keep it from sticking to anything else) or other embellishment. 

na-na-na-na-na-na Batman!

I am having an issue with my new Cricut Gypsy, the cable that connects my Gypsy to my Cricut is not working.  So while I am waiting for a new one to arrive I am going to post some older projects that I have made.

My boyfriend and I are huge Batman nerds (we are going to name our first born son Bruce Wayne) so when I saw the Batman: Brave and the Bold cartridge I knew I had to have it!

The cut is Batman 7 and I cut all the layers and the shadow at 3 1/2 I used a deep red for the shadow to create some contrast and cut the Layers in shades of blue.  I didn't like the grey card-stock I had so I cut the grey parts in white and chalked it.

The base is 5x7 in navy and I made it a pop-up card just to make it special, the striped piece was cut at 4.75x 6.75.

To make the card I cut at 5x7 piece to mat the patterned paper on, then I cut a piece in the same color at 7x10 and scored it at 5, and 7 inches.  It took me a while to decide on the angle I liked but once I found it I places a brad in the middle of the base to keep the card up-right.  When the card is flat it measures 5x7 and will fit in a standard 5x7 envelope.

Baby Frames

On Wednesday I showed you a mobile I made for my Nephew.  Along with the mobile I also made matching frames, also cut with Animal Kingdom. The animals are at 3 inches using the "head" option.

The paper is all from DCWV's Nana's Nursery: Baby Boy and the Frames are from Michael’s.  If you watch Michael’s sales you can find the frames for 1.50.  A few years ago I did the same thing but used Christmas paper and cuts.  I made 17 frames for all the girls a worked with and it cost about 30-35$.

There are two different ways to cut the paper for your frames.  The first is to trace the shape of your frame on the back of your paper with a mechanical pencil (these work the best because they have a fine lead and you can get closer to the frame.)  The second option (which is what I do) is to glue my frame to my paper and cut it out with an exacto knife, I find it gives me a better cut.  Once I had my paper cut and glued down, I sanded the edges to remove any excess paper, and chalked the edges just to make it look pretty.

I used liquid glue, and rolled over the entire frame with a brayer (sort-of like a mini rolling pin).  Using the brayer helps the glue adhere really well it also helps get rid of any air bubbles.  I also added some sookwang tape at the corners to give them a little help staying down.

This is a 12x12 Frame and was super easy to do, no cutting necessary! The journaling box is from "Joys of the Season" and was cut at 51/2 using the frame option.  I added some light green gems to the box to add some sparkle.  In a few weeks I will posting another variation of this same technique but I need to meet my new nephew first

Baby Boy Mobile

 I like to challenge my self with new projects and decided that making a mobile for my soon-to-be-born nephew would be a very fun challange.  My brother and sister-in-law are decoration the nursery with jungle animals.  Using the Cricut cartridge Animal Kingdom I cut an elephant, a lion, a Kangaroo (my brother's name is Joey so I couldn't resist), a giraffe, a hippo and a tiger.

The animals were cut at 2 3/4 (except the giraffe, he was cut at 4), and I used the flip option to get a mirror image.  By giving yourself a mirror image you get clean lines when you adhere your animals back-to-back.  I traced over the score lines with a black pen so they would stand out. 

The frame for the mobile is the inner circle from a 10' embroidery hoop that I covered with green polka-dot ribbon.  I used clear thread to attach the animals to the hoop (I then glued a piece of ribbon along the inside to hide any glue).  To help the thread stay between the animals I placed a piece of Sookwang tape (a VERY strong double sided tape) on one piece and used regular glue.  I also went over each pair with a brayer a few times to make sure the  glue was going to stay put.

I alternated the lengths each animals hangs at, and added two faceted beads to the longer lengths and one to the shorter ones.  When I first started I tried to measure out the distance between each animal but in the end I eye-balled them.  They are about 4 inches apart, but it will depend on the size hoop you use.