She's a Sassy Lady Guest Designer

Hello everyone.  Today I am the Guest Designer over on the She's a Sassy Lady blog, which just happems to be one of my favorite places to visit.  Sheila, the Sassy Lady herself invited me to be a guest designer when we met last month.  Sheila and I are planning on getting together for some quality craft time very soon.  You see, we live and work within minutes of each other.  How great is that!!!!

Here is the card a made as the guest designer.

Please stop over  to she's a Sassy Lady for all the details. and to see the wonderful work of the fabulous designers there.  You will be so please you did.  Thanks for dropping by and a BIG THANKS to Shelia for inviting me to be a little sassy today!

Challenge

The Shabby Tea Room   Birthstone  Mine is rose in October

My Craft Spot   Sew Much Fun

Celebrate The Occasion #28

This week is a sketch challenge at Celebrate The Occasion.
And here is the sketch to follow.

I created this card to send to a dad and his three sons who go to our school.  The boys mom died  suddenly this past week.  She was our PTO President and such a vibrant part of the community.  We are all still stunned over it.  she worked in our school office last Friday and was on life support Sunday from a blood clot in her leg.  She had surgery on that foot earlier in the summer and all seemed to be going well.  The blood clot caused her to go into cardiac arrest twice Sunday on the way to the hospital.  She just lost too much oxygen for her brain and organs to recover.  I don't feel too much like celebrating the occasion, but I do celebrate her and the wonderful life she lived.    Here is the card for her family.

The paper is from DCWV.  The ribbon is from Offray, and the flowers are Prima with little gold glittered brads.  The cross was cut from the Easter 2010 cartridge.  And the flourishes are from the Cindy Loo cartridge.  The sentiment stamp is a Scrappy Moms Stamp.  

I hope that you will go to Celebrate The Occasion  to see what Design Team #2 has created for you.  but most of all I hope you will join the challenge and show us how the sketch inspired you.   

Peaches and Cream Birthday Card

Look at the yummy colors of this card.  Don't they just make you think peaches and cream!  

All of the papers  used to make the card are from a DCWV stack I have had for a good while.  I just love the sweet soft colors.  I used the Cricut Mother's Day cartridge to cute the flowers.  I also used two differenct Marthda Stewart corner and edge punches, as well as a leaf punch.  The card has a pretty pink ribbon at the top and a yummy honey colored ribbon and bow at the bottom.  The bow is enhanced with a vintage button amd rhinestone.  A few extra rhinestones were added to make it even more delicious.  And finially I used a Scrappy Mom's Happy Birthday stamp to complete the card.

Challenges

Mojo Monday #205   Sketch

The Shabby Tea Room   Pink, Peach, Green, Neutrals, and Handmade Flowers

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge   Birthday 

A Card for a Friend

Here is a card that was very easy to make.  And yet, I think it makes a not so simple statement.  The background is white cardstock that has been embossed in the Cuttlebug.  after embossing the card I inked it with a Colorbox pale moss green ink.  The circle was cut from the Elegant Edges cardtridge.And the leaves were cut with a Martha Stewart punch.  The papers used are from DCWV.  The card was finished with a pretty green satin ribbon and two Prima flowers.  

1000 Sheets of Paper Giveaway!

WOW!  how is this for a giveaway.  1000 sheets of paper will be given away over at A Thousand Sheets of Paper.  So head over there and check out the details.  Have a great day!

Expresso My Thanks

I am always in need of Thank You note cards.  So this week I thought I would make a few of them.  Here is one of my favorites.

The coffee pot along with the cup and saucer were cut from the From My Kitchen cartridge.  And the scalloped circle was cut from Elegant Edges.  I embossed the circle and inked it with Colorbox red ink.  And then added red Ric Rac to it.  All of the papers are from a DCWV kitchen stack.  For a little more color I added a red ribbon and bow along with some red gems.  The stamp is from Crafty Secrets Clear Art Stamps.   

I will be posting some more Thank You notes later in the week.  So, come back and see the others.  

Challenge

Paper Cutz Challenge   Color Challenge, turquoise, red, black and white

Celebrate The Occasion #26

Welcome!  And I hope you are enjoying your day.  This week Design Team B members over at Celebrate The Occasion  are creating some fantastic surprises for you.  The challenge this week is BIRTHDAY EASEL CARDS.  I just love making different shapes and kinds of cards.  I especially love the many different kinds of easel cards.  So this week I have created a triple twisted easel card.

One of my friends who I also teach with had a birthday this past weekend.  There was a birthday dinner for her at a local restaurant.  Everyone was taking her a birthday card.  So this was my card for her.  I created my message on the computer, cut it out, and glued it to the back of the card. 

When the card is standing, the message can be easily read as seen below.

Here is what the card looks lie when lying flat .

And this is what it looks like folded and lying flat.

Isn't it a fun card.  All of the paper I used to make the card is from a stack called "I Love Baking" from The Paper Studio.  It is such a fun stack that includes 2 alphabets, icon and word stickers, and also, tag and border stickers.  The cherries are cut from a piece of glitter paper from AC Specialty.  

Make sure you go over to Celebrate The Occasion and see what all of the wonderful DT members created.  But most of all, please join us in the BIRTHDAY EASEL CARD challenge this week.

Here is a quick tutorial on how to make this  twisted easel card. 

You will need 1 sheet of 12" x 12" paper.  First cut a 4" strip from one side of the paper.  You will then have one 12" x 8" piece,  and one 12" x 4" piece of paper.  Cut the 12" x 4" into three 4" squares.

Now, take the 12" x 8" piece and place it on a score board with the 8" side at the top.  The score the paper at 4" which is the center of the paper.  

Now turn the paper where the 12" side is at the top of the score board and score at 4" and 8".  Then cut on the 4" and 8" lines down to the center fold.   

Fold each of the three top parts of the paper from corner to corner to form three triangles.  These will be the easels of the card. 

Glue the three 4" squares to the triangle easels, and you are set!  I hope this helps.  It is truly an easy card to make and yet it is so much fun to create and give to a friend!

Thanks for dropping by!  Have fun making your cards.

Challenge

Fantabulous Cricut   A Piece of Cake

Back to School I Went

Oh my goodness, how fast the summer vacation went by.  Last week I returned to school and now have a brand new class of kindergarteners.  It is just amazing the difference in the maturity of the kids I left in May compared to the maturity level of the news ones I meet at the beginning of the year.  I always have to remind myself how much younger and less mature the children are at the beginning of the school year.

This year I have 19 children in my class.  This is the largest class I have taught in over 25 years.  Our district us fortunate to have a great base of local funds, so typically class size is small.  For some reason, this year is going to be a little different.  An I will be a little more tired at the end of the day. The children are all adorable and I look forward to getting to know them and watch them grow and learn this year.  Here  are a couple of photos of the name tags and name plates I made for them.

These little name tags were made with the Elegant Edges cartridge.  And the little boy and girl were cut from the A Child's Year cartridge.  I just love the look of them.  And on the same note, here are the name plates I made for their tables.

Sorry about the glare from the lighting.  But I do love the look of  all of the cuts on the A Child's Year cartridge.  I just had to find a way to use them, and so glad that I did.  Another little thing I did using a Cricut cartridge is on my calendar board.  

Check out the sunglasses that identify the days yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  I used the Forever Young cartridge to cut these and the Plantin Schoolhouse  for the font.  Aren't they fun!!!  We are off to a great start this year!  Have a good week everyone.

Challenge

My Sheri Crafts   Back to School

A Strawberry Birthday Card

Today, I took my mom shopping, and then worked in my classroom at  school.  I cannot believe I will officially be back there Monday.  Summer vacation is not long enough.  I found out a friend of our family is in critical care and may possibly have TB.  I cannot imagine how he may have gotten that.  He is elderly and works out of his home as a day trader.   I came home to a flood in two rooms. So I turned around and went back to my parents house.  Jack and Magnolia are staying there until all is back to normal here.  Ruby is with me.  And we are back home. What a mess!

So I had to do something to get my mind off all that is going on around here.  I made this sweet birthday card for a sweet friend.

The base of the card I embossed with the Cuttlebug

I used the Cricut cartridges Preserves and Elegant Edges for the cuts. The papers I chose for the card are from DCWV and Colorbok.  They were inked with a Tim Holtz tea dyed ink pad.  I added a little dot of glitter glue to the center of each flower. The ribbon on the card is a pale sheer gold.  But it appears brown in the photo.  It is one of my favorite ribbons.  And the "Happy Birthday" sentiment is from a Scrappy Mom's Stamp set.  After I had finished the card, I decided the strawberries needed a little foam tape.  I think that really helped to make them pop.  I am quite pleased with the results.

Challenges

Cricut Cardz Challenge   "Tutti-Fruitti"  use fruit

The Shabby Tearoom   "Mix and Match"  use three different patterned papers

My Craft Spot   "You Make Me Smile"  Let someone know you are thinking about them

Die Cuttin Divas  Garden... Fruit or Vegetable

Great News for Ruby!

Today we went to the vet for what I hoped would be the last heart worm screening. AND IT WAS!!!! They are all gone. Ruby is in excellent health. She has even gained 1 ounce. In her world, this is big! She is happy, loves to play, never barks, and follows directions. As the shelter description on Petfinder said of her,"A MORE POLITE DOG, YOU'LL NEVER FIND. Who could ask for anything more. I am not looking back on her miserable neglected life. We are moving forward

Sailboat Card

Today I made this little card for a friend.

 It has an ivory card base that has been inked with Tim Holtz antique lenin.  All of the papers I used to make the card are from the DCWV Mango Frost stack.  They were all inked with a Color Box bronze stamp.  The scalloped circles and triangles were cut from the Birthday Bash cartridge.  And the sailboat was cut from Gypsy Wanderings.
To embellish the card I used three little bronze metal stickers and a tan paper ribbon and bow.  The sentiment stamp is from the Scrappy Moms Stamps.

Challenges
Mojo Monday   sketch 
Cooking With Cricut   sailboat

Cooking With Crivut Guest Designer

WOW!  I cannot tell you how excited I was when I got the invitation to be a Guest Designer over at Cooking with Cricut.  I had to read it a second time before I could believe it.  I have been visiting Cooking With Cricut for quite some time.  And more often than not, I am participating in their challenges.  They are always so much fun and the "Chefs" are always cooking up something delicious!

As a guest designer, I have been asked to feature one of my favorite cricut cartridges.  And that is QUARTER TIME.  As a vocalist, with a degree in music, I feel like the Quarter Note cartridge was created just for me!  I have such a love for music and think that it is so over looked in our education system.      Music is the Universal Language.  No matter what our differences are, music can be loved and understood by all.  So, as a kindergarten teacher I make sure that music, and all the fine arts are in the forefront!  Now, without preaching any more, here is what I have created for you.

I just love this phrase,"Where words fail, music speaks".  And the piano and little girl have such a bit of whimsy to them. I just love them.

  I used K&Co paper to create the card, with the exception of the metallic gold.  It is an AC Specialty paper.

 The little Recollections flourishes, I found on sale at Michaels.  I only wish I had purchased more. The fabric flowers are from Prima.  And I finished the card with ribbons from my stash.

This next card is made with one of the gorgeous roses from the Quarter Note cartridge.

  I used K&Co. paper for this card along with a stamp from Hampton Art.

  I added Recollections flourishes some of my favorite sheer ribbon.  JoAnn's has a large supply of this ribbon in many colors at a very reasonable price.

This next card is a very simple card.  It has a cut from the Quarter Note cartridge that reminds me of a street performer in New Orleans' French Quarter.

I used DCWV papers and a few gems from Recollections.  The sentiment is stamp from KAndres's Designs Positive Thinking set.   They are great stamps, made right here in the good old USA, with $1.00 from each set going charity.

Using musicians again, I created this Christmas card.  

I began creating this card by embossing the base paper with the Cuttlebug and a music folder.  I then did some inking to it with a Tim Hioltz stamp.  The sentiment is from a collection of holiday stamps from The Oriental Trading Company.  I just think it is the perfect sentiment for this card.  The papers used to make this card came from my scraps. I chose not to add any additional things to the card, because I wanted the embossing to be a focal point.  

And now here is my last card made with the Quarter Note cartridge.  This cartridge has a lovely font on it.  So I used the font to make a monogram note card.  

The label on the card is a cut from the Preserves cartridge.  And the font is from Quarter Note.  I used the divine swirls embossing folder on the top layer of the label. These papers are from Recollections.  Just a simple note card, with a touch of loveliness.  

Now, if you do not have the Quarter Note cartridge, you may want to take another look at it.  It has something on it for everyone, not just music lovers like me.  

Let me say again to all the wonderful chefs at Cooking With Cricut, "Thank you for allowing me to "come cook in your kitchen".  I have had such a great time.  I am one of your biggest fans.  So I say to everyone.  Go visit Cooking With Cricut.  You too will be hooked! 

Challenge

Fantabulous Cricut  friendship

Getting Cricky   positive thinking

  

Celebrate The Occasion #24

Welcome to the Celebrate The Occasion challenge for this week.  I am so excited to be apart of such a fun and talented design team.  Last week Team #! brought you some wonderful designs using the colors blue and white.  Well, this week Team #2 will be featuring some great projects for you.  Our theme this week is a Kid's Birthday.  Isn't that a fun theme!!  What child doesn't like to get birthday cards!  Here is what I created.

This is a A2 size card.  The little dog is a cut from the Paisley cartridge, and the little mouse is from the Birthday Bash cartridge.  I cut the balloons from Celebrations.   All of the papers used to make this card are from My Minds Eye.  The sentiment "Celebrate" is a 3D clear sticker from The ColorBok.  And the little gems are from Recollections.  I just love sheer ribbon.  This is a hot pink ribbon from Michaels.  It looks red in the photo, but it is really a fabulous hot pink!!

Please join us this week and show us what great ideas you have for a Kid's Birthday!   

Lots of Exciting News

I just am so excited for so many reasons.  My Hey Cupcake card was showcased on Die Cuttin Divas   It was also a top 3 card on Fantabulous Cricut Challenge.  Tomorrow my first project as a design team member will be posted on  the Celebrate the Occasion challenge blog.  And tomorrow I will be the guest designer oner at Cooking With Cricut!!  How exciting is that!!

Now, here is my other exciting news.  Last week I linked up to  She's a Sassy Lady.  There was a great giveaway going on.  And guess what,  I WON!!!  And guess what else, Shelia, The Sassy Lady lives right here where I do.  We live about 15 to 20 minutes from each other.  We had never met.  But, today, I went to visit her at her office, and now we know we are goiing to be good friends.  We have scrapping plans for the future.  Take a look at the great giveaway I won.

  

Here we are, having a great visit!

Last month while in Chicago, I met and had lunch with another member of the She's a Sassy Lady design team.  Audrey, who is so sweet and talented was kind enough to meet me for lunch and some fun on Michigan Ave.  And here we are.  

As the song goes, "Its a Small World After All".