OK, I've been holding in this awesome news for a week now and I'm excited to finally be able to share it with all of you! I've been chosen to be on the design team for Made Especially by You! This awesome challenge blog hosts some of the best and creative challenges around! So if you haven't been by, go check it out!
Another exciting perk of working on this challenge blog is getting to work alongside some amazingly creative chicas! Along with Ms. Ashley herself, take a moment and look at these blogs and prepare to be wowed.
We've got some great challenges coming up for the month of February so I hope you will all follow and play along!
Until next time, Happy Crafting!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
I am SO excited and honored to receive my first ever blog award! The very talented Ashley at Made Especially For You honored me with the Liebster Blog Award!
"The origins of the Liebster Blog award are somewhat unclear but the general consensus is that it originated in Germany, Liebster meaning favorite or dearest, to showcase bloggers with fewer than 200 followers. Upon accepting the award the recipient must then pass it on to five more blogs of note."
"The origins of the Liebster Blog award are somewhat unclear but the general consensus is that it originated in Germany, Liebster meaning favorite or dearest, to showcase bloggers with fewer than 200 followers. Upon accepting the award the recipient must then pass it on to five more blogs of note."
Thank you so much, Ashley!!!
Here are the rules:
1- Choose FIVE up and coming blogs to award the Liebster to. Blogs must have less than 200 followers.
2- Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
3-Post the award on your blog. List the bloggers you gave the award to with links to their sites
I know five really talented ladies whose blog I am often wowed by when I visit.
- Rachel - Love and Sushi
- Traci- Cricut Junkie
- Carla- Carla's Scrappy Tales
- Hanneke- Hanneke's Hobby Corner
- Sharla- This Thing Called Life
All these ladies are extremely crafty and creative and I really hope other people will be able to enjoy their creations too! I love how wonderful and supportive this crafting community is!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Today's creation is a friendship card I made for one of my bests, Kevin. I met him on the first day of our college orientation and it didn't take long to realize that he was going to be a pretty big part of my life. Looking back, almost every single amazing college memory I have includes him and while we don't get to see each other as often as I'd like, it's nice to know that if I need him, he'll be there.
This card is being entered in Made Especially For You's weekly challenge which is to create a friendship card. The design team made some pretty amazing cards. I really loved Eileen's and Amber's. This is what I came up with.
I took a piece of teal card stock for the base of the card. The flower pattern (which is sparkly but you can't really tell by this picture) was put on top. I know some people cut in a fancy pattern but I really just cut in a random loopy way and stuck it on there. The picture is from the Cricut cartridge Nursery Rhymes which is a really nice one. I wish I could incorporate it more into my crafts. I stamped the sentiment on the bottom and topped it off with three small jewels.
There's still some time to join on the fun, so zoom on over and add yours!
Til next time, Happy Crafting!
This card is being entered in Made Especially For You's weekly challenge which is to create a friendship card. The design team made some pretty amazing cards. I really loved Eileen's and Amber's. This is what I came up with.
I took a piece of teal card stock for the base of the card. The flower pattern (which is sparkly but you can't really tell by this picture) was put on top. I know some people cut in a fancy pattern but I really just cut in a random loopy way and stuck it on there. The picture is from the Cricut cartridge Nursery Rhymes which is a really nice one. I wish I could incorporate it more into my crafts. I stamped the sentiment on the bottom and topped it off with three small jewels.
There's still some time to join on the fun, so zoom on over and add yours!
Til next time, Happy Crafting!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
I don't know about you, but I have a certain routine I get into when crafting and it almost always involves blasting Disney music. I'm a big addict. Huge. Beyond the point of no return really. When I'm not crafting, I'm roaming Disney blogs, podcasts, Jetblue's website checking out flight deals, etc. Through the Disney community, I have met many awesome people and have gotten to talk to almost twice as many. I am going to try and start incorporating more Disney into my crafts soon enough.
Walking down the line at Michael's can be tricky. So many $1 deals can sure add up, but when I saw some seashell stamps, I pounced on them. One stamp inspired the following card (can you guess the Disney character I'm referring to?)
If you guessed that sassy yet deadly villainess, Ursula, then you would be correct! For this card, I used the colors that are associated with the sea witch- purple and black. I took a piece of black card stock and used a folder with my Cuttlebug that reminded me of waves. The seashell stamp was embossed using yellow glitter so that it would closely resemble the shell Ursula used to store Ariel's voice and then later used as Vanessa to lure Prince Eric away. Just to add something more, I used a very thin purple ribbon I found. I was going to put some song lyrics on the cover, but I thought it would look too cluttered.
I decided to send this card to Ms. Dana whose blog The Dragyn's Lair is one I often read. She shares my love for Ursula, so I knew this card had to go to her.
Until next time, Happy Crafting!
Walking down the line at Michael's can be tricky. So many $1 deals can sure add up, but when I saw some seashell stamps, I pounced on them. One stamp inspired the following card (can you guess the Disney character I'm referring to?)
If you guessed that sassy yet deadly villainess, Ursula, then you would be correct! For this card, I used the colors that are associated with the sea witch- purple and black. I took a piece of black card stock and used a folder with my Cuttlebug that reminded me of waves. The seashell stamp was embossed using yellow glitter so that it would closely resemble the shell Ursula used to store Ariel's voice and then later used as Vanessa to lure Prince Eric away. Just to add something more, I used a very thin purple ribbon I found. I was going to put some song lyrics on the cover, but I thought it would look too cluttered.
I decided to send this card to Ms. Dana whose blog The Dragyn's Lair is one I often read. She shares my love for Ursula, so I knew this card had to go to her.
Until next time, Happy Crafting!
Monday, January 23, 2012
First off, I'd like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has followed me, commented on my posts and even offered some tips and advice! It's so very appreciated!
Onto today's creation. I recently bought a stamp that reminded me of the layout of this blog. One day I was just playing around with different color stamp pads. I wasn't thinking anything specific. Sometimes I just sit and play with colors and see what I get. As always, I reached for my distress ink first. Well, this is what I got-->
I decided to send this simple hello to my friend Jen who is also getting into crafts. She will soon be a proud owner of a Cricut and hopefully, we can have crafting parties. We're dorks but we don't care!
Onto today's creation. I recently bought a stamp that reminded me of the layout of this blog. One day I was just playing around with different color stamp pads. I wasn't thinking anything specific. Sometimes I just sit and play with colors and see what I get. As always, I reached for my distress ink first. Well, this is what I got-->
I decided to send this simple hello to my friend Jen who is also getting into crafts. She will soon be a proud owner of a Cricut and hopefully, we can have crafting parties. We're dorks but we don't care!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Today, NYC finally saw some snow (in a normal winter month and not friggin' October!) and while many people were happy to see Mother Nature finally cooperating with the seasons, most NYers weren't.... My boyfriend, however, was not complaining. He is one of the only people I know who loves the snow/ cold weather. He is not a fan of the sweltering heat of summer time so once the temperature drops, his mood soars.
In honor of that (and because I haven't made the poor guy anything in a long time) I made him a snow card. Fortunately there were three challenges that fit perfectly with this card.
1. Laurie from Hiding in My Craft Room is having a Super Scraps Saturday challenge where you can use bits of paper and such left over from other projects. I have so much random scraps left over from my Christmas cards that this challenge was perfect for me. Check out the awesome card she came up with!
2. Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog #94 Snow Fun. This challenge says to use either snowflakes or a snowman in your project. Again, using Christmas leftovers for this one too. Their design team came up with some awesome projects. I especially love Amy Jo's, and guest designers Larelyn's and Sherrie's.
3. My Craft Spot Challenge #41 Snow Much Fun! This one asks you to incorporate snowmen, snowflakes or anything having to do with snow. Candy's card especially jumped out at me. It's wonderful!
So onto what I made-->
For this card, I first used Broken China Distress Ink on the main card, rubbing a little harder on the edges. Then grabbing a piece of silver scrap, I used my snowflake Martha Stewart paper trimmer on all the ends. Using the Once Upon A Princess Cricut Cartridge, I cut the blue tag. I had this adorable snowman stamp that I hardly got to use so I stamped it using Versmark and embossed it with blue glitter.
Here's hoping you all enjoy the snow and if you don't, then you can join me in my sunshine and summer dreams!
Also, as you can see, I'm a big fan of challenges and I'm following a lot of Challenge blogs on blogger. A new blog has just cropped up and to spread the word, they are giving away a Disney/Pixar Cars cartridge. You must know that anything Disney related gets my vote! Two bffs combined their crafy powers to create Krafty Girls so check them out!
Until next time, Happy Crafting!
In honor of that (and because I haven't made the poor guy anything in a long time) I made him a snow card. Fortunately there were three challenges that fit perfectly with this card.
1. Laurie from Hiding in My Craft Room is having a Super Scraps Saturday challenge where you can use bits of paper and such left over from other projects. I have so much random scraps left over from my Christmas cards that this challenge was perfect for me. Check out the awesome card she came up with!
2. Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog #94 Snow Fun. This challenge says to use either snowflakes or a snowman in your project. Again, using Christmas leftovers for this one too. Their design team came up with some awesome projects. I especially love Amy Jo's, and guest designers Larelyn's and Sherrie's.
3. My Craft Spot Challenge #41 Snow Much Fun! This one asks you to incorporate snowmen, snowflakes or anything having to do with snow. Candy's card especially jumped out at me. It's wonderful!
So onto what I made-->
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| Closer look at the embossed snow couple. |
For this card, I first used Broken China Distress Ink on the main card, rubbing a little harder on the edges. Then grabbing a piece of silver scrap, I used my snowflake Martha Stewart paper trimmer on all the ends. Using the Once Upon A Princess Cricut Cartridge, I cut the blue tag. I had this adorable snowman stamp that I hardly got to use so I stamped it using Versmark and embossed it with blue glitter.
Here's hoping you all enjoy the snow and if you don't, then you can join me in my sunshine and summer dreams!
Also, as you can see, I'm a big fan of challenges and I'm following a lot of Challenge blogs on blogger. A new blog has just cropped up and to spread the word, they are giving away a Disney/Pixar Cars cartridge. You must know that anything Disney related gets my vote! Two bffs combined their crafy powers to create Krafty Girls so check them out!
Until next time, Happy Crafting!
Saturday, January 21, 2012
I haven't said this yet, but I am a HUGE Disney fan. (Just look at my Twitter feed to the right- it's mostly always Disney related) Surprisingly however, I have yet to make a Disney themed card... until now. When deciding who to make one for, the only person who stood out was one of my best friends- Stephen. He also shares my love for Disney and we have visited Disney World together once before with plans to return.
I got the Cricut cartridge, Dreams Come True which contains more modern Disney movies. Sadly, Scuttle was not available so I made him a Lumiere card. I decided for this first card, I wanted to keep it as simple as I could.
I embossed the red background and placed Lumiere on plain black card stock. That in itself looked too plain, so I took some yellow ribbon that felt more like twine for the sides. Now, in retrospect, I did not like this idea. Trying to get the twine to stick was near impossible. I used my ATG, then Zots and finally, good old fashioned glue. Yet for Jenny at Crazy About Cricut, she seems to have no problem when using her ATG gun. Ah well, you live, you learn.
The inside sentiment was cut from the Beyond Birthdays cartridge. At first I was going to say "You Light up my Life," but even I'm not that cheesy. =)
Until next time, happy crafting!
I got the Cricut cartridge, Dreams Come True which contains more modern Disney movies. Sadly, Scuttle was not available so I made him a Lumiere card. I decided for this first card, I wanted to keep it as simple as I could.
I embossed the red background and placed Lumiere on plain black card stock. That in itself looked too plain, so I took some yellow ribbon that felt more like twine for the sides. Now, in retrospect, I did not like this idea. Trying to get the twine to stick was near impossible. I used my ATG, then Zots and finally, good old fashioned glue. Yet for Jenny at Crazy About Cricut, she seems to have no problem when using her ATG gun. Ah well, you live, you learn.
The inside sentiment was cut from the Beyond Birthdays cartridge. At first I was going to say "You Light up my Life," but even I'm not that cheesy. =)
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| Stephen and I hanging with Mickey and Minnie at WDW last October. |
Until next time, happy crafting!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
One of my other hobbies that I haven't really indulged in for a long time is coloring. I have tons of Disney Princess coloring books hidden underneath piles of Secondary Education textbooks. In college, I used to color a lot and it was a wonderful way to calm down the stress in my all too tiny dorm room. Also, one of my best friend's mother loved to color as well. Sometimes when I would visit him for an old fashioned home cooked meal, his mom and I would color in the living room together and those lovely bouts of nostalgia came back to me a few days ago.
Simply Crafts is having a challenge that involved the Cricut Cartridge, Sweet Treats. The challenge dictates that you use the heart cupcake or something similar. When trying to think of someone who was incredibly sweet in my life, I thought of Mrs. Kelly and coloring and the cards she would mail to my campus mailbox so I had something to open.
I used a lot of bright colors and when I put it all together it looked like some Easter card. I felt like I needed to tone down the colors a little so Distress Ink to the rescue! I used Vintage Photo which is like my favorite color ink pad at this point. Even if you don't have the cartridge, you can still enter the challenge by simply making something that looks like the heart cupcake. Hope you join the fun!
I used a lot of bright colors and when I put it all together it looked like some Easter card. I felt like I needed to tone down the colors a little so Distress Ink to the rescue! I used Vintage Photo which is like my favorite color ink pad at this point. Even if you don't have the cartridge, you can still enter the challenge by simply making something that looks like the heart cupcake. Hope you join the fun!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
It's been awhile since my last update. I actually have been very busy making Valentine's Day cards for a very great cause. I urge you to take a look at Winter's website. She is collecting Valentine's Day cards from January 1st to the 31st and then will send them to children's hospitals including St. Jude's, Texas Children's Hospital, Vanderbilt Children's hospital and more. This is such an incredible cause and I hope all of you can take a moment and send some cards in. I haven't finished mine yet since I was trying to make at least 15 or so. When I finish them, I will post them.
This post is dedicated to two special celebrations I had the pleasure of taking part in yesterday. An old friend of mine from college is getting married and last night was his engagement party. I finally got the chance to meet his fiance and she was the sweetest girl ever! You could tell just how in love they are and being the hopeless romantic that I am, stuff like that just makes me giddy.
To celebrate this union, I turned to my trusty Cricut and used the Sweethearts cartridge which is one of my favorites. Instead of using different colors and cutting the birds out a million times, I tried using colored pencils, which to be honest, I wasn't very happy about. I need better pencils. In the end, I felt like it needed something else, so I added three jewel embellishments. (I'm learning from all these websites that sometimes simple is perfect!)
But the engagement party was also doubling as a birthday party for my friend Allen. I met Allen through Joe and he was a very nice and funny guy. My best friend Monique is a cook extraordinaire (trust me! Check out her website!) and she baked Red Velvet cupcakes with cheesecake filling and they were a big hit. I'm sad I didn't snap a photo of them.
When creating Allen's birthday card, I tried remembering something special about him. He was an early education teacher so I wanted to create a card I thought an eight year old would like. For this card, I ventured into the Birthday Bash cartridge for the first time. The crocodile was fun but the tiny triangles proved tricky on the top. I used tweezers for the first time ever! I also didn't want to simply put him on a very busy looking print, so I used my Cuttlebug on plain red paper, keeping with my circle theme.
Next up will probably be my Valentine's Day cards, but who knows? There are some great challenges out there I'm dying to try!
Til next time, Happy Crafting!
This post is dedicated to two special celebrations I had the pleasure of taking part in yesterday. An old friend of mine from college is getting married and last night was his engagement party. I finally got the chance to meet his fiance and she was the sweetest girl ever! You could tell just how in love they are and being the hopeless romantic that I am, stuff like that just makes me giddy.
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| Joe and Stephanie truly are the perfect pair. |
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| I used Zots to create the 3D effect with the birds. |
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| The birthday boy, Allen with the lovely baker, Monique. |
Next up will probably be my Valentine's Day cards, but who knows? There are some great challenges out there I'm dying to try!
Til next time, Happy Crafting!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Tonight's card is for my best friend, Christine. Due to a sickness in her family, I haven't been able to see her as much as I would like so I wanted to send her a card to say hello. I chose the cup because Chris is a big fan of both coffee and tea. I chose the sentiment, "be happiness itself" by Buddha because she is constantly looking to center and better herself whether it be through meditation or prayer.
Ingredients: I used the Antique Linen Distress Ink for the inside of the card and softly padded Vintage Photo on the edges. The teacup was cut from the Disney Dreams Come True cartridge and I used Zots to give it that 3-D look. To end it, I spritzed some Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearl Mist. (I sooo love the finished look it gives to my cards!)
I will be entering Christine's card in two fun challenges. If you make cards, then I think you should join too!
Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog #92 – Warming Up with Hot Cocoa. The rules were to use a cup or chocolate or even the color brown on your project. Some of these designs by the team of ladies are nuts! Like Suzanne's, Beckie's or Cathie's.
Hiding in My Craft Room #27 - Freestyle! For a newbie like myself, this kind of challenge is great! Laurie showcased a lovely card she made with some really pretty paper.
Ingredients: I used the Antique Linen Distress Ink for the inside of the card and softly padded Vintage Photo on the edges. The teacup was cut from the Disney Dreams Come True cartridge and I used Zots to give it that 3-D look. To end it, I spritzed some Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearl Mist. (I sooo love the finished look it gives to my cards!)
I will be entering Christine's card in two fun challenges. If you make cards, then I think you should join too!
Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog #92 – Warming Up with Hot Cocoa. The rules were to use a cup or chocolate or even the color brown on your project. Some of these designs by the team of ladies are nuts! Like Suzanne's, Beckie's or Cathie's.
Hiding in My Craft Room #27 - Freestyle! For a newbie like myself, this kind of challenge is great! Laurie showcased a lovely card she made with some really pretty paper.
Monday, January 2, 2012
So I've been reading some really awesome craft blogs lately and it seems that every other week there is a new challenge! I really wanted to try some and while I am nowhere near as experienced as some of these ladies, I figure, practice makes perfect!
The first challenge is for Cards by Jovan. This talented lady challenged folks to create a card with a New Years theme. You should check them out because the entries she's gotten so far are pretty amazing. (I especially loved her fireworks card!)
I'm also entering this card over at Cricut Creative Cutter Room. Cathie has some amazingly creative projects (yay for the Disney themed ones!) and this challenge is an Anything Goes challenge, but you had to use sparkle or glitter of some kind.
So this is what I came up with.
The first challenge is for Cards by Jovan. This talented lady challenged folks to create a card with a New Years theme. You should check them out because the entries she's gotten so far are pretty amazing. (I especially loved her fireworks card!)
I'm also entering this card over at Cricut Creative Cutter Room. Cathie has some amazingly creative projects (yay for the Disney themed ones!) and this challenge is an Anything Goes challenge, but you had to use sparkle or glitter of some kind.
So this is what I came up with.
Here is what I used to make it. I had a star stamp that I spread all over the card. Then I cut out 2012 using glitter black card stock. I used embossing ink and blue glitter for the sentiment. Then I used Stickles (for the first time!) on random stars all over the card. From what I read online, Stickles are pretty addicting and I must agree because they were a nice touch in the end.
So there you go- my first attempt at a card challenge. Like I said though, I have a lot to learn still, but I'm definitely enjoying the ride!
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