Santa Is Watching

Hello friends! Welcome to my Christmas project for The Merry Christmas Challenge Blog, where every challenge, every week, is an Anything Goes Christmas challenge.  I am on the tinsel team - we like to sparkle and shine(!) - and will be posting every-other Wednesday.

I recently tried something new on my Christmas cards - I tried adding Cricut cuts to embellish vintage images on a card.  I have to say that I am enjoying this change!  In fact, I have printed and cut three of my vintage image cards in mass quantities in order to assemble them this weekend at a card making get away.  I plan to finish assembling the majority of the cards I will be mailing out.

Today's vintage image, and any other vintage images I may use, was found on Pinterest.  I have actually created a board of vintage Christmas images and Christmas cards.   

In addition to my sweet vintage image, I used the following Cricut cartridges to create the elements used on this card:

Close To My Heart Art Philosophy for the ornament card shape

Anna's Elegant Embellishments for the pink doily mat

Anna's Holiday Home Decor for the poinsettia (currently favorite poinsettia)

Wrap it up for the red paper ribbon

I used a light gray ink on the edges of the card, flowers, and ribbon.  I used White Opal Liquid Pearls on the doily.  I finished the card with pink seam binding ribbon.

If you have not already done so, you should definitely drop by The Merry Christmas Challenge Blog and check out the Christmas cards created by the rest of the design team.  And please feel free to link your Christmas card creation to the blog!

Dashing Through the Snow

Hello friends! Welcome to this week's Bitten By the Bug 2 Cricut Challenge.  This week's Cricut challenge theme is ROAD TRIP.  I chose an imaginary road trip to feature on my project, Mickey Mouse's Christmas Road Trip!  

I have been working furiously on Christmas cards, trying to get them all finished early this year.  The Road Trip challenge seemed like a nice opportunity to get yet one more card completed.  

I chose the car from Mickey Mouse and Friends for my road trip transportation.  I then stuffed the car full of festive trimmings to make Mickey's Christmas as merry as can be, with cuts from Anna's Christmas Cards and Embellishments 2 and Paper Trimmings. I finished the card with the wreath and dots cuts and the phrase, Dashing Through the Snow.

I cannot wait to see YOUR Road Trip projects.  Link up with us at Bitten By the Bug 2 this week for your chance to win our Project of the Week blog button.  

CLOSE MY HEART

October has one of my favorite Stamp of the Month stamp set every single year, and this October Stamp of the Month does not disappoint. 

O

Get This Stamp for Only $5

October: Christmas Tunes

only available Oct. 1–31, 2017

Get the Stamp of the Month for only $5 when you order $50 in Close To My Heart products.

October is also a great month for this fabulous fall Workshop Your Way card making kit,  Happy Day Cardmaking Kit. The kit contains all of the materials to create 12 complete cards, including embellishments.  There is also a complimentary downloadable Workshop guide.

BIRTHDAY CHEERS!

Hello friends! Welcome to this week's Bitten By the Bug 2 Cricut Challenge.  Each week a theme or specific cut is selected by a Design Team member and the BBTB2 team creates inspirational projects to inspire you to use your Cricut.  You are also invited to join our weekly challenge, with rules posted on the BBTB2 blog.

This week's Bitten By the Bug 2 Challenge theme was selected by our very talented Design Team member, Laurie.  Laurie selected the theme, It's Beer and Pizza Day!  And as we have several birthday men in my family during the fall, I created this Beer Stein birthday card!

I used five Cricut cartridges on this card:  Close To My Heart Artiste, Germany, European Tour, Wild Card, and Basic Shapes.  The basic card shape came from the Artiste cartridge, though I did use the cut and weld features to modify the card shape to suit my project.  The word Birthday also came from the Artist cartridge.

The Beer Stein came from the Germany cartridge.  I did add the castle, Neuschwanstein, to the front of the stein - from the European Tour cartridge.  I also added strips of gold glitter cardstock to enhance the stein.  In addition to using Cricut Basic shapes, the word Cheers! came from the Wild Card cartridge.

Have you already been by the Bitten By the Bug 2 blog this week?  The design created some really fun Beer and Pizza Day projects.  I do hope that you go take a look and that you too will join us in this week's creative and fun challenge.

CLOSE MY HEART

October has one of my favorite Stamp of the Month stamp set every single year, and this October Stamp of the Month does not disappoint. 

O

Get This Stamp for Only $5

October: Christmas Tunes

only available Oct. 1–31, 2017

Get the Stamp of the Month for only $5 when you order $50 in Close To My Heart products.

October is also a great month for this fabulous fall Workshop Your Way card making kit,  Happy Day Cardmaking Kit. The kit contains all of the materials to create 12 complete cards, including embellishments.  There is also a complimentary downloadable Workshop guide.

Baby Shower Projects

Hello friends! Two Saturdays ago I had a baby shower for my son and wonderful daughter-in-law.  Their son is due in about a month (that will be my third grandchild, second grandson for those who are keeping count), and we thought a month out was good shower timing.

Knowing they are having a boy, I went with a baby nautical theme.  I purchased some of our party decor and serving accessories, but I also used my trusty Cricut (with Design Space) and crafted several of the decorations, as well as the invitations.

The small sailboats above were the party favors.  They were made using a hexagon cut, sliced in half, and the sail section of a sailboat.  Add a bit of Design Space welding and a bit of Design Space slicing, and voila!  

I filled the boats with custom covered (yes, I made the chocolate wraps) Hershey nuggets which read, "Ahoy! It's a boy!"

I made two paper banners to use at the shower.  The first was this cute baby boy sailor banner.  It was Avaleigh's favorite because it had "babies."

The second was a sailboat and anchor banner that I placed over the drink station on our antique cabinet.  Crissie and Aaron took this banner to use in the baby's beach themed nursery.

I used disposable paper products for the party (though it pained me to do so as I am a "use real plates and glasses" kind of woman).  The main reason I went with disposable plates, napkins, and solo cups, was to match my color scheme.  I added a bit of decoration to the red solo cups by adding vinyl cut anchors to the tumblers.  My paper crafting friends who attended the shower did note the detail!

I used these mini popcorn boxes (via Amazon) to add a bit of pop to the serving plates.  I added the chips to the popcorn boxes, with dip on the side.  In the right rear is the nautical cupcake tower - also purchased.

I downloaded some free nautical printables and used them in several places.  All of the food and drink labels were personalized and printed.

Another of the printables is visible behind Crissie in the photo below. It was a simple printed banner.  In this photo, taken after ALL of the gifts had been opened, Crissie is opening her "diaper cake", which isn't a cake at all.

The diaper cake is actually a diaper ship!  Very in keeping with our nautical theme!

Because I forgot to take photos until the very end (duh), I missed a lot of the guests.  

But someone did snap a couple of photos of me with two of my girlfriends!  I love these women!

This a photo of the dining room BEFORE all of the food was placed.  We served sliders, chips, veggies, chocolates, cupcakes, drinks and at the end, banana split "boats" for an ice cream sundae bar.

I will be back on Monday morning with this week's Bitten by the Bug 2 challenge!

Winter Wonderland Snow Friends Card

Hello friends! Welcome to my Christmas project for The Merry Christmas Challenge Blog, where every challenge, every week, is an Anything Goes Christmas challenge.

This week I crafted a feminine Christmas Card which features a cut out vintage image layered in Cricut cuts.  The background matting is pink blush on a medium pink cardstock.  A triple layer lace cut from the Edge to Edge 2 cartridge spans the card background. A Christmas Tree of sorts, from the CTMH Flower Market cartridge, adds height and contrast to the card layout.  The vintage image is matted on Champagne cardstock. Greenery from Flower Market and a poinsettia from Anna's Holiday Home Decor cartridge embellish the left side of the card.  The top layer cuts are both from the Flower Market cartridge, still one of my favorite cartridges, the star pennant and the fabulous Winter Wonderland banner.

I used white or light gray ink on the cut images.  I added gel pen snow dots  to some cuts and finished the entire card with a fan brush dipped in white ink to simulate snow fall. The finishing touch was the pearl in the poinsettia.

I should not blow my own horn, but I love this card!!

If you have not be introduced to The Merry Christmas Challenge Blog, this is your chance to embrace the "all Christmas, all of the time" blog. Create your Christmas project then link up with us at TMCCB.