Reasons We Love Mom Gift

As a child I always loved sifting through my mom’s purse looking at all of her “treasures.” Her sunglasses, wallet, checkbook, lipstick, candy …it was a magical world of grown-up fun. Grandma’s purse was the same way. Grandma always had a stick of gum to share and usually brought along a roll of Ritz crackers and squeeze cheese for the grandkids. So when I was brainstorming about a fun way to package treats for a mom this Mother’s Day, I naturally thought of purses!

I used the BasicGrey Mint Julep collection to cut out this purse on my Silhouette Cameo. Such pretty feminine papers in this collection! The purse file is from SVGAttic and can be found HERE. The flower is included as part of the file. The leaves are from a Christmas set by SVG Cuts. I used one of the Mint Julep stitched brads as the flower center.

I accented the purse’s handle with  a border sticker and made a tag out of one of the stickers from the Mint Julep Elements Sticker Sheet.

When you open up the purse you will find a pocket containing a little card for mom.

I filled the purse with “Riesen” candies (I found these at Dollar Tree) and then wrapped each candy with a strip of pretty patterned paper. On the inside of the patterned paper we wrote all the REASONS we love mom/grandma and why we think she is so SWEET. (Can you tell I love punny gifts?!   )

This gift would be so fun to give mom or grandma … or even a close girlfriend any time during the year!

Thanks for letting me share!

Teacher Appreciation Gift!

I’m up again on the My Mind’s Eye Blog today for National Teacher Day and I wanted to create something to give to my children’s teachers to show them how much we appreciate all their hard work throughout this past year. I’ve researched online and have asked several teacher friends what kinds of gifts they like to receive from their students and they always mention the same thing … GIFT CARDS! But giving a gift card can seem “last-minute” and impersonal. To avoid that stigma, I decided to dress up the gift card by packaging it in a fun way. I pulled out the My Mind’s Eye Boy Crazy collection and got to work!

I used my Silhouette Cameo and the Ice Cream Truck from this cut file set by SVGCuts to create a school bus gift box. I used the letter stickers from the My Mind’s Eye Find Your Wings and Fly collection to add the teacher’s name to the front of the bus and some words along the side. The characters from the Boy Crazy make cute passengers on the bus … and yes, I’m hoping that the teacher gets a chuckle out of me using an alien to represent the “kids.” Hehe!

The headlights were created with some glitter dome stickers I found at JoAnn’s awhile ago (Cloud 9). I used the Boy Crazy decorative buttons to accent the bus and create a flip out “stop sign” to keep the bus riders safe as they board and disembark for their stops.

The back of the bus box opens to reveal a library pocket containing the gift card and several handfuls of the delicious candy. The front of the pocket is decorated with an apple cut (Lettering Delights), a button and a bit of twine. I used my Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder to add some fun texture to the apple. Each candy gets some color with a strip of paper from the Boy Crazy 6 x 6 paper pad.

The other side of the bus is adorned with a mini banner (Boy Crazy decorative buttons). Enamel Dots from the same collection make perfect warning lights and wheel accents!

Thanks for taking a peek at my project! See you again soon!

Cuttlebug Anna Griffin Embossing Folders – ROSA

If you saw my post on my Embossing Folders binder awhile back, you may have guessed that I have a fierce obsession with collecting these little beauties. I love a good tool that I can use over and over, and I love pattern! Inexpensive tool + pattern = my love for embossing folders! They are the perfect way to add subtle interest to a piece of cardstock. I HEART them!!!

At the end of last year Cricut asked me to create several projects for a January HSN release using Cuttlebug Folders designed by Anna Griffin. They are GORGEOUS! They are sold out on the HSN site, but you can purchase the Anna Griffin Folders on Cricut.com HERE.

I thought I would take this week to share my projects with you that I created with three of these delicious folders. The photos of the projects aren’t the greatest, but hopefully you get the idea.

Today I’ll show you the projects I created with the ROSA FOLDER. If you’d like to see the others, I will be posting them over the next couple of days.

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Anna Griffin ROSA embossing folder

Cottage Gift Box with Fence

SUPPLIES:

Cricut Machines Used: Cricut Expression Electronic Cutting Machine, Cuttlebug Machine, Cricut Craft Room® Design Software

Cricut Cartridges Used: Cricut Winter Wonderland Cartridge, Cricut Spring Cottage Cartridge, Cricut Sweet Tooth Boxes Cartridge, Cricut Craft Room® Basics Exclusive

Cuttlebug Folders Used: Cuttlebug® 5” x 7” Embossing Folder & Border, Rosa

Other Supplies: 12″ x 24″ cutting mat, Pattern Paper (green polka dot, pink gingham, cream text), Cardstock (white, blue, soft aqua, pink, dark pink, moss), Vellum, Pearl Stickers( yellow, small white), Soft aqua mini button, Creamy Brown chalk ink, Adhesives, Foam squares

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Heart Bubble Layout

SUPPLIES:

Cricut Machines Used: Cricut® Expression Electronic Cutting Machine, Cuttlebug® Machine, Cricut Craft Room^® Design Software

Cricut Cartridges Used: Cricut® Plantin SchoolBook Cartridge, Cricut® Flower Shoppe Cartridge, Cricut® Sophie Cartridge, Cricut Craft Room® Exclusives, Word Bubbles

Cuttlebug Folders Used: Cuttlebug® 5” x 7” Embossing Folder & Border, Rosa

Other Supplies Used: Cardstock (white, bright pink, teal, orange, kraft), Patterned Paper (cream text, light blue, teal, multi-color), Journal card, Metal-rimmed tag, Buttons, Large Lt. Yellow ric rac, Twine, Embroidery floss, Brown chalk ink, Pinking shears, Paper piercer, Needle, Adhesive, Foam squares

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Wedding Shower Banner: This was a fun one to make! The background pennant is actually created with clear plastic that is embossed and dry brushed with white acrylic paint.

SUPPLIES:

Cricut Machines Used: Cricut^® Expression Electronic Cutting Machine, Cuttlebug^® Machine

Cricut Cartridges Used: Cricut^® Tie the Knot Cartridge

Cuttlebug Folders Used: Cuttlebug® 5” x 7” Embossing Folder & Border, Rosa

Other Supplies: Cricut® Deep Cut Blade Housing, Clear Presentation Covers, White gesso or acrylic paint, paper towels, Cardstock (white, aqua, green gray), Teal pearl stickers, 1/8″ eyelets, Eyelet setting tool, 1/8″ hole punch, Creamy Brown chalk ink, Adhesive, Foam squares

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See you again soon!

Spring Getaway and Easter Treat Bags

Last week my family and I spent time in beautiful California for a Spring getaway. The weather was perfect for standing in lines and we had a fabulous time!

The girls had fun wearing their green in the park on St. Patrick’s Day. Our favorite rides are Pirates of the Caribbean (we have to start and end our day with it every time), Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain and a new favorite in California Adventure, Radiator Springs Racers in Cars Land. Oh. My. Gosh!!!! This ride is too fun!!! It really feels like you are cruising down the freeway … I couldn’t believe how much the park felt like southern Utah. It was CRAZY COOL!

We also visited Sea World. What an AWESOME day looking at all of the different animals. I’m always amazed by the beauty of God’s creatures! My kids loved seeing Baby Shamu (just one month old) and watching the dolphins squirt water at the birds trying to steal their fish … but their favorite part was petting the sting rays.

Can you believe that Easter is just a few days away. I know! It has really snuck up on me this year and I am soooo not ready. We don’t have any huge plans, that I know of. So we will have a cozy Easter dinner here at home with the kids. I love the crisp white linens and china, but it always looks so plain … I crave color!!! I will pick up some tulips for the centerpiece, but I thought it would be fun to add an Easter Treat Bag to each of the place settings as well. My Cameo to the rescue! I LOVE this machine. Seriously! I found the most darling FREE bunny treat bag cut file at SVG Cuts. Download it HERE. Check out how cute they turn out!

I used the BEAUTIFUL My Mind’s Eye Collectable Memorable collection (the same collection I worked with in the layout in the last post). The colors in this collection are so soft, pretty and perfect for Spring projects.

I used Winter Wonderland twine to make each bunny a boy or a girl. The girl bunnies got a bow on their ear and the boys have a twine “bowtie” tied around their necks.

For their faces, I used a 1/4″ hole punch to punch out grey cardstock circles. Next, I added enamel dots for the pupils (from the Collectable collection). Their whiskers are stitched on with white embroidery floss. I just drew the mouth on with a black journling pen. Aren’t they sweet?!

Wishing you a blessed Easter!

Everyday Washi Tape

This past week was “Decorative Tape Week” on the My Mind’s Eye blog. For my post, I decided to share a few everyday uses for decorative tape that you may not have thought of before. There really are so many uses for the tapes, which makes them a versatile supply to have in your  stash! I especially like the splash of fun color they give everyday items around my house. Here are a few ideas that you might want to give a go!

DRESS UP MECHANICAL PENCILS

At the beginning of the school year, I bought each of my kids a  large pack of mechanical pencils. The barrel of the pencils are white  … which makes them the perfect canvas for some decorative tape fun.  Check out the pencils now!

Before: Plain Jane Pencils

After: Happy, Colorful Pencils! Yay!

ADD COLORFUL LABELS TO YOUR STORAGE CONTAINERS

I love using containers to organize my scrapbook supplies. But as  my stash grows and changes, I often switch around the contents to adapt  to my different needs. I needed a way quick and easy way to label my  containers that wouldn’t take a lot of time or be too permanent. Decorative tape to the rescue! The low tack adhesive  on the tapes make them ideal for this purpose. Here is what you will  need: your favorite My Mind’s Eye decorative tapes, a piece of  cardstock, a computer & printer, and a permanent marker.

First, type the words that you would like on your labels in a  clear, easy-to-read font. Print the words onto a sheet of cardstock.

Apply decorative tape over the words, centering the words top to  bottom. This is easy to do because of the tape’s semi-transparent  quality. Use a black permanent marker to trace the words onto the  decorative tape.

Finally, peel the tape off the paper and apply to your storage containers. Voilaaaa! Easy and FAST! … and CUTE to boot!

USE DECORATIVE TAPE TO REINFORCE 3-HOLE PUNCHED PAPERS

Recently, I created a study binder to use at church. I created a  divider for each monthly topic using cardstock and my Silhouette  Electronic Cutting Machine. The dividers are functional, but I know that over time the holes on each divider will begin to wear down and possibly tear. I needed a way to reinforce the holes, so I again pulled out my decorative tapes.

I ran a length of tape down both sides of the punched holes and  then used my craft knife to carefully trim the excess from the holes. I  love the fun punch of pattern the tapes add to my study book! Do I dare  say that the tape makes it more fun to study?

DECORATIVE TAPE STORAGE

While I love my decorative tapes, I needed a good way to store  them. Previously, they were all tossed in a box together, but I had to  dig through the box and I couldn’t easily find the colors or patterns I  needed. Here is a great way to store all of your decorative tapes using an upcycled cardboard, aluminum foil or wax paper container.

First, cut a wood dowel a little larger than the width of your  container. Next, use white gesso to paint the box and the dowel. Using a punched circle as a template (find a size that is slightly larger than  your dowel), trace the circle onto each end of the box. Use a craft knife to cut out the holes.

If desired, use patterned paper to line the inside of the box.  Decorate the outside of your box. I used decorative tapes and a label  that would indicate the colors inside the box.

Next, add your rolls of tape to the box, and insert the dowel  through the center of the box, threading the tapes on the dowel as you  go. The box stays closed with the help of a Sticky Back Velcro dot.

I love my box! My tapes are now stored neatly in my desk drawer by  color and the serrated edge of the box makes using the tapes a breeze!

Thanks for letting me share these ideas with you today! I hope you found some useful ways to use decorative tapes.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Love is in the Air!

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and we have had our Valentine “factory” going in full swing this week. We just finished up the cards and box tonight. Guess what?! I only had ONE kid that needed to make a Valentine box this year. I was actually a little sad. Valentine boxes were always my favorite thing to make as a child and now as a crafty adult, they are an excuse for me to get creative and have fun with it. Do you get into the Valentine box making? I told my kids that when they grow up, I will be happy to make all their kids Valentine boxes for them … it’s just too much fun!

Here is what we made Maryn. I used a Circus tent box cut file from SVG Cuts (Summer Street Carnival). I used my Cuttlebug machine to emboss some of the layers with two folders, Seeing Spots and a folder from the Decorative Tile set. The flat at the top is premade, I just added a couple of punched hearts and rhinestones for fun. Next, I adhered the circus tent to a flat box created from a cut file available in the Silhouette store. The gate and animals were then adhered to the base around the tent.

The gate was created with two paper straws. I made the banner with my Cricut Expression machine. The pennants are from the Birthday Bash cartridge, and the letters are from the Carousel cartridge. I used Cricut Craft Room to hide the inner contour of the letters to make them easier to cut. They letters were adhered to the pennants with foam dots and then strung together on red wire.

All of the cute animals are from the Cricut Birthday Bash cartridge. I used the Cuttlebug machine and the Swiss Dots embossing folder to add texture to some of the layers on the animals.

For the juggler, I cut out two circles for each ball. I then glued them together with a piece of wire in between to make it appear as though the balls were really flying through the air.

I usually create a seasonal home decor piece or two to freshen up our decorations each year. This time I found an abandoned white frame in our closet and decided to make a dimensional art piece using the My Mind’s Eye Lost & Found 3 Ruby collection. Here is how it came together.

I cut the pieces out using my Silhouette Cameo machine. I folded each heart in half and then used my sewing machine to zig zag stitch down the center.  I added a pop dot in between each layer as spacers so that the heart wouldn’t fall flat.

As a finishing touch I adhered a few Enamel Dots to look like paint spatters.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have a Happy Love Day!

Winter Cricut Projects

Last weekend, we were hit with a HUGE snowstorm. We received 24″ within 12 hours and school was cancelled the next morning. My kids were excited to be home from school and the girls ventured out to play for a bit.

Maryn LOVED the deep snow. Here she is *trying* to make it to the front door … she gave up halfway and came back.

Snow angels are a little hard to do in deep snow.

Cam wasn’t that big of a fan. She wasn’t feeling well and wanted to play so badly. But it was too darn cold. She took a few obligatory photos and then headed back inside with the dog.

In the spirit of snow, I thought I would share a few wintry projects for you that I created for Cricut awhile ago using the Snow Folks Cartridge.

HOT COCOA KIT

A clear craft paint can makes a cute container to make a hot cocoa kit with. Just layer together hot cocoa mix and marshmallows and add a tag with instructions. It’s sure to warm up someone’s day! Instructions and a Cricut Craft Room cut file can be found HERE on the Cricut.com website.

SLEDDING PARTY INVITATION 

Are you getting friends together for a sledding party soon? This window invitation would be a fun way to get everyone excited. Instructions and a Cricut Craft Room Cut File can be found HERE at the Cricut.com site.

I LOVE WINTER Scrapbook Page

This fun and happy snow page uses the Bella Blvd. Winter Wonder collection. I added a heart to the title block over the existing heart with the Doodlecharms cartridge. The heart and snowman are embossed with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, and the snowman’s sled gets a woodgrain texture with the Distress Stripes embossing folder. Instructions and a Cricut Craft Room Cut File for this project can be found HERE on the Cricut.com site.

Thanks for coming by today! I hope you are staying warm in your neck of the woods!

A Few Last Christmas Projects

I’ve been wrapped up in the bliss that is called the holiday season. Our Christmas was wonderful and cozy and I have loved every minute of it … well, except for the touch of flu I have been experiencing. But even that has been bearable knowing the kids and family have been enjoying Christmas.

Among the swirl of parties and celebrating, I have neglected to post a few last Christmas projects. And even though Christmas is old news now, I thought you still might like to see them.

Last year I decided to start doing the 12 Days of Christmas for my kids on the twelve days leading up to Christmas day. I created doorhangers last year, and decided that I wanted to do the same thing this year, but I wanted to make them slightly larger. I found this December Doorhanger file on SVG Cuts. It was perfect! I simply cut it out and added a few doodads. All supplies are leftover goodies I have from Christmas collections/kits from the past couple of years.

The great thing about this file is that you could cut it in wintry blues/purples/whites, place a goodie in side and then leave it on someone’s doorstep in January. I love when designs are versatile like that.

The Nutcracker comes from the Clara’s Christmas Eve set by SVG Cuts. I couldn’t wait to make him! He took about 2.5 hours to cut out and assemble, but I had so much fun making him, I didn’t even care! He kept us company in the kitchen throughout the holiday season.

Finally, I have a two-page layout to share with you. These are pics from last Christmas. My kids sleep out under the Christmas tree every year on the 23rd. I look at these pictures and wonder if they will keep it up as teens and adults … Who knows? … maybe one day they’ll still be there on the 23rd with their spouses and children. Hee!

All products are from the My Mind’s Eye Winter Wonderland Collection.

The buttons look so cute on the folded Christmas tree (created from THIS cut file by SVG Cuts). The chipboard presents fit perfectly under the tree and the snowflake pieces balanced out the other page perfectly.

Just a heads up …  you might not see me around here over the next week or so until the kiddos go back to school. We are having my family over this Saturday for our Christmas party and then it will be New Year’s. Can you believe that it is almost 2013?! Where does the time go?

Have a Happy New Year and I will see you again soon!

It’s a Jolly Holiday

Creative Memories has a brand new Cricut cartridge out called Holiday Frames & Tags. I created some holiday themed projects using this cartridge, but honestly, this is one of those cartridges that you will be pulling out all year long.

DEAR SANTA

Use just the shapes from the tags to create accents for your page like I did with the tree and snowflakes here (snowbank is handcut).

Use the frames as a journaling spot. This cart also includes some FANTASTIC fonts!

Find the design cut file for this project in the Cricut Project Center HERE. (Note: You must own the Holiday Frames & Tags cartridge to cut from the design file.)

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS ACTIVITY COUNTDOWN

I wanted to create a countdown that could be draped across my mantel. I cut out 12 envelope shapes, bending the flap backwards and adhering in place. this create a “pocket” for me to string the envelopes together on a ribbon. Inside each envelope are family activities and traditions that can be done on the days leading up to Christmas.

Find the design cut file for this project in the Cricut Project Center HERE. (Note: You must own the Holiday Frames & Tags cartridge to cut from the design file.)

INVITATION

This cartridge also includes a couple of rosettes! I decorated the front of this invitation with one.

Find the design cut file for this project in the Cricut Project Center HERE. (Note: You must own the Holiday Frames & Tags cartridge to cut from the design file.)

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The kids are out school at the end of this week, so I will be as busy as an elf trying to get as much done as I can before they are home. If you don’t see me around much, just know that I am working away in Santa’s Workshop! Hehehe!

Merry Christmas!

Cricut Christmas Projects

I created a few Christmas projects for Cricut awhile back using the Teresa Collins December 25th cartridge. This is such a beautiful cartridge! Every single image is so beautiful and classic. I used Teresa Collins’ christmas paper collection from this year called Christmas Cottage.

Holiday Sparkle

I used Cricut Craft Room to hide the inner contours of the ornaments and then then added word die cuts to each one.

The word “Holiday” and the journal spot frame are from the same cut. By using Cricut Craft Room to hide the different contours, I can cut out each shape separately and layer them together.

For a design cut file for this project go HERE to the Cricut Project Center. (Note: You must own the December 25th cartridge to cut with the design file).

NOEL Shadowbox

I actually ended up wrapping ribbon around this with a few jingle bells, but didn’t get a picture of it that way. If you would like to see it with the ribbon and download the design cut file for this project, you can find this project in the Cricut Project Center HERE (Note: You must own the December 25th cartridge to use the design file).

Stocking Treat Holders

Better pictures and the design cut file for this project are available HERE in the Cricut Project Center (Note: You must own the December 25th cartridge to cut with the design file).

Merry Christmas!