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!

Another BasicGrey Hipster Layout … YO!

It’s the start of another week and today I thought I would share with you another page I created for CHA using the BasicGrey Hipster collection. (I know CHA was a long time ago … I can’t believe I haven’t shared these with you yet!) I have this silly picture of my son sitting with a frog statue outside a restaurant, and thought it would be so funny to go with the “Yo!” caption die cut. It must have come off as tooo corny though, because my photo was replaced with another one for the show. LOL! That’s fine by me … I understand the need to appeal to a wide range of folks and this photo may have come off as a little odd. *wink*

I layered the file folders together above the photo with a decorative brad and metal clip.

Here is a closer look at the clustered die cuts, wood pieces, and chipboard elements for the title.

Along the bottom portion of the layout I used my Silhouette to cut triangles from the base paper. I then backed each triangle opening with different patterned papers and accented them with brads and vellum stickers. I LOOOOVE those vellum stickers! They gotta be my favorite thing BasicGrey makes right now. I use them on everything. If you haven’t tried them yet … you NEED to! They are so fun!

Thanks for coming by today!

Playing with the BasicGrey Mint Julep Collection

The BasicGrey Mint Julep collection reminds me of picnics, quilts, and warm spring afternoons. This week I shared a page on the BasicGrey blog using this collection and gave a few quick tips on journaling. You can check that post out HERE.

I used the pretty Vintage Buttons and Decorative Brads to accent the garland across the top of the page. Then I used a page from the Snippets to add the basic information to my page (Who, What, When). The title words (Grandpa and Gramma) were cut using my Silhouette Cameo machine. The ampersand is from the Mint Julep Element Sticker Sheet.

Behind the photo with the yellow fabric frame sticker you will find a card with a tab. It’s the perfect way to add a longer story to your page.

Here is another page I created for CHA using the Mint Julep Collection.

A border sticker with more of those delicious floral brads! I also seem to have a thing for the printed die cuts, snippets, and chipboard pieces that come with each collection. So cute!

I used the large frame from the fabric stickers to frame my daughter’s photo and then embellished the lower corner.

I have one more Mint Julep page in the works that I hope to share with you soon!

Thanks for coming by today!

Cuttlebug Anna Griffin Embossing Folders – MATELASSE

I’m back with the final installment of the Cuttlebug Anna Griffin Projects. Don’t forget! These amazing Cuttlebug folders are available on the Cricut.com website here.

Today, I’ll show you my FAVORITE of the three I worked with … the Matelasse Embossing Folder. I love the “basket weave” quilted feel of this one!

MATELASSE Embossing Folder

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Monogram Wall Hanging

SUPPLIES:

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

Cricut Cartridges Used: Cricut® Folk Art Festival Cartridge, Cricut® Rock Princess Cartridge, Cricut® Cake Basics Cartridge

Cuttlebug Embossing Folders Used: Cuttlebug®  A2 Embossing Folder & Border, Matelasse

Other Supplies: Cricut® Deep Cut Blade Housing, Chipboard, Cardstock (white, light pink, pink, dark pink moss, light moss, soft aqua, light aqua), Floral patterned paper, Large white eyelets, White ribbon, Cream brown chalk ink, Hole punch, Eyelet setter, Adhesive, Foam squares

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Window Gift Box

SUPPLIES:

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

Cricut Cartridges Used: Cricut® Sweet Tooth Boxes Cartridge. Cricut® Giant Flowers Cartridge, Cricut® Holiday Cakes Cartridge

Cuttlebug Embossing Folders Used: Cuttlebug®  A2 Embossing Folder & Border, Matelasse; Cuttlebug 5” x 7” Embossing Folder, African Weave

Other Supplies: Cardstock (white, light yellow, lavender, dark pink, dark moss) Clear presentation cover, Patterned Paper (green polka dot, floral), Yellow epoxy brad, Brown chalk ink, Spray ink (brown, white), Pencil, Candy or desired gift, Adhesive, Terrifically Tacky Tape, Hot glue gun & glue sticks

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Framed Baby Animals Artwork

SUPPLIES:

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

Cricut Cartridges Used: Cricut^® Kate’s ABCs Cartridge, Cricut^® Plantin SchoolBook Cartridge

Cuttlebug Embossing Folders Used: Cuttlebug®  A2 Embossing Folder & Border, Matelasse

Other Supplies:  4″ x 6″ white frames, Cardstock (white, gray, moss, soft aqua, pink), Patterned Paper (green polka dot, stripe), Pearl stickers (yellow, pewter), Blue/white baker’s twine, Pink chalk, Creamy brown chalk ink, Adhesive, Foam squares

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I hope you have enjoyed these projects. I appreciate all of your sweet comments. Thanks for coming by!

Cuttlebug Anna Griffin Embossing Folders – POPPY

I’m back with Day 2 of my Cuttlebug Anna Griffin embossing folders projects. Today I will show you the projects I created using the POPPY embossing folder.

POPPY Embossing Folder

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Wedding Invitation

SUPPLIES:

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

Cricut Cartridges Used: Cricut Picturesque Cartridge, Cricut® Paper Lace 2 Cartridge, Cricut® Lacy Labels Lite Cartridge

Cuttlebug Folders Used: Cuttlebug® 5” x 7” Embossing Folder & Border, Poppy; Cuttlebug A2 Embossing Folder, Swiss Dots

Other Supplies: Cardstock (cream shimmer), Creamy Brown chalk ink, Computer & Printer, Scoring tool, Photo corner punch, Adhesive, Terrifcally Tacky Tape, Foam squares

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Seed Packet Card

SUPPLIES:

Cricut Machines Used: Cricut® Expression Electronic Cutting Machine, Cuttlebug® Machine, Cricut® Gypsy Handheld Design Device

Cricut Cartridges Used: Cricut® Sentimentals Cartridge, Cricut® Holiday Cakes Cartridge, Cricut® Florals Embellished Cartridge

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

Other Supplies: Cardstock (white, gray, lavender, aqua, dark moss), Patterned Paper (green polka dot, pink floral), Ribbon, Mini safety pin, Seed packets, Creamy Brown chalk ink, Corner rounder, 1/16″ hole punch, Adhesive, Foam squares

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Four Seasons Framed Artwork

SUPPLIES:

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

Cricut Cartridges Used: Cricut® Serenade Solutions Cartridge, Cricut Noah’s ABC Animals Cartridge, Cricut Craft Room® Basics Exclusive

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

Other Supplies: Cardstock (light cream smooth, cream textured, kraft, dark brown, pink, soft red, soft orange, moss, aqua), Patterned Paper (green/cream pattern, green polka dot), Ribbon, Buttons, Mini black pearl stickers, White pearl stickers, Dark brown Embroidery floss & needle, Twine, Brown spray ink, Dark yellow spray ink, Creamy Brown chalk ink, Brown chalk ink, Paper piercer, Sewing Machine & cream thread, Edge distressor tool, White frame (with 8″ x 10″ opening), Adhesive, Foam squares

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I hope you will back tomorrow for the final installment of my Cuttlebug Anna Griffin Projects! See you then!

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!

April 2013 Scraptastic Kits

It’s time for another month of AMAZING kits from Scraptastic Club. I couldn’t decide which one to work with, so I ended up getting both. I’m so glad I did! They are wonderful. First, I’ll show you the kits, and then I’ll show you the first couple of pages I have created.

8 DAYS A WEEK MAIN KIT

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8 DAYS A WEEK ADD-ON

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8 DAYS A WEEK STAMP SET

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AWAKE MY SOUL MAIN KIT

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AWAKE MY SOUL ADD-ON

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AWAKE MY SOUL STAMP SET

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SWOON! Aren’t they fun?! The first couple of pages I have created were with the last kit, the Awake My Soul Kit and Add-On.

The first thing that caught my eye, was the super fun vellum paper included in the Awake My Soul Add-On kit. I actually ended up using it on both of these pages. For this first page, I began with the woodgrain patterned paper and pink script paper from the Awake My Soul Main Kit and then added a striped paper strip and fussy cut doilies from the Add-On Kit. Below the striped paper I added a lace border that was cut using my Cameo electronic cutting machine and a cut file from SVG Cuts (Battenburg Lace and Crochet Trim). Next, I matted my main photo using the vellum. I clipped a couple of the star clips to the corner of my photo and added sequins for sparkle and fun.

 

Another piece of the vellum works as a background layer on this page. I love how it adds subtle pattern, color and interest to this grouping.  My title was inspired by the nursery rhyme song “The Muffin Man” which was perfect to go with my topic of Moms & Muffins day at the elementary school.  I used the gray letter stickers from the 8 Days a Week Main Kit and the blue letters from the Awake My Soul Main Kit. At the last minute, I decided to add quite a bit of journaling to this page. I wasn’t quite sure where to add it, so I ran it around the edge of my page. It worked like a charm and was the exact space I needed to tell the story.

Thanks for coming by today!

My Mind’s Eye Design Team Guest Designs at Page Maps

I love me a good sketch! So you KNOW I was excited when the My Mind’s Eye was invited to contribute samples to Becky Fleck’s PageMaps sketch site for the month of April. Happy, Happy, Happy! (As Phil would say)

Here is the sketch I worked with:

And here is the page I created using the My Mind’s Eye Collectable Collection.

The moths were cut with my Cricut Expression machine using the Live Simply cartridge. I embossed their wings with my Cuttlebug Machine and the Peacock Feather folder from the Animal Prints folder set. I love the bit of shine the enamel dots add!

It’s hard to tell from the snapshots on my layout … but that moth was HUGE!!! We just don’t have moths like that here in Utah. I’ve lived here my entire life and this is the first time I’ve ever seen something like that. Each of the bricks on our home are 3″ tall and his wings spread across two of them. I felt a bit like that Spongebob Squarepants episode where the town is afraid of the butterfly … none of us were brave enough to get close to it, except for my son, for fear that it would come at us. LOL!

Be sure to check out what the rest of the team created for the April PageMaps HERE. These girls are amazing!

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!