It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

And I'm still making cards... Here's a few Santa Hats made into cards.

Enjoy...

Tis the Season...

Here's another quick Christmas card. I used the Christmas Cheer cartridge for the stocking and Pazzles for the scalloped cirle.

Fun Little Christmas Card…

I created this fun little Christmas card so that I could play with the Cricut Joy of the Seasons and Wild Card cartridges. I really think I’m going to like both cartridges…

Well, it’s off to make more Christmas cards.

Until the next time…

Enjoy!

Another Birthday Card...

I was asked to do a card and matching envelope for a friend’s grandmother. The only request was that the card have a religious message. Easy enough!

While playing around with this card, I thought I’d try another of the many Pazzles features. This time I used the distort function to create the concave card front. While I started with something simple, I can imagine getting plenty use of the feature.

Oh the possibilities…

Enjoy…

Same, Same, Same… A Few Thank U Cards…

My mother recently had surgery and wanted to send a few special thank you cards to the hospital staff. So I made the same style card; changed the paper and the special note on the inside. The cards were quick and easy… It’s off to the Post Office they go…

Enjoy!

Quick and Simple...

Here's a quick card that I made for my cousin's birthday. I used the Pazzles to make the simple scalloped square and the Cricut Celebrations cartridge to cut the cake.

Still having fun using both machines..

Enjoy...

A Few Birthday Cards To Share...

Seems November is a busy month for birthdays... The following cards were pretty quick to make. I used the Pazzles to make matching envelopes for each of the cards and I FINALLY used the Cuttlebug border embossing folder that I've had for months now!

More cards to come...

Enjoy!

Well Rounded… Another BDAY Card…

I’ve been having such a good time making cards and matching envelopes. The Pazzles makes creating envelopes a snap so expect plenty more envelopes.

I was asked by my friend/coworker to make a card for her mom who is turning 62. She wanted a cute & fun card. Circle cards are always fun to make so I created a scalloped circle and added some colorful and fun patterned paper. I used the extra polka dot paper to line the inside of the envelope.

The little cake is from the Doodlebat Font DB Birthday Cheer. I converted it w/ the Pazzles…


Enjoy…

Precious Baby Card… & A Couple of Bdays Too…

I had a few cards to get done this weekend. I even made matching envelopes too. The first card is for a baby boy. I used both my Cricut / Pazzles combo to create it. The second card is inspired by a similar card that I saw in the August 2008 Cards magazine. I loved the way they used scallops on the top and bottom edges of the paper. Since I’m always looking for ways to incorporate scallops this definitely worked. Finally, I have a simple bday card for my Aunt.

That’s it for now…

Enjoy...

SORRY It's LATE... Snail Shaped Card...

When you forget, the best thing to do is acknowledge and keep moving. I thought this snail shaped card accurately represented my thought process of late!

The snail was a clipart image that was converted and cut w/ my Pazzles...

See, you can be LATE and still have fun!

Enjoy...

Birthday Card… with a quickness!

Yep… Old habits die hard! Once again, I’m in hurry to get cards done. So here’s a quickie…

Oh to rid myself of my procrastinating ways…

Enjoy…

Little Dress for a Little DIVA….

Wow, where did the time go…? Seems like I was just frantically completing cards for September birthdays and here it is October already.

Anyway, the idea to do this card came from browsing the Bitten By the Bug site… I chose to use the dress from the Cricut “Happily Ever After Cartidge” to make a dress card. My “pseudo” niece is turning 4. Since she’s a little diva princess, I thought this dress cut would be perfect.

OK… who am I kidding…? She’s 4. I know the card is not as important as the gift…

Nonetheless… Enjoy!

Birthday Card-A-Ganza…

Wow! It’s been a month since I last posted. I didn’t even realize I’d been away that long. Just to get back into the swing of things, I’ve got a few cards to post. And this time I even took the time to make envelopes too!

I used both my Cricut and Pazzles with this group of cards. Oh the joy of it all.

That’s it for now.

Enjoy…

OH BOY!!!...New Baby Card

A friend of mine needed a baby card for one of her coworkers who just had a baby boy. I love looking at the various baby cards that I’ve seen on blogs here and there, but I never really create any myself. I’m thinking this is maybe my second one.

That didn’t change the fact that this card was fun to create. Of course, I chose to use scallops (not a new concept for me… I believe 90% of my cards have scallops of some sort). I'm in search of a new obsession... Until then scallops are it...

Anyway, thx to my trusty little Pazzles, I got a chance to cut two new fonts, Revue and DB Sweet Baby Clothes. The baby booties actually started as a font and was converted to be cut with Pazzles… I’d say that’s a pretty neat machine…

Enjoy…

Who’s #1…? JOSEPH's #1

If you’ve visited my blog before you’ve seen several cards where Joseph is the focal… Well today he’s the little man of honor because he turned ONE!!! His Mommy and Daddy planned a birthday bash for him… Don’t know about you, but I’m of the opinion that all super special one year olds should have super special personalized cards.

The first one is a party hat that started as a piece of clipart and was converted using my Pazzles. The pictures on the hat were taken from Joseph’s Blog.

The train on the second card comes from the New Arrivals Cricut Cartridge. Got the idea of using the New Arrivals train from Regina Easter’s Bitten By The Bug (BBTB) Challenge.

And finally, the last card is a simple card made using the Pazzles machine.

Enjoy…

Just make it BLACK & YELLOW…

When I was asked to do this card the criteria was simply to make it BLACK and YELLOW. Alrighty then, I can definitely handle that one – especially with all of the black and white paper that I have just waiting to be used.

Anyway, the card has been passed on to both the requestor and the recipient. Both were pleased and that makes me happy…

Enjoy…

The MORE Things CHANGE…

…the MORE they stay the SAME (at least with this set of cards)… I was asked to recreate a couple of cards that I'd done in the past. To switch it up a bit, I chose different paper and ribbon than those used with the original cards. I’ve got to admit that it was just as much fun doing it again as it was the first time. Hope the recipients like them…

Enjoy…

Slimming Down…

Thought I’d create a card in different dimensions than the norm… So I chose to slim it down a bit. Oh yeah, I broke down and bought a few sheets of paper. I did say that I’d buy paper when I put a “significant” dent in my stack (or should I say stacks)… I think I’ve done well… Plus I couldn’t resist the flowered paper that I used on this card…

Well, that’s it for now…

Until next time, enjoy…

A Couple of BDAY cards… Well KINDA…

OK well it’s not a couple of cards exactly...

So the story goes… I’ve got quite a few cards to make and I’m running really low on inspiration… So when I couldn’t come up with another idea for a “complete” card I made what would be the inside of a card and added a little polka dot envelope (cut from a Pazzles image) to house a gift card… You know, I think I’m on to something… Expect more of these…

The second card is a lattice card that I cut from one of the Pazzles CD images… I love the way it turned out… Expect more variations of these as well…

Well gotta go for now… Hoping to find my creative muse REALLY soon…

Enjoy…

A Flower For You … Trying Something NEW…

I’m truly a gadget girl so after seeing all the great creations that Regina Easter @ Hand to Paper was making with the Pazzles Inspiration, I decided to add the machine to my inventory... What intrigued me the most was the ability to draw, scan, or save clipart images and cut them out… So the card below started as a clipart image that I found on the web. I used the Pazzles machine to convert it so that I could weld and cut it to make a Flower Pot Card… Don't you LOVE the way that I made the process sound so EASY... It may be easy to some, but I was actually confused for a while. I've got PLENTY more to learn, but I think I’m gonna like this!

Oh yeah… Just in case you’re wondering, I’d never give up my Cricut E… Together the two will make a great combination.

Just Us GIRLZ…Challenge #11

This is a LO of just an ordinary day. Since I have a camera in my possession 95% of the time, ordinary days can easily turn into photo ops… On this day, my mother and grandmother were in town visiting and as with all visits, we ended up shopping… Pam (not shown) and her mother (far right), met us for a portion of our store hopping venture and later we had lunch together… This photo was taken outside one of my mother’s MUST VISIT shoe stores… Notice the back drop in the photo. How appropriate…

So this LO not only documents an ordinary day, but it also fulfills a challenge issued by my friend Julie… The challenge was to create a 12 X 12 LO using at least one circle as the background… We were to also include a famous quote. The quote that I used is located on the arc of the circle at the bottom and it reads, “If the shoe fits BUY it… in every color” Julie, don’t know if the quote is famous in your family, but it’s FAMOUS in mine…

Anyway, had loads of fun creating this LO… Couldn’t stop adding colors, flowers, or ribbon... (circles too for that matter) Yep, I was pretty obsessive with this one, but I enjoyed every moment of it…

Well another completed challenge… AND it’s a LO… That’s an accomplishment in itself…

Enjoy…

I’m Scraplifting from MYSELF….

My friend Kim asked me to reproduce a card that I’d recently made. Kim’s one stipulation was that the card be altered to include a photo of the little “dapper”, Joseph, and their cousin, Krystle… Joseph’s attendance at Krystle's graduation (as with all of his appearances) has been recorded on his blog….

So Kim, I hope you like. I see you’ve taken the “cards on demand” class from Pam… Well, at least you’re nicer!!! :-)

Enjoy…

Shades of GRAY...

Surprise, surprise… No black and white; instead we have shades of gray… Here are a couple of Father’s Day cards… I opted for a simple design for no other reason than I couldn’t come up with anything else. It’s so hard for me to make masculine cards… I’ll get better… But for now, it’s off to the post office I go... Luckily, the cards don’t have to travel far. This is a same-city delivery! And I’m done for now…

Enjoy!

Happy Father's Day...MOM??? - Challenge 10 (Ads)

I’ve got a few Father’s Day Cards to make, but the request to make this one was quite unique. A friend of mine wanted to recognize and honor his mother’s LOVE and SACRIFICE by giving HER… you guessed it, a Father’s Day card. Hey the “single parent situation is not ideal…, but it happens…

Anyway, I thought the request was pretty special and I’m sure his MOM will think the same…

I combined the uniqueness of the request with the latest challenge between my friend Karen and myself. We were to use an ad as the inspiration to create whatever we liked. Of course, I chose a card… I should have chosen a layout. That would have definitely been a challenge. The ad that we used can be seen HERE… The ad-inspired card is below…

Enjoy…

What We Are… What We Become… Grad Card

A friend asked me to make a graduation card for his son. Graduation is Saturday so I finished this one with a day to spare. The school colors are black, white, and hunter green. I had some green ribbon that was perfect and since I’m OVERLOADED with black/white patterned paper, it was easy to get the other two colors.

Coming up with the design for this card was a lot easier thanks to a sketch that I got from 2 Sketches 4 You. I love doing cards from sketches. It can really help to get the creative juices flowing.

Another card down… Gotta get to those Father’s Day cards…

Enjoy…

Happy Bday Cousin… Love You A “Latte”

My cousin has many favorite things. One of her favorites is the pink/brown color combination and another is all things STARBUCKS… So this card unites the two. I used my Cricut E along with Cricut Design Studio to make the card. And because I’m such a wonderful cousin, I included a Starbuck’s gift card on the inside.

So Cousin Kay, raise your mug high… Here’s to as much caffeine as the card will purchase and most importantly, here’s to the 3 months of the year that you and I are the SAME AGE!!!

Signed… your nine month older and wiser cousin…

Enjoy!

LIVE Life… CPS #66

I love making shaped cards. So CPS Sketch Challenge # 66 was simply perfect! I found the “Life is a Verb” quote online and thought… how true…! As a lover of quotes, I decided to turn it into a card...

So far, I’m keeping my promise not to buy anymore paper until I put a “significant” dent into the mountain that I have. I am the sole measurer of what is “significant”. That’s my built in loophole for one of those uncontrollable paper buying urges… Can’t be TOO strict with myself, right???

Enjoy…

WHAT??? A Layout... Challenge #9

Well, it's no big secret that I don't do layouts nearly enough! I've got tons of photos just waiting to be "scrapped"... So, I'm grateful for the challenge issued by my friend Karen to create a layout based on a Valerie Salmon sketch.

I titled my layout "Master Life"... It's a play on words, because the photo of my cousin, my uncle and myself was taken when my uncle went BACK to school to get his Masters + 30 in Education... His favorite neices (self proclaimed) were there bright and early in the morning to witness the event...!

Well, that's one LO down, hundreds more to go!

Enjoy!!!

Birthday Blessings...CPS #65

Well, I guess my break is over. After making and mailing all of my Mother’s Day cards, I took a break… It wasn’t a planned break it kinda just happened... Before I knew it, two weeks had passed and I hadn't created anything.

So, I decided to end my break and participate in the CPS weekly challenge. Here’s my take on CPS #65

BTW, my photography skills need some work... The flower on the ribbon contains pink rhinestones which blend nicely with the pink on the cake... Doesn't really show in the photo... Maybe I add a photography class to my list of "things to do"

Enjoy…

A Couple More...

When you’ve got LOTS of cards to send, it becomes necessary to duplicate designs. Well, maybe that’s just for procrastinators like me! So the recipients got either one of the two cards below or this one,… Drum roll please… All cards were mailed ON TIME… *** pausing to pat myself on the back ***

Enjoy…

In the NICK of TIME…

Well, I had three people to send cards to for 5/1 and somehow one of the MOST important persons ALMOST slipped through the cracks… Anyway, I whipped it out really quickly AND then I called my girlfriend, Karen, and asked why she didn’t check to make sure that I had sent her father’s bday card… That’s just the mature side of my personality… PLAY THE BLAME GAME… Aren’t I just a shining example for the younger generation…? Well, she took it in stride… Afterall, we’ve been friends for 20 years… She knows my antics and loves me just the same…

Fortunately the card was hand delivered (ON TIME). I would have preferred that he get it in the mail… Oh well, charge the head and definitely not the heart…

Enjoy…

Reducing Inventory… CPS #62

Don’t know about any of you, but I’ve got LOADS of supplies that I’ve been stockpiling. Lately, I’ve been making an effort to buy less and use more of what I already have. So for the Card Positioning System (CPS) challenge (#62), I decided to design my card around some ribbon that I’ve had for quite some time. If you haven’t noticed, pretty much all my cards have ribbon (it’s an illness I tell you)…

To match the ribbon, I found some pink, green, and white sheets of cardstock and after a while, one of my Mother’s Day cards was born (gotta make a few more)... I used my Cuttlebug for embossing and an emery board to sand the green cardstock. An emery board you say… Well, umm, yeah, it’s what I had on hand… Not a “proper” distressing tool…, but it works (and it’s cheap).

Oh yeah, and if you haven’t noticed, I ALSO use rhinestones a LOT… That’s because I kept buying and buying but never using so I have quite a supply… Expect to see rhinestones OFTEN…

Well that’s it for now… I kept it simple; I’ve got one less Mother’s Day card to make; I’m reducing inventory AND I’m having a great time! For me, that’s a winning combination…

Challenge complete…

Enjoy…

Thx a BUNCH… CPS #61

Well, I had some scraps of paper left from a birthday card that I recently created so I put them to good use. Again, I decided to participate in the CPS Sketch weekly challenge. Their sketches are always great and I really love seeing so many different takes on the same design. There’s no right or wrong… It’s simply how you see it… Is that an ideal situation or what?

This is MY take on CPS #61… It’s a fun little thank you card… Hopefully you see a semblance of the sketch in there… :-)

Enjoy…

Created EXACTLY as Planned…KINDA…

Ever envision how a project will turn out, but the end result isn’t quite what you planned? Well, that’s my story with the flower card below. Actually this was SUPPOSED to be simple card with a computer generated sentiment mounted on a circle scalloped backround, but ummm, it seems to have turned out to be a flower… That’s because I couldn’t decide what size I wanted to make the background… So after a few iterations of cuts, I "inadvertently" had the layers for a flower. So I distressed each scallop (translation: kept filing until I was satisfied), bent the edges and played with them until they looked extremely worn, added the card base and voila…a flower shaped card… BTW… the colors in the photo are off a bit… The rhinestones are more the color of the card and the sentiment is brown and coral. Oh well, must be my photographic skills or lack thereof…

Anyway, the second card is a simple birthday card with a personalized tag. I guess I was having another case of less is best... Nah that's not exactly true… It's more like, I needed to get this card made AND in the mail and I couldn't come up with another design at the moment... Get this... First my friends were just asking me to make the cards for them, now I’m being asked to mail it for them too…!!! Ummm, anything else while you're making demands???

Enjoy...

Following the Crowd...CPS #59 (Hybrid Designs)

I love the Card Positioning System (CPS) sketches. So much so that you can always find me lurking around to see what the extremely talented folk are doing… Rarely or I should say NEVER do I join in on the fun. But today, I decided to jump right in and follow the crowd.

I had a great time with this one. I will definitely join in more often.

Digital Elements: Paper -- Damask Dream Dots & Kim Christensen Thrift Chic
Physical Elements: Ribbon & Heidi Swapp Bling…

Enjoy…

Present and Accounted For... Challenge #7

I'm such a procrastinator... Julie issued this challenge a couple of weeks ago, but it was due today... Guess when I got started...? You're 100% accurate if you guessed today... But that's not important... The important thing is that I met the deadline... There's got to be some kind of reward for being on time, right?

Anyway... Julie provided a sketch for the challenge, with an additional requirement... We had to use the clipboard from the Cricut Fabulous Finds cartridge.

This LO is of me w/ a couple of my friends. I chose to title the LO "FRIEND" and use word strips with a mnemonic for FRIEND --- Frank, Reliable, Inspiring, Emotional, Nurturing, Dependable...

My required clipboard contains my friend "to do" list: 1. Call to say "hi", 2. Share a Laugh & 3. Repeat 1 & 2 often.

Also got a chance to use some red crystal swirls... Must have bling...

Well, as for this challenge I'm present and accounted for!!! - NEXT!!!

Enjoy...

From Me 2 U -- 2 Her…

I explained in a previous post that I’m often (and happily so) a one stop card shop for some of my friends.

So this card is per my friend Kim’s request. She wanted to send a friendship card to her best friend, Angie, who is away proudly serving our country!!! Not a problem, EXCEPT for the addendum to Kim’s card request… Well, she asked that I try and incorporate a picture of Angie (in uniform) and Kim’s cutie pie little boy Joseph somewhere in or on the card…

So I said SURE I can do that… Then I panicked because... ummm… I’ve never done that…

Anyway, the finished product is below. Isn’t Joseph a cutie??? He’s no stranger to the camera. As a matter of fact he’s got his very own blog with plenty more pics and videos… You can read the Joseph Chronicles (all 7 months of them) HERE…

So Kim, this card is from me 2 u --- 2 her… Hope U (plural) like it!

Enjoy…