Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Simple Birthday Card

The secretary at my school requested a birthday card for her daughter who was turning 40. She had kept a thank you card I had sent the school last year and liked the colours as well as the flowers so I decided to keep it simple. It was also a busy time with all the craziness that happens during the last week of school before the holidays. And I wasn't feeling so inspired by the colour scheme. In any case, this is how it turned out. The flowers are from the dollar store, the button brads and ribbon are from Michael's and the sentiment is computer generated. Not my favourite, but... oh, well...


Simple Happy Birthday Card

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

My Christmas Gift to Myself: A Scotch Advanced Tape Glider in Pink!




As soon as I saw this on one of Michael's Daily Deals, I knew I had to get my sticky hands on one. I missed out on the daily deal, so I used their 50% coupon towards my first ever advanced tape glider by Scotch. It's so pretty in pink! And 3M will donate a portion of the proceeds to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, too. So it's a win-win situation!

Before I sign off to wrap up some gifts and assemble some greeting cards using my new ATG gun (*squeal*), I just wanted to remind my Canadian readers that my giveaway for $50 worth of Scotch Tape products ends this Thursday. Be sure to get those entries in!

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Ornament Christmas Card - CPS 198


Ornament Christmas Card

The last day of school was Friday and I am happy to be on two weeks vacation. Not so happy that my 2-year-old son has had a fever for the last two days but I'm hoping he'll be better tomorrow. In the meantime, I've decided to get back on the card-making wagon and enjoy the ride while it lasts. So here I am entering a challenge for CPS sketch 198. I need to make some cards for the teachers at daycare so I used the ornament cut on the Cricut Christmas Cheer cartridge cut at 2 1/4". The ribbon and bling are both from the dollar store and I used a foam dot to pop up the middle ornament. I love the simplicity of this layout and I really like how the jewels make it a little more... merrier.

Here is the sketch:

And here is a close-up of the card:

Ornament Christmas Card

Pink and Blue Colour Challenge - My Pink Stamper

Pink and Blue Bird-day Card

The wonderful and uber-talented Robyn over at The Pink Stamper is running a series of giveaways on her blog as part of her 12 Days of Christmas event. For the challenge on day 2, you need to create something that has two shades of pink, two shades of blue and black. Seeing as we're celebrating my sister-in-law's birthday, my daughter wanted to create a critter in pink for her aunt's birthday card. I went with the bird from the crocodile cut (using the shift function). I cut it at 3 1/2" and inked the edges. The design paper is from the DCWV Glitter Sweet pack, the ribbon is a stitched grosgrain by Doodlebug Design and the bling is from the dollar store. I also used a Glue Dot to adhere the flower and foam dots from the dollar store to adhere the bird. The greeting is hand written.

Pink and Blue Bird-day Card

Friday, December 17, 2010

Holiday Tips and Scotch Tape Giveaway



For any of my Canadian followers, I thought you might be interested in knowing that I have posted a giveaway on my other blog Toronto Teacher Mom for a Scotch Tape Holiday Prize Pack valued at $50. Included in the giveaway is their double-sided tape, magic tape and gift wrap tape along with their pop-up tape dispenser and a brand new pair of scissors. This contest will end on Thursday, December 23 so hurry to get those entries in. For more details, read my Scotch Tape review with holiday tips.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

A Polar Bear Christmas Card

This post will be kept pretty short for now and I will try to add another picture or two later. I used the polar bear cut from the Cricut Joys of the Season cartridge cut at 5". I cut it out twice in light blue to form the base of the card. It was so easy to put together and I really like how it turned out. What do you think?
Polar Bear Card

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Another Tracy Gough Inspired Ampersand Card

Ampersand Wedding Card (Mr. & Mrs.)

When my friend announced she was getting married, I knew precisely what kind of wedding card I would make for her. Sadly, I was unable to attend her destination wedding in the Mayan Riviera but the beach wedding photos showed it was a day never to be forgotten. I was so happy to greet and personally congratulate the newlywed couple today when I was visiting my parents for my mother's birthday, who coincidentally shares the same birth date as my friend. She looked so happy, and that made me happy because she deserves it! This is the second Tracy Gough inspired ampersand card I've made and I have a feeling I'll be making more.

Ampersand Wedding Card

For the card, I stuck with the beach theme and chose craft paper from Stampin' Up as the card base. It's the closest I had to sand colour. I used white as the second colour for obvious reasons and added some Stickles and adhesive jewels for some pizazz. The ampersand is from Cricut Plantin Schoolbook, cut at 6" using the shadow feature for the base and in white using the regular cut (times 2). I still don't have the Design Studio so instead of welding the two bases together before cutting, I just stick the two together about 1/4" from the edge and fold the back of the card so you don't see any creases in the front. The letters are also from the same cartridge and were cut out at 1" and also using the shadow feature, the hat from Cricut Paper Doll Dress-up at 1" (real dial size cut a second time in white for the band) and the swirls and crown from Cricut Wedding Solutions. I believe I need to replace the blade on my Cricut (for the first time in almost two years) because the swirls didn't come out nicely. That's why I only used part of the swirls. I chose the orange and pink flower combo to match the bridesmaids' dresses which were kind of coral. I stuck it on to the white layer of the ampersand using an orange jewel brad before adhering it to the base. I love how it turned out, and so did my friend!

Ampersand Wedding Card

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Personalized Baby Shower Card - Brown and Blue

 Baby Shower Card

Based on the baby shower card I made for her last spring, a friend from work asked for another card for a baby shower she is attending this weekend. The couple has chosen brown, blue and cream as the colours for their nursery so I chose the same colour them for this card. I made it really big to fit the last name. I used the Cricut Storybook cartridge for the font and the pregnant mother-to-be is from the Cricut New Arrival cartridge. Brown and blue go well together, don't they?

Baby Shower Card

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Critter Bear Birthday Card - CPS 192 and Color Throwdown 117

Oh, Cricut! How I have missed thee! Let me count the ways...

Create a Critter - Little Bear Birthday Card

I took the time out to finally create a card for my daughter's friend who celebrated his birthday last week. It was the perfect excuse to pull out my Create A Critter cartridge and dust off the old Cricut Expression. I took a picture of the materials and cutouts before assembly to give you an idea of what was involved. The sketch I used was CPS #192 and I used the colour scheme from Color Throwdown #117.  I used my stash of Stampin' Up craft card stock for the base (11" x 4.25" folded in half), cut out a red matte (5.25" x 4") and an orange matte (5" x 3"). I added some faux stitching on the orange paper to match the tangerine stitched grosgrain ribbon from Doodlebug Design. The ribbon was about 4" long with each end taped to the back of the orange paper before I used double-sided adhesive from the dollar store to attach the mattes to the card base.

Create a Critter - Little Bear Birthday Card

The little critter was made using the Bear cut, with the back base cut out of black card stock at 3", layer 1 cut using a cream, and layer 2 cut using the same craft paper as the base. I used my Zig two-way glue pen to stick them altogether and foam pop dots (again from the dollar store) to stick it onto the card. The balloons were a feature on the same Create A Critter cartridge under the snake critter. They were cut out at 1" and applied using the foam dots. I added some dollar store bling and a "Happy Birthday" stamp in brown ink, both from Stampin' Up. So what do you think? Cute, eh?

 Create a Critter - Little Bear Birthday Card

Sunday, September 19, 2010

CPS 185 - Pink Poodle Birthday Card

Poodle Birthday Card

Here is a card I made for my friend's daughter who just turned one. I used this week's sketch from CPS.  It was the first time I used my newest Cricut cartridge called Create a Critter. Isn't it adorable? The poodle is cut at 3" and I added some stickles and adhesive foam to make the bows pop. The sentiment is a stamp by Stampin' Up. Here is a close-up of the cute little critter.

Pink Poodle Birthday Card

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Yummy Birthday Card

Happy Birthday Card

My sister-in-law celebrated her birthday on Thursday and this is the card I made for her. I used the sentiment from the Cricut Celebrations cartridge and cut it out in pink card stock using the Shadow feature at 2.5", once more in blue using the Blackout feature and then in chocolate brown textured card stock using the regular cut. I added some pink ribbon and adhesive jewels from the dollar store for some added bling. The design paper is from the DCWV Glitter Sweet pack. Isn't it just yummy?

Happy Birthday Card

Diaper Cake Revisited

Personalized Diaper Cake 

You may recall that last month I wrote a guest post on Practical Mum where I shared a little tutorial on how to make a diaper cake. I left it quite simple since I didn't have anyone in mind to give it to. Now that a friend of ours is expecting her second child, I decided to personalize it for her and give it to her when we met for dinner last night. She loved it and seemed surprised that I had made it myself. We really had a wonderful time at dinner with a mutual friend of ours. We hadn't done that in over a year! There were plenty of laughs and stories to share. And I can't wait to do it again soon.

Personalized Diaper Cake

For the diaper cake, I simply cut out the lettering using Plantin Schoolbook using the Shadow feature at 3" and applied using some pop dots from the dollar store. I was short on time and looking back I would have preferred layering a regular cut in lime green on top, and maybe even add a little embossing. The cellophane made it look nice, too.

 Diaper Cake

Monday, August 23, 2010

Just Married Wedding Card


My husband's cousin was married this weekend to a man she has been with for over a decade. It was a great day and she looked absolutely beautiful. This is the card I made for them which took me all of 10 minutes to make. If I haven't already mentioned it enough times, I have been rather busy and my paper crafts seem to have fallen by the wayside. So I'm just happy to have been able to throw this one together. I chose a dark brown colour with pink to match the bridesmaids' dresses and bouquets. I am also happy to have been able to use my latest Cricut purchase - Tie the Knot. I used the "Just Married" design and cut it out at 1 3/4". I embossed the white mat using the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder, added some ribbon and heart-shaped brads and voilà!

Just Married Wedding Card

Monday, August 16, 2010

Music Themed Thank You Card


Just a quick little post today to share a simple Thank You card I made for a lovely and talented lady who joined our grade 8 graduating class during their ceremony and played guitar for our choir. She also has a wonderful singing voice which meant I could mouth the words and pretend I actually knew the songs! I found the sheet music image online somewhere and just printed it out for my background. The Thank You was cut from the Wild Card cartridge using the Dial Size feature at about 3" if I recall correctly. I used the same colour theme that I used for the graduation cards I made for my students and as soon as I find the pictures of those cards, I will share them on here as well. I really miss my Cricut and I'm hoping I can get back into my crafts very soon.  And I miss visiting your blogs for all the wonderful inspiration you have provided me over the past year and a half. Hope you're all doing well!

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Getting Creative with Glue Dots and Twittermoms

TwitterMoms and Glue Dots have partnered up to bring you their Summer Bonding Project contest. With $2000 worth in prizes up for grabs and a chance to try out Glue Dots for the first time, how could I resist? I was among the lucky bunch to try out 6 packs of Glue Dots. Here is a look at the fantastic stash that arrived at my door last week:


My Glue Dots stash could not have arrived at a more appropriate time. I taught a grade 6 class this year whose homeroom teacher is pregnant with her first child. This class was one of my favourite classes of all time and their teacher is super sweet, so I thought we should do something during our little remaining time together to make something for their teacher. I love making diaper cakes and felt it was easy enough for my grade 6 students to put together. So during our second-last French class, we secretly went to work. Within twenty minutes, one group had rolled up and assembled the diapers into a cake and another group had embossed the lettering and used the Glue Dots to adhere the green letters onto the brown letters for a shadow effect. I had used my Cricut Plantin Schoolbook cartridge for the letters and my Big Kick and Swiss Dots folder for the embossing. The problem I often find when adhering the flowers is finding a two-way glue that works well. Glue Dots solved the problem and solved the problem well! My students figured out how to use the dispenser quite easily, too. I didn't have a thick enough ribbon to wrap each tier so I cut out strips of wrapping paper that matched the lettering and the bow, which topped off the cake quite nicely. I was so proud of my students that they managed to come together so quickly and effectively to produce une pièce de résistance such as this:


Their teacher loved and hadn't seen anything quite like it before. She told me that it's sitting on her table as a centrepiece. All in all, it was lots of fun putting this diaper cake together with my students. A great way to end the year! Here's a little close-up:



This was my first time using the Glue Dots and I am thrilled at how well they work and how easy it is to use them. It was a little unfortunate to find that the dots are so spread out in the dispenser so it took some getting used to. I think perhaps they should put them closer together. But I do like how they offer different sizes and different types depending on your needs. I will definitely being using them again in the future.

If you're looking for some more creative ideas, check out the official Glue Dots Facebook Fan page. Here's some more information about Glue Dots:
Glue Dots Adhesives are a safer, easier, mess-free alternative to typical tapes and glue guns.  Glue Dots provide the strength you need in an adhesive without the mess and dry time required of liquid glues.  Glue Dots bond instantly to a wide variety of surfaces including: Paper/photos, Metal, Wood, Plastic, Textiles/Fibers, Plastic, Foam, and more!  Find Glue Dots at a retailer near you or online today!
You can visit the Summer Bonding Contest on Twittermoms for more details on how to enter. All entries must be received July 13, 2010.

Disclaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Glue Dots blogging contest to be eligible to receive a $30 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

CPS 171 - Birthday Card with Personalized Pony Bookmark

This week's CPS sketch was the inspiration behind this card. I needed to make one for my daughter's friend who turned 5 and I knew she liked ponies. So I used the horse bookmark from the Cricut Animal Kingdom cartridge cut out at 8". The name was cut from the Pooh Font cartridge at 3/4" using the Marker Shadow option. The numbers were cut from the same cart at 1 1/4" with the number 5 cut at 1 3/4". I used ink from Studio G to ink the edges and added some dimensionals for depth.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

CraftForum.com - A Place to Share Your Crafts

Are you looking to share crafts in an online forum with other crafters who share the same love of the arts? Then join me on CraftForum.com and begin to upload photos, create blog posts, meet new people and share your creativity in a creative craft community. Click on the banner below and start bragging sharing today! You know you want to!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

A Bridal Shower Card

Photobucket

My mother-in-law needed a quick card for a bridal shower and I was excited to try out the bridal gown cut from the Cricut Wedding Solutions cartridge. I can't remember the size but the card is a size A2 so I'm thinking it was around 3.5". I embossed the white part of the dress using the Cuttlebug embossing folder. The diamond patterned paper was from a dollar store pack and the sentiment is from Stampin' Up.


Photobucket

Friday, June 4, 2010

It was my mother-in-law's birthday yesterday and for her card, I chose to go with my favorite butterfly cut. Again. I just love it so much. It's from the Cricut Indie Art cartridge and I cut it at 2" using paper from my Stampin' Up Brights pack. The colours are from this week's Color Throwdown challenge #95. I embossed the mat with the Cuttlebug D'vine Swirls folder twice since this is double an A2 size. I added some ribbon and bling, and voilà!

Sunday, May 30, 2010

ICSketches #68 - Butterfly Card


For my goddaughter's first Holy Communion, I made this butterfly card. Just in case you haven't noticed, I love butterflies. And of course, I needed some inspiration for the layout and loved the simplicity of this week's sketch on ICSketches. The colours on the designer paper made it easy to select the colour scheme and I was happy to have embellishments in similar colours. The green base is from my Stampin' Up demo starter kit. Yes, I am a demonstrator. I have loved working with their products and can't believe how great the quality is. With all the work I've been doing on my other blog writing reviews and working full-time, I haven't spent nearly as much time as I had hoped to use all the neat Stampin' Up products I own. They really have a fantastic variety of scrapbooking tools and supplies. I even have an official Stampin' Up Demo store if you'd like to request more info or order supplies for your next creative project. Anyway, back to the card. I used my neglected Cricut Indie Art cartridge to cut out the butterfly at about 1 3/4", once using the shadow feature and then once in the regular cut. I really like how this one turned out but I wonder if it's missing something. What do you think?

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

CPS #168 and Color Throwdown #93 - Sympathy Card


Okay, so I know this isn't very original in comparison to the card I published in my last post, but I saw the sketch on CPS and this is instantly what popped into my head. I needed to make 4 quick cards for staff members who suffered a personal loss last week. I also liked the colour choice from Color Throwdown so I didn't have to think to much with this card. The butterfly cut is from the Cricut Stamping Solutions cart at 3/4" and the stamped sentiment is from Stampin' Up.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

ICSketches #66 and Color Throwdown #92 - With Sympathy

Card,With Sympathy,Butterfly,Cricut Stamping

Yesterday morning, my mother-in-law received the terrible news that her brother passed away in Italy. She was terribly saddened by the news, especially as she was particularly fond of him and held a close bond with him. I never know what to say or do in situations like these so I resorted to making this card.

I used ICSketches #66 for the layout and followed the colour scheme at Color Throwdown. The craft paper is from my new stash by Stampin' Up, which came in my demonstrator package, along with the stamped sentiment. The butterflies are cut twice at 3/4" from the Cricut Stamping cartridge, with the second cut using the blackout feature. I inked the edges with green ink and decided to keep this one simple.


Card,With Sympathy,Butterfly,Cricut Stamping

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

ICS #62 and Color Throwdown #88

It's my husband's birthday and I just scrambled to come up with a card for him. I needed to turn to Inspirational Card Sketches this week for the layout and Color Throwdown for the colour scheme. I also wanted to use my neglected and barely used Paper Pups cart. I used the dog with the Smile and the circle as well as the rounded rectangle shape all from the same cart. The dog was cut at 2 1/4", the circles at 2 3/4" and 3", the sentiment at and rectangle shape at 1". The orange paper is from my new Stampin' Up stash (yes, I did it. I joined!) and the grey is from SEI I think. Smile if you like it.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Lightning McQueen Birthday Cards

My nephew recently celebrated his 6th birthday and knowing he's a huge fan of McQueen, I had to finally use my Cars cartridge. I really wanted to make a shape card but, seeing as I don't have so I used the same technique I used on my adaptation of the Ampersand Card. My nephew liked them both, but I think he liked his gifts better.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

CPS 161

For CPS this week, I made a birthday card for the niece of a co-worker who is turning 25 this weekend. I used my new Spellbinders embossing plate, Cricut Storybook, some stickles and some epoxy stickers. I'm not completely overjoyed with how this turned out but I really am loving the Storybook cartridge! Have a great weekend!

Oh, and if you're interested, head on over to 5MinutesForMom to participate in the Ultimate Blog Tour. Don't know what it's all about? You can read about it on my other blog, Toronto Teacher Mom.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Thinking of You Round Card with Butterfly


Just a quick post tonight to share a card I made using the scalloped circle card from the Cricut Wild card cart and the butterfly from the Cricut Indie Art cart. I had cut them out at different times, a long time ago so I can't recall the exact sizes. I used the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder for embossing, and the sentiment was from dollar store stamp. I inked the edges using a Studio G ink pad.