Getting Cricky Flashback Post

For my IBSIC Guest Designer post, scroll down

Hi everyone!! We are doing something fun the next few weeks at Getting Cricky!! Each DT member picked out favorite projects and we are flashing back to revisit them. I picked out three of my older projects to share :)

My first flashback project is a Love plaque I made for my parent's anniversary last year. I created this for a guest designer spot at Cutting Up With Class. Click HERE to see the original post with all the details.

You can't tell in the picture, but the white background paper from Fancy Pants has little bits on it that sparkle like diamonds :) I varied the sizes of the letters so there is a ton of dimension to the plaque.

"Wind beneath my wings" is from K Andrew Designs Winged Things stamp set:

Click HERE to purchase this set or to see Kristal's entire fabulous line of stamps!!

I am linking this up at Jaihart - Sundays are Lovely #11

Head on over to Getting Cricky to see two more flashback projects from my talented design team sisters!! Thanks so much for stopping by :)

Getting Cricky Tuesday Tutorial

FOR MY BLOGAVERSARY GIVEAWAY, CLICK HERE!!

Hi everyone and happy Tuesday!! I hope you are having a great week!! I have a tutorial today on how to make a Spellbinder's purse that I am also sharing at Getting Cricky!! Some of you might remember the purse I made for Amy Jo's Birthday Bash Blog Hop in February...this tutorial will explain how to make one like it :)

I first saw this purse on the Spellbinders blog HERE and just loved it. I didn't have the same dies to make their version, so I had to alter it to fit what I had on hand. Once you understand the basics of the purse, it is easy to adjust the measurements to fit any die cuts that you have available.

SUPPLIES:

- Spellbinders Grand Nestabilities Labels 23
- Spellbinders Grand Nestabilities Labels 4
- Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 4
- Spellbinders Grand Calibur
- Paper
- Adhesive
- Flower Shoppe cartridge, or any decorative flower
- Circle Punch
- Crop-a-Dile or hole punch
- 20 gauge wire
- Beads
- K Andrew Designs stamps

1) Cut two sets of the largest three shapes from Grand Nestabilities Labels 23…this will be the base
2) Cut the largest three shapes from Grand Nestabilities Labels 4...this will be the top of the purse
3) Cut the largest three shapes from Nestabilities Labels 4...this will be the tag

4) Adhere the three layers together for the front and back panels

5) Cut at least 1/2" off the top of each panel so you have a flat surface. I cut them down so that the panels are 5” each

6) Using a large circle punch, punch a half-circle on the front panel of the purse

7) Cut a piece of paper 10” x 8”
8) On the 10” side, score at 4 1/4" and 5 3/4"…you want a 1 1/2" section in the middle
9) On the 8” side, score at 1 1/2" and 6 1/2"
10) Fold along all of the score lines
11) Cut the center score lines on both sides

12) Fold into a box and adhere sides together

13) Adhere to the piece that has the punched half-circle

14) Punch a circle in the box to match the base

15) Adhere back panel to box

16) On the top panel, score 3/4" inches from the center in each direction. The 1 1/2" will be the width of the purse

17) Decide where you want the handles to go and punch a hole on either side of the middle section. I punched 1” from either side

18) Attach eyelets

19) Add a handle. I used 20 gauge wire and beads, but you could also use ribbon
20) For beaded handle: cut 1 foot strip of 20 gauge wire, string beads in a pattern you like, attach to purse. I used a bead on the inside and wrapped wire around it to hold it in place

21) Adhere top flap to purse using strong adhesive

22) Mark where other side of the magnetic snap will go and attach to base of purse

23) Time to decorate!!

24) Kristal's Fashionable Friends stamp set is perfect for this!! I used "You've got purse-onality"

25) Add a flower to cover the magnetic closure. I used Flower Shoppe and added blue rhinestones, but you could use any flower or even buttons and ribbon

And the finished purse!!

Here's the one I made for Amy Jo's Birthday Bash Blog Hop. I had a question from someone who didn't have Spellbinders, asking if the purse could be made with a Cricut and it definitely can!!

I created this purse with Elegant Edges. The construction is basically the same but the measurements are different. There are already so many pictures, I won't include them but here are the key measurements needed to make the purse using Elegant Edges. This one is taller because I wanted the bird cut-out included.

BASE OF PURSE – Page 56
1) Cut two of the shadow at 8.25 x 6.75
2) Cut two of the shift at 8.25 x 6.05
3) Cut two of the shift at 7.60 x 5.60
4) Cut 1” off the top of each panel so you have a flat surface

TOP OF PURSE – Page 25
1) Cut the shadow at 9.75 x 6.25
2) Cut the shift at 9.75 x 5.80
3) Cut the shift at 9.00 x 5.20

TAG – Page 25
1) Cut the shadow at 3 x 1.73
2) Cut the shadow at 2.60 x 1.50
3) Cut the shadow at 2.20 x 1.27

BOX
1) Cut paper at 12 x 9.5
2) Score 12 side at 5.25 and 6.75
3) Score 9.5 side at 1.50 and 7

I hope you enjoyed the purse tutorial!! If you make one, please stop by and let me know...I'd love to see it!! Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day :)

FCCB Challenge #99 - Fancy Trims

For My Paper Playtime Design Team Project, Click HERE

It's Monday...so that means it's time for another super-fun challenge at the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog!! This challenge is bittersweet for me...it will be my last project as a design team member. I want to sincerely thank Robin for letting me be part of her amazing team!! I have truly enjoyed designing with such amazing, talented crafters!! I will definitely be back for challenges :)

Today's challenge is Fancy Trims and we have a fabulous sponsor: Really Reasonable Ribbon!!

Really Reasonable Ribbon is the ribbon source that meets your craft ribbon needs. They offer full spools at wholesale ribbon prices to all of their customers. Shorter scrapbooking ribbon options are available, and longer cut pieces of ribbon are perfect for wedding invitations, rubberstamping, cardmaking, bowmaking and other crafting needs. All are available at discounted prices.

I used four different styles of ribbon/lace from Really Reasonable Ribbon for my project today (from the top down):

Leaves, White
Sheer Looped Ivory Trim
Amelia White Crochet Lace
Noelle White Crochet Lace

The base of card is from Elegant Edges and I used my Gypsy to weld it into a card. The paper is from Pink Paislee and I stitched it to the base of the card. All of the edges are inked with Forest Moss Distress Ink. The doily shape in the background is from Paper Lace. I cut it on white paper and then inked it with Forest Moss and Shabby Shutters Distress Inks.

The leaf ribbon was white, so I inked it with the same two inks. The banners were cut from Sophisticated and attached with foam tape for dimension.

I used Shabby Shutters to stamp "Wind beneath my wings" from K Andrew Designs Winged Things stamp set.

I like to buy white lace so that I can ink it to match my project. I lightly inked the bottom two with Forest Moss and Shabby Shutters.

The bird is also from Sophisticated and I attached him with foam tape. I used an image stamp from K Andrew Designs Scripture Sayings stamp set and added a green rhinestone for his eye. "Love you" is also from K Andrew Designs Winged Things:

Click HERE to purchase this set or to see the entire line of K Andrew Designs stamps.

I am entering the card in the following challenges:

1. Little Scrap Pieces - Use Green
2. Divas By Design Challenge #22 - Wings and Things
3. Sentimental Sundays Challenge #90 - Let's Get Sentimental
4. Cardz TV Challenge #102 - A Stitch in Time

Now it's your turn!! Head on over to FCCB and link up your Fancy Trim project!! I can't wait to see what you create :)

FCCB Challenge Me Monday #95 - Label It!

TO ENTER MY BLOG CANDY GIVEAWAY, CLICK HERE

Hi everyone and happy Monday!! I hope you had a great weekend!! The challenge this week at the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog is "Label It" - create a project using a scalloped shape or other label shape (not a plain circle).

For my project, I created a Valentine card. The base is from Elegant Edges and used my Gypsy to weld it into a card. I ran it through the Polka Dots embossing folder. The paper is from Fancy Pants. I cut two hearts in three different sizes from Gypsy Wanderings and embossed them with Swiss Dots. I attached them together with foam tape for dimension. "Happy Valentine's Day" is from Phrases and I embossed the white shadow with Swiss Dots. I popped the phrase up with foam dots and added Glossy Accents to the red heart. The flower is from Flower Shoppe and I added a handmade stickpin. The scalloped label is from Straight From The Nest. I used Fired Brick Distress Ink to stamp "Be mine" from K Andrew Designs Winged Things stamp set. To purchase your own set of these fabulous stamps, click HERE!

I am also entering this card in the following challenges:

• Little Scrap Pieces Copy Cat Friday Challenge - Use Blue (it is hard to tell in the pic, but the letters are a pretty light blue!)
• Sentimental Sundays Challenge #86 - Die Cuts Plus Sentiment
• 2 Sisters Challenge Blog #95 - Embossing

I currently have three giveaways going on:

1. To enter to win a Cricut cart, click HERE!!
2. To enter to win a K Andrew Designs stamp set, click HERE!!
3. To enter the Blends Join Hands Blog Hop paper and flower set giveaway, click HERE!!

And be sure to stop back tomorrow for the Cards for Kids Valentine's Day Blog Hop!! There will be lots of fabulous projects and prizes as well!!

Blends Join Hands Blog Hop!! Fabulous prizes!!

Hi everyone and welcome to the BLENDS JOIN HANDS Blog Hop, hosted by the fabulous Jessica of Jessica's Craft Shaque!! Jessica is celebrating her 1 year blogaversary (Happy Blogaversary, Jessica!!) and has invited her nearest and dearest Blends (Blog + Friends) to join in her celebration! Each Blend has selected one of Jessica's past creations to inspire us to create a new project!

If you've hopped along from Cindy at Tools of a Cropping Queen, then you are in the right place!! If you are just joining me from your dashboard, or reading this via email, please be sure to CLICK HERE to start at the beginning with Jessica's blog!!

Not only will  you see some awesome projects inspired by our hostess along the way, but there will be some AMAZING prizes up for grabs!!

Stephanie of Whimsical Designs is our Grand Prize Sponsor! One Random Hopper will be selected to win the entire New Release of Whimsical Designs Stamps! This is a fabulous stamp set with wonderful and unique images and sentiments. You are sure to find a sentiment to fit every occasion!!

Julie K of A Little Bit of Bling and 3 Girl JAM is also a Prize Sponsor! One Random Hopper will be selected to win the entire Valentine's Day Bundle! This colors are vibrant and the prices are outstanding!!

Jessica is also offering not 1, not 2, but . . . 3 Unity Stamp Goody Bags to 3 lucky Hoppers!!! Each bag is filled with 16 random Unity Stamps!! PLUS, she is offering 2 Lucky Hoppers 1 set (5 per set) of her Handmade Corsage Pins for you to use in your own creations!!

But that's not all!! For a final prize to a lovely Hopper she will offer one $10 Gift Certificate to be used at Pink By Design!!

Aren't those prizes amazing??!! And, there is SURE to be more awesome CANDY along the way!! I have some, too :)

Now to my project!! I had a really hard time choosing which project to use because all of Jessica's are so gorgeous!! I decided on one she featured on her blog on February 20, 2011. See her original post HERE!

Jessica's beautiful wall hanging is actually double-sided, but I made mine one-sided. Those of you that attended the Getting Cricky U R So Sweet Blog Hop on Friday might have seen my note about finding a sale at Michaels on a bundle of 10 canvases. Well, here is project two of ten :)

I prepped this canvas the same way I did my project on Friday...I Mod Podged old sheet music to the canvas and then sponged over it with white and burnt umber paint. I printed the flag on vellum and secured it with Mod Podge. You can't tell in the picture, but you can see through to the sheet music in person. I cut the stars from George and Basic Shapes on DCWV Metallic Copper paper, scored them and popped them up with foam tape.

The circle is a Spellbinders Nestabilities die. I have a large wooden stamp with the words of America the Beautiful and I stamped that on the circle with Tim Holtz Faded Jeans Distress Ink. I inked the edges with Fired Brick Distress Ink and lightly stamped Old Paper Distress Ink over the rest of the circle. I hand-cut the envelope, ran it through the Cuttlebug with the Stars Embossing folder and inked it with the same two distress inks. I attached a grommet with my Crop-a-Dile and threaded ribbon through, including some all-American blue jean ribbon :) I added some ivory tulle behind and attached the circle with foam tape.

For the three sentiments, I printed out a border from Elegant Edges and attached two together with foam tape for dimension. I stamped America the Beautiful on them as well and inked the paper with Old Paper Distress Ink. Another reason I was excited to recreate this project was the chance to use my K Andrew Designs Freedom Isn't Free stamp set...the very first K Andrew Designs stamps that I owned!! All three sentiments plus "Freedom" on the circle are from this stamp set!

I have BLOG CANDY!! All you have to do to be eligible to win this beautiful paper package and matching flowers is:

1. Be a follower
2. Leave a comment with a way to contact you

That's it!! Easy Peasy!! I will announce a winner via Random.org on Thursday, January 26th! PLUS, I have two other BLOG CANDY giveaways going on right now!!

• To enter to win a Cricut cart, click HERE!!
• To enter to win a K Andrew Designs stamp set, click HERE!!

I want to sincerely thank Jessica for inviting me to help celebrate her blogaversary!! Your next stop is Beckie at Just B Creative Crazy!  Here is the entire lineup in case you get lost along the way!!

1. Jessica - Jessica's Craft Shaque http://jessicascraftshaque.blogspot.com
2. Candace - Scrappin' 2 Lil Princesses http://scrappin2littleprincesses.blogspot.com/
3. Luisa - Creative Designs by Luisa http://www.creativedesignsbyluisa.com/
4. Cindy - Tools of a Cropping Queen http://toolsofacropingqueen.blogspot.com/
5. Lisa - A Mermaid's Crafts http://indymermaid.blogspot.com/ < YOU ARE HERE
6. Beckie - Just B Creative Crazy http://justbcreativecrazy.blogspot.com/   < NEXT STOP
7. Julie - A Little Bit of Bling / 3 Girl JAM http://jk-littlebitofbling.blogspot.com/
8. Carri - Double Click Connections http://doubleclickconnections.blogspot.com/
9. Sonia - Cards, Crafts, and Kids Projects http://cardsandschoolprojects.blogspot.com/
10. Cindy - cre8ivecindy http://cre8ivecindy.blogspot.com/
11. Robin - The Cricut Scrapper http://thecricutscrapper.blogspot.com/
12. Nataliya - Love Crafts Forever http://lovecraftsforever.blogspot.com/
13. Stephanie - Whimsical Designs http://www.whimsical-designs.com/

Thanks Card

Happy Friday the 13th everyone!! I hope you are having a safe day ;) This week just flew by! I hope you have fun plans for the weekend!! 

I have a card to enter into a few challenges today! I cut the shape and its shadow from Elegant Edges. I stamped the Tim Holtz tree onto white cardstock with Distress Embossing Ink. I heat embossed it with Enamel Distress Embossing powder. I then used Tumbled Glass and Broken China Distress inks to cover the paper in the pretty blue. The butterflies are from Picturesque and I ran them through the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder. I attached two together with foam tape for dimension and added pearls for their bodies. The circle is a Spellbinders Nestabilities die and I ran it through the Snowflake embossing folder and inked the edges in Tumbled Glass. The scalloped circle is also a Spellbinders die, and I inked it with both Broken China and Tumbled Glass and added crystals around the edges. The stickpin is handmade from beads I have in my stash from my jewelry crafting phase ;) "Thanks" is from K Andrew Designs Winter Wishes stamp set:

Click HERE to  purchase your own set or to see all of the K Andrew Design stamps available, including the fabulous new Valentine stamps!!

The inspiration for this card was the Cooking With Cricut  photo inspiration challenge. You are supposed to use the above photo for the inspiration of your project! Isn't it beautiful?!

Challenges:

1.  Cooking With Cricut Challenge #68 Photo Inspiration
2.  DL.ART Thankful Thursday - a thank you card using your favorite color (blue)
3. Made Especially For You Weekly Challenge - use machine embossing

Mark your calendars for January 22 - my dear friend Jessica of Jessica's Craft Shaque will be celebrating her one year blogaversary with a blog hop!! We will be using Jessica's past projects for inspiration so there will be some amazing projects and fabulous prizes along the way! Check out Jessica's blog HERE for more details on the hop!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!! Have a wonderful weekend!!