Camp Survival Kit and a challenge

First off I want to say thank you all to those who have bore with me and these awful cell phone pics.  My new camera came today so this will be the last post you will have to endure with bad pics.

It is time for a new challenge at Papercraft Star and I sure love participating in these.  I saw this sketch and wanted to do a card for my son who is leaving next week for his very first sleepaway camp.  So I went digging through my mat stacks because I have been on a mission to use up some paper from my stash and this pile seems to be the most neglected.

I found this paper from the Grade School stack by Die Cuts With a View that was perfect.  I topped it off with some Core'dinations cardstock and some embossing from the argyle cuttlebug folder.  This one just screams boy/masculine to me.  A bit of ribbon and some bling complete this card and leaves it still looking masculine.

 But wait, did you see that sentiment??  You guys all know that I don't stamp, right?  I know you are all freaking out right about now.  It's not that I don't enjoy the look or the process, but it's just not fully my thing and I don't own very many stamps or inkpads.  I do own a ton of Colorbox Cat's Eye inkpads though and I have this stamp that is kind of like a date stamp in a library where you spin the rubber and there are different sayings.  So I actually stamped on this one and then inked the edges with the same inkpad. 

So as I was working on this card I was thinking that I wanted to do a little survival kit for him to take to camp with him and I had already purchased a few items and a pencil case to put it all in.  So I was thinking it would be so great to alter or wrap the box and have it match the card.  First I altered the actual case by putting his name on it with vinyl.  The font is the Flourish and Flourish shadow feature on Old West.

Then I dug through my paper until I found the full size version of the same paper stack and sure enough I had just one sheet left of the same frog paper.  So I cut it in half lengthwise giving me 2 6x12 inch sheets.  I then glue the two together and wrapped it around the pencil case. and ashered with Terrifically Tacky Tape.  For anyone that is interested, the box is filled with the first aid kit, pre addressed, stamped envelopes and paper and pens, hand sanitizer, bug spray, sunscreen, chapstick with SPF, a mini fan and flashlight with extra batteries and a few other goodies.

With the extra paper from the survival kit I also decided to alter the little first aid kit that I had gotten him.  Braden just loves being prepared and even carries a first aid kit on his belt at school sometimes so I thought he would love to have one in his cabin at camp.  I first cut a piece of yellow cardstock from my scrap stash and then I cut the piece with the frog to cover.  I attached it with brads and photo anchors(is that what those things are called?) so that I could leave a note inside for him.  I used my new Stardust Jelly Roll pen to tell him to open it.

I also altered a water bottle for him to take.  I am sure he will also use this later if it doesn't get lost.  Big IF.

Around and around we go

This week over at Papercraft Star the challenge is circles.  I couldn't wait to play along.  I used a sketch that my friend Iva had posted in our group on the Cricit messageboard( I think it is from Pagemaps but not positive) and set out to make an easel card to fit the square sketch.  Then I found some paper in my scrap stash.  This dotted paper is from the Die Cuts With A View Citrus stack.  The other stuff is just hodgepodge from my stash.  I used the Spots and Dots Cuttlebug folder from Provocraft and some orange ink for my background.  The green circle is covered by a circle I cut out of this lace paper I had made when i first got my Gypsy.  It is actually a bunch of overlapping circles that make that pattern.  Some buttons, half a flower from my stash, some liquid pearls, as well as a hand written sentiment with my white signo uniball pen complete this card. 

Well all I am still alive.  Lots of things have been going on ariund here and I am sorry that I have not posted.  I have been crafting away and as promised I have some t-shirts to show you.  These were designed on my Gypsy and cut out with the Cricut expression machine(although if you are wanting to make some of your own you can use any machine.  I cut the shapes from heat transfer vinyl and I did have to flip the shapes on the Gypsy(can also be done on the Expression or Create right on the machine) and then you put the vilyl wrong side up on the mat.  After cutting you place on your shirt where desired and iron according to the manufacturer's directions.  A word of warning:  This vinyl has a clear cover that needs to be removed.  Please remove this before layering another color on top.  sounds like commom sense, but I forgot.  Oops.  In this next shirt I made this mistake and I had to add some exta design elements to hide my boo-boo

I also made 18 more of my scrap cards and decided that I am officially done with those for a good long while.  I will not bore you with any more pictures as they were exactly the same as the last ones.  I have been super busy crafting along with lots of great and exciting projects.  Problem is I can't show you any yet as they are either Design Team work or gifts for friends who also happen to be followers.  Soon, I promise.  One last promise I made to you is that I would share some exciting demo news.  I just received word that we will be demoing the Original Cricut in Best Buy stores.  This should be an interesting experience and I can't wait to see how it plays out.  I was also asked to work in a Michael's store about an hour from me as the demo there was not working out.  My manager is going to work with me to make sure I can do these the same days to save on drive time.  yay

Blog Awards

I really love all my bloggy friends.  I appreciate all of you for taking the time out to comment on my work even when it is something simple or I keep showing you the same project over and over.  I have received a few blog awards this week.  Thanks girls!

This one I received from my sister over at Christina's Creative Corner.  Well she's not my real sister, she is actually my not So secret sister from the Cricut messageboards.  we send each other crafty goodies and altered gifts every month and we chat alot.  I also received it from Wendy at Kingston's Creations.  I am supposed to list 7 things that I like.
1. I like(no I LOVE) all the inspiration that everyone posts on their messageboards and blogs.  I love to browse when I first get up in the morning so I can feel inspired all day long.
2. I like the beach.  So much in fact that I even got married there barefoot.  It will be 9 years this September.
3. I like(no, there's that LOVE word again) my family.  My kids and my hubby are my true inspiration
4. I like Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha Frappuchinos
5. I like Target.  I do not like that I have to drive an hour to get to one.
6. I like(no, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE) that I have my own scraproom.  OK so it is actually just a corner in the dingy, dusty, yucky looking garage and I call it The Dungeon, but it's mine, all mine!!
7. I like the sunshine.  I do not like the 100+ degree weather.

I got these next two from Anna over at Anna's Papercrafts.  Thanks for thinking of me.

I have been working on a new project to show you all.  I got a little bored with my scrap cards and was felling uninspired, although I am still determined to at least finish the stack I have started and possible make some more.  I am working on some t-shirts made with my Cricut and Heat transfer Vinyl.  So Check back later for that.  I may not have it up today, I had intended to work on it while the kids were at VBS, but my daughter decided she did not want to go(I think she needed some special Mommy time...or maybe just some time where she didn't have to fight her brother for the remote LOL) and then tomorrow I am going to take the kiddos to the coast, a church picnic on Saturday where I get to do face painting(another thing I like) and the usual Sunday madness.  I also wanted to let you know that I heard from my manager from the Cricut demo job and there is a new and exciting opportunity available that she wants me to be a part of.  More details on that later.

More scrap cards

Some more cards I whipped up today.  These are the same as the ones posted yesterday just in a different color scheme.  I have pieces cut for a few more then I am hoping to move on to another project that I have brewing.

What the scrap

I have made more scrap cards today.  A few nights ago I sat in front of my TV and trimmed my scraps into squares and then made the quilted paper.  I talked about it in the tutorial here.  I then cut the marquee shapes out on my Cricut with the Gypsy and the Storybook cartridge.  I also used some Cuttlebug embossing folders and ribbon and bling from my stash to complete the look.

Anytime card

This morning I was browsing through the blogs that I follow and I came across a great card sketch at Pink Lemonade.  Turns out Rose made it for a challenge over at Tuesday Morning Sketches.  It is an anniversary celebration over there and the challenge is to choose any of their sketches from the past year.  I chose #1 as it was the same one that Rose used.  I used my cuttlebug Tiny Bubbles embossing folder and papers from the finally dwindling scrap stash.  I hope you enjoy this. and feel free to head over to TMS to play along and check out all the fabulous sketches!

Layouts, Layouts everywhere

For over a year an acquaintance and I have been talking about starting a scrapbook night at our church.  I already attend one at another local church, and her in-laws happen to attend there, but since her dad is the pastor of our church she wanted to do one there.  Her and I are really the only scrappers there, so I came up with the suggestion to open it up to all crafters.  We held our first meeting last week, and although only three of us showed up, we had a great time.  Of course, in typical fashion I forgot my 12x12 cutting mats for the Cricut.  I was planning on taking my own personal machine which takes the smaller mats, but at the last minute I decided to pack the demo machine from my Costco roadshows since I still have not received a shipping label to send it back.  So there I was at the crop with all my stuff, but I couldn't cut anything.  So instead I chose the paper for 4 layouts and then planned them out on my Gypsy.  This morning I woke before the kiddos were up so I went out to the dungeon before the heat could get the best of me.  These layouts went super fast since everything was all ready to go.

This one I tried to get the pre-printed word "2nd grade" to fit into the marquee shape that I planned to cut and I thought it would make it, but it cut off the E at the end.  So instead of scrapping the whole thing, I took out my nesties and cut the E from the scrap.  I overlapped it so it was not a full circle cutting out, and then just pieced it together.  I think it looks kind of cool.

This one was inspired by the socks that one of the pitchers was wearing during practice.  I had also seen a challenge that was about doing a page inspired by your favorite sports team.  I thought I had saved it, but now can't find it.  So if you happen to have seen this too, please let me know so I can enter this. 

This one is for the challenge over at A Crafty Little Place.  There is a great sketch challenge every two weeks as well as card challenges too.  This page was for Daddy Donut Day at Kamrie's school.  The next pic is a close up of the donut I made.  I did not have any cricut cartridges with a donut, but on my Gypsy I found one on the Slumber party cartridge.  I out that on the mat and set about recreating it.  I used circles from George and Basic Shapes for the actual donut and a scalloped circle to make it look like there is a bite out of it.  The sprinkles were from Sweet Treats.  The title was welded on the Gypsy as well from PlantinSchoolbook.

I did make one more page, but can't share it with you just yet as it is a design team project.  I hope you enjoy.

Wish

Well I haven't forgotten about all my lovely blogging friends, but on my recent trip my camera was stolen so I haven't been able to take pics of my creations.  Today I resorted to snapping pics with my cell phone camera.  I have no idea how to crop these photos since they need to be stored somewhere other than my normal photo editing software, but you get the idea I hope.  I made this card for my new favorite challenge over at Glitterbabe's and for my Design team over at Sugar Sweet Paper Treats  This week's challenge at Glitterbabe's was of course to use glitter and/or bling as well as using the colors;pink, orange and turquoise and the Sugar Sweet Paper Treats challenge was to use flowers and bling.  I used some Doodlebug Sugar coated glitter paper that I had in my scrap stash, bazzill and some pink polka dotted paper from the Target $ bin.  The stamp is from Designed2Delight and was colored with my stash of random markers and accented with my stickles.  The blue border was cut with my Gypsy on my Cricut.  Some flowers and some bling completed the look.  This was also my first gate fold card.  Is that what they call this? 

Giveaway extreme

Well I am sorry I have no new projects to show you.  I have been busy making stuff and even did a few small things while at my parents house for the holiday weekend, but unfortunately my camera was stolen in the train station.  So I will have to wait until I can borrow one or get a new one before I can share with you.  In the meantime I found this awesome giveaway over on Little Birdie Secrets.  They are giving away a Silhouette digital cutter, so go check it out!  While there check out all the awesome inspiring projects.  I hope they tide you over until I can get back to sharing with you!

I have been wanting to make some kind of decor project for the 4th of July, but since I am never home for the holiday I had not really wanted to make something that we would not be able to enjoy.  Then I remembered about this Star box that I have been wanting to try and thought it would be perfect to fill with some candies to bring to my mom's house for the festivities!!  The box was super easy and fun to make and I did it with one sheet of my cheapy white Walmart cardstock and the rest was all scraps!!  The tag was designed on my Gypsy mostly with the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge with the exception of the postage stamp cut from Sentimentals.  I used my Cropadile II to add some star shaped eyelets to the tag and the box, some random assortment of ribbon and it's done.  I still need to buy some candy to fill it, but I love it!!  The star is great for the 4th, but this would look great in other colors for any occasion.  The other thing I used on this is my Creative Inspirations Shimmer Paints.  If you have never heard of them, check them out here.  I had won some of this as blog candy back when these paints were brand new and I am also friends with one of their DT members, Kendra.  When I first got these I had heard so much talk about how great they were for stamping and since I am not a stamper I just got blocked on all the other great ways that I could use them.  But I have been watching what the DT has made and have been inspired to use them.  I painted the blue portion of the tag, the red stars and some of the ribbonas well as inked the edges with the paint.  I used Garnet and Sapphire.   I also did some embossing here.  The blue portion of the tag was done with the Stars embossing folder as was the large red star(not sure if you can tell, but I was super careful to line the star up with one from the folder).  The smaller stars are done with the swiss dots folder.  I am not sure if I will be posting much this weekend as I am leaving for the weekend trip to my parents.  Have a good 4th!

New challenges, blog candy and a winner

Good morning.  I woke up to a good one when I checked my email and found this.  My Uncle sam card that I made last week made the Top 3 at the Jitterbug Challenge.  I did not win the Independance day cartridge that they were giving away, but since I discovered last week that I can find similar cuts elsewhere I am OK with that.  Go check it out to see all the fabulous cards and enter this month's challenge to win Sentimentals.  There is a new challenge up at Sugar Sweet Paper Treats and this month there is candy for the winner.  I hope you decide to play along with me and tyhe rest of the amazing design team!.  Also Flair and Frills has blog candy to give away so check it out