Sketching with the Silhouette

I have written often about how happy I am with my Silhouette Cameo.  For the price I think it is a wonderful cutter!  So many different applications...!

One area I haven't ventured into much is the sketching capability by the Silhouette machines.  You can purchase various pen holders, plop them in the Silhouette and "draw" away.  I have the pen holder, I have the Silhouette pens as well but just haven't done much with it.  But one day recently I decided to play around...

I found this cute camera image in the Silhouette store and "drew" away!

Here is what I came up with:

The Sentiment was stamped and double embossed...first in white and then offset with navy.  I liked the way it ended up looking like vintage typewriter strokes.

I also had the image cut out with the silhouette ....that makes for an easy card...no fussy cutting here!

Here is a closeup of the sketch:

I thought it was fun to try something new (for me) and made me think of all the wonderful things that could be done with some fun pens.  I've seen sketches in the Silhouette store for doodles....where you can just doodle around an entire 12x12 page.  That would make such a cute border for a scrapbook layout! 
Oh...and the sheen to the drawing is because I used the Silhouette glitter pen.  Fun, fun, fun!

Happy Crafting!

Germ Juice!

I had a few hand sanitizers left over from the shower favors I made so decided to make some Germ Juice for my grandchildren. 
My grandson, David, being all boy loves anything related to Batman.  I bought an image in the Silhouette online store and cut it out on some black vinyl and adhered it easily. 

His name and the words "Germ Juice" were done with the Aharoni font downloaded for free from the Internet and cut out with some red vinyl.
For my Minnie Mouse loving granddaughter, Taylor, I chose a Minnie Mouse head.  I found an image by googling "Minnie Mouse line drawing", imported it into my Designer Studio, traced it and cut it out!  Very easy process and I love that I was able to get something for free off the Internet.  And these are just for fun...not for sale so I appreciate I was able to get the image!

They loved them and, even better....I think they will use them!

Happy Crafting!

Baby Card

Here is the card I made for my friend's daughter who was the honoree at our baby sprinkle the other day.  And we got some good news today that this little baby boy is up nearly a pound from his previous doctor's visit about a week ago.  His momma is doing a great job feeding him! 

Here is the card which was made from a Silhouette file purchased in the Silhouette online store...I always love the laundry line cards and those with onesies on them are just too cute!!!

The little Sweet Baby sentiment is from a Papertrey Ink stamp set (Mixed Messages). 

This worked up really quickly with my Silhouette.  Love that machine!  :)  And it had to be quick as I was up to my ears in getting hand sanitizers done for the shower!  I do think I work best when I'm under pressure!  No get things done early for me!

Happy Crafting!

Baby Shower Fun!

....or as my granddaughter, Taylor, calls it:  "Baby 'Shadow'"!  I love children learning language...love the little things they say!

My friend, Christine, and I threw a baby shower/shadow yesterday for our good friend Cyndi and her daughter, Brooke, who just gave birth to a little boy.  Little Logan decided to be born at the end of December joining his grandmother on her birthday but was not due to be born until early February!  Yep, he gave his parents another tax deduction for 2013...and came about 6 weeks ahead of schedule!  He spent a week in NICU (and even was tended by Christine's sister, Teresa who is a NICU RN) but went home 2 weeks ago and is doing beautifully.

And actually as this was a second baby we called it a "Baby Sprinkle"...much more casual and smaller than a Baby Shower.

I got into my crafting mode and made a few things for the shower.  I had the best time doing it...and am feeling more and more confident working with vinyl.

The first thing I did was to get a bucket at Dollar Tree and put Logan's name and a little train on it.

  This was a great find at the Dollar Tree (oh, yeah...it really was just $1!) and with a few cents worth of vinyl...well, it made a great little thing to stash more stuff in.
I used it with some tissue to hold the party favors.  No mints for us.  This is flu season...we went with personalized hand sanitizers!  ;)

Here are the hand sanitizers...and they were a hit!

The font I used (which I cut out with my Silhouette Cameo) is Oh! Photo Shoot which can be downloaded for free.  The date was something else but now I don't really remember...  HAHA!  No memory for me!
And the feet and onesie were from files purchased in the Silhouette store.
Again, the hand sanitizers which were 10 ozs each were purchased at the Dollar Tree.  And for a few cents worth of vinyl...well, a great little treat, I think!
And I learned some tips while doing these.  The first 3 I did took me over an hour...but then I learned some tricks.  The most difficult things were A. removing the old label and B. getting the design to lift up on the transfer tape.  To deal with Difficult Thing A I learned that if I heated the label with my heat gun for a few seconds the label peeled easily and with virtually NO residue!  Yay, heat gun! And no, I did not burn anything up!
To deal with Difficult Thing B I realized that if you remove the backing from the vinyl as opposed to lifting with the transfer tape it was much easier.  I know that makes no sense unless you've worked with vinyl...but it is true. Turn you design over and roll back the vinyl backing.  Easy peasy.  I was able to do the next 15 bottles in under an hour! :)

I loved them.

I also made a diaper cycle as a table decoration. It's made with diapers, receiving blankets, socks, a washcloth, a bib, a baby bottle (for the headlight)  and a linking ring.  Very quick and much faster than a diaper cake.  I found the instructions HERE.

I had sent a photo to my daughter who said it looked much cuter in real life than in the photo...so trust me...it was very cute!

I should have taken a photo without the teddy bear on it...but maybe you get the idea.  It was very fast and cute....and obviously is usable once the mommy takes it apart!

And here is the cake we had made.  It was yummy.  

The Sprinkle was a success and I'm happy I got to be a part of it!  Can't wait to see little Logan in person!

Happy Crafting!

Project Life: Week 50

Well, it is happening...I'm getting close to the end of the year!  (And already behind for PL 2014!....lol!)

Here is my left side:

I used We R Memory Keepers cards for this weeks' layouts.

Here is the right side:

That's my future daughter in law and me in the middle right photo at the P!NK concert.  She looked adorable in her mohawk...I looked ridiculous in my 'fro...but we sure had a good time.  I snagged that photo of P!NK from a photo on the Great World Wide Web.  She was amazing...so acrobatic and physical...such an incredibly physical performance....and she never missed a not.  That girl has some pipes on her!  We had a great time at her concert and even made the jumbotron in our wigs.  Our 15 "seconds" of fame.  LOL!
I cut "P!NK" with my Silhouette Cameo.

And added a little ribbon to my journaling card:

And that's it for Week 50.  2 more weeks to go! ...well 2 more weeks and half a week as the 31st was in the middle of the week.  Oy Vey!

Happy Crafting!

Project Life: Week 49

I am getting near to the closing of Project Life 2013.  Just a few more weeks....just a few more weeks!

Here is the left side of Week 49:

 I was quite happy with my little cards for this week.  I used scraps of paper left over from the Simon Says Stamp Card kit of the month.  Woohooo for that!  Project Life doesn't have to be expensive or costly...you know?
Here is my week card...I used some Hero Arts stamps which I heat embossed with white and used the corresponding die to cut them out.  So fast and so easy!  I added a few rhinestones for bling!

 I made a journaling card with more scraps and another snowflake and sentiment I also heat embossed in white.

And here is the right side:

I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out the phrase "Photos with Santa".

My album is so nice and thick with pages.  I adore this whole project!!!  I can't believe I've filled up two full albums!!!  And the little ones will have a record of what all they did during the year.  Amazing.  Project. Life. Is. Amazing.

Happy Crafting!

Project Life: 2014: DIGITAL!

I have totally loved doing Project Life.  I love paper, I love embellishments, I love bling, I love stuff that makes my albums all fat and wonderful but mostly I love telling our story.   I have bemoaned here more than once how time consuming and what a huge commitment it has been to me.  I have toyed with the idea of going digital but really didn't want to give up paper.  I mean...I HAVE A LOT OF PAPER!   I have a lot of stuff.  I really love playing with my toys.  But the photo editing, getting photos printed were all tasks I didn't love....once I had them in hand I enjoyed making my pages and I loved seeing them.  I thought maybe I'd just go ahead and do physical (as opposed to digital) but do just event scrapping in the Project Life format instead of weekly pages.  And then my friend Kim sent me a link to Tracy Larsen's blog HERE that showed how the wonderful Tracey Larsen is ALSO going digital.  I read it...and got so excited seeing the simplicity of her pages.  I have used some of her templates for 4x6 photos through the year and thought...well, this is just peachy keen.  So after a few sleepless nights...well, ok, that's a slight exaggeration....but after some serious thinking I have decided to go DIGITAL, too!  I am still going to do physical stuff....cards, my grandson's scrapbook. And really, I can print out these pages...slap a button or a piece of ribbon on them and make them hybrid, you know? And if I want to do some real physical pages, I can always do that, too.  The skies the limit!

I'm excited.  I feel happy.  I feel relieved.

So here is my title page....I'm going to use Cathy Zielske's templates as I like the soft drop shadows and the very slight rounded corners.

Woohoo me....

So this layout took me about 15 minutes total and I am soooo happy with it!

Here you go, 2014!  Oh...and this is a pretty close and shameless (or maybe shameful) CASE of Tracy Larsen's page you can see HERE.

Another great thing about digital and posting to a blog is that you don't get glare! LOL!

Happy Crafting! Happy Digital!  Yay, Technology!

Oh and my Florida State Seminoles won the National Championship last night!  Yay, 'Noles!

Project Life: Week 48

And here we are at Week 48!  Well, actually we are in week 1 of Project Life 2014.  Have I started that yet?  Nope...need to finish 2013!

But here we are and I'll make this short...

Here is the left side:

I used Doodlebug papers for the cards this week...and some beloved Thicker stickers for the Week card.  See?

I added a few little leaf sequins and a round one, too.  They add a little fun and shine!

Here is the right side:

Mostly photos with a little journaling.  This shouldn't take me hours to complete but, of course, it does! LOL!

This week included Thanksgiving.  I had my eye rolling family do a Grateful Tree again.  I had them do it last year, as well...you can see that HERE if you'd like.  There are a few who will remain unnamed (my daughter) who thinks this is a great idea and goes right along with it.  Then there are those who would make you believe they'd rather have a root canal than have to write down something as corny as what he or she might be grateful for!  Sheesh!  I didn't get much out of them...but I did get something and here is the end result:

And someone forgot to use the PRINTED PAPER side and wrote on the underside.  But I stuck it on anyway....

 I would think that my family would have so much to be grateful for that this would be the most leaf filled tree ever.  LOL!  And not one person wrote they were thankful for OMIE AND THE GREAT MEAL SHE SLAVED OVER TO MAKE!  HAHA!  I'm bad....

And by George....I am going to make them do this for 2014,  too...out of spite! HAHA!  I think we will not eat until they complete at least 3 leaves each.  What do you think of that?  ;)

Happy Crafting!

Project Life: Week 47

Onto Week 47 of Project Life 2013.  Just a few more to finish up this here book (Volume 2, by the way!).

Again, I continued with my photo heavy approach.  Photo Heavy + Less Time Needed to Make Cute Stuff for Filler Cards = Faster Pages and a Happier Susan

Sigh....

I look at my first pages of the year and they are full of fun, creative things.  I look at my final pages of the year and think...well, it's done but creativity is out the window.  LOL!  I'm ok with that.  I've got my vinyl, you know...

I used the Becky Higgins Floral theme pack.  OK...there is a story behind that.  Until just now when I was googling this card pack to see what the name was I thought all along I had the "Fall" kit.  When I opened it up and looked at it I thought...why on earth would Becky be using all these flower things for the fall?  That doesn't make sense to me, Becky.  Well, apparently when I thought I was buying "Fall" I was really buying "Floral"!  And I only now realized it!  I guess that happens when you don't have your 3.0 readers with you and you can't see a thing!!!  LOL!  Oh well....the colors were sort of ok and now that it's done I am not redoing.  Sheesh!  And David, Taylor and Wade will not mind one bit that I used a flower here and there in the middle of the FALL!.

They will like this one day...when they can read (and they won't need readers for a long, long time!)!  I put a couple of Studio Calico arrows on the card.  I love that....and I love them. 

Here is my Week card done with a couple of sets of Thicker letter stickers.

Here is the right side:

There is my booboo foot after the surgeon took off the bandages.  Icky.  HAHA!  But it is my story, isn't it?  And the flowers on the cards balance out the grossness of the foot.  And that is the REAL reason I chose flowers this week.  (NOT!)

I am sure in the middle of the spring I will accidentally use a snowflake theme because I will think it looks like flower.  Oh well....

I'm meeting up at Archiver's today with friends, Christine, Kim of the Basement Stamper, Heather and maybe a few others.  Archiver's...my favorite store...is closing its doors forever as of February 15.  So sad....  I'm sure I will get up there again before the closing but we ladies are meeting up for shopping and lunch.  The beginning of our farewell tour...  :(

Happy Crafting!

More Adventures in Vinyl!

Courtesy of Sonny Franks at Sign Creations I got my hands on some vinyl that looks like etched glass when it's applied.  Way cool.  I do have some etching cream and want to try out the whole real etched glass thing but I thought this would be fun to try as well.  It is so fun!!!

This is really popular among the vinyl enthusiasts right now.  Split letters.  You take the letter you want (the fancy S is from the font REGAL which can be downloaded free from some of the font sites), "split" it in your software of choice (I use Designer Studio for the Silhouette), create some little rectangles, "weld" it all together...add your name and anything else you want and cut it out.  It's really not difficult but gives a really cool look.

I got this cutting board at the Dollar Tree for...yep $1.  I doubt it will last forever but I think it still makes a very nice little gift.  I want to do one for my son and his bride when they get married in April. 

Happy Crafting!

Project Life: Week 46

I mentioned yesterday I had a few layouts from my Project  Life album that I had yet to post.  Here we are at Week 46:

 Look at my cute "week" card.  I designed the card in my Silhouette Software...cut it out, put a printed piece of paper to back it and then added a cute burlap bird which has absolutely NO significance for this week except that I THOUGH IT WAS CUTE!  It's all about cute...whether it has meaning or not!

 I did an insert page of Wade at one month.  Amanda had gotten a chalkboard and put some of Wade's vital statistics on it.  She took about a dozen pictures but it was hard to position the poor little guy.  I think it's adorable though...and will be fun for her to do it  monthly his first year.
I had it printed as a 5x7 for my insert.

 On the reverse side of the insert page of Wade is another 5x7 of all of us (minus my husband who was out of town) when we went to eat one evening. I am next to my BFF of many, many years (as in over 30), Ronni who came from South Florida to take care of me when I had my foot surgery and needed a little extra help.   That is some kind of best friend, isn't it?  I <3 her so much!

 Here is the right side:

 Taylor went to a birthday party (western themed) and got to wear a moustache.  She loved that look.

At the birthday party she actually got to milk a cow which was "awesome".  I used a little Studio Calico word bubble for that photo.  Hard to see it here but she is holding the milk producing part of the cow's body.  LOL!

 I think when I take the time to actually journal on the card it helps to free up spaces for more photos. And I am perfectly happy with the photo heavy approach.  And I bet when you saw this sweet photo of little one month old Wade you said..."Awww.....".  I know I did when I saw it when my daughter sent it to me by text.

And that's it for today, friends.

Happy Crafting and Happy New Year!