Another System....

I thought I would try the Project Life type system for creating some of my scrapbooking layouts.  You know the type where you get the divided page protectors and create your layout in that manner.  I chose some We R Memory Keepers page protectors to put in ringed binders which I bought (also We R Memory Keepers).  I thought this would be easy and sort of freeing...and that I would just whip layouts out in no time at all!  Wrong!  These layouts took me just as long as my usually fiddled to death 12x12 layouts!  First of all it too me forever to decided which divided page protector to use....I mean, there are just so many choices.  Then I had to figure out which photos to put in...then which papers to use...then which cute embellies to use.  I probably COULD have done it faster but it just didn't happen for me. 
But it was still fun.  I still love doing 12x12 layouts but will use these interspersed throughout my albums, I suppose.  Gotta use up the 3 multipacks anyway! LOL!
Here are a couple of pages of Taylor's first bath:

OK, the photo isn't so great because, of course, this layout is in a page protector and I got that darned reflection again but I think you get the idea.
I made the little baby in the bath tub with my Cricut and the Baby Steps cartridge.  The 1st Bath title was cut on my Silhouette with a simple TTF font (which I can't recall right now!).  I used some old paper I had that I'd gotten at JoAnn's off the rack and some Bazzil cardstock.
Here's a closeup of the little bathtub baby:

And the right side:

Not great photos of the layouts but I think you get a general idea of the "system".  The jury is out on the page protectors.  I will use them but the We R Memory Keepers are not crystal clear...they are supposed to be non glare but I think they look a little filmy.  But I will use them since I have 357 of them left! (Slight exaggeration).  It was fun to do this but it wasn't as fast as I thought it would be.  I guess it's just like anything...when you start something new the first ones can take a while.  And Bathtub Babe took forever to cut!!! 

But it's all in the process....

Happy Crafting!

Valentine's Cards or Egads(!) She Did it Again!

I made  a couple of versions of this card the other day. And yes...EGADS(!) she did it again...she pulled out THE BEAST and used it and even did a reasonable impersonation of a straight stitching!  I'm getting good, I tell you!  Before you know it the fashion houses in New York will be calling on me for my skills...and then sadly, I won't have time for scrapbooking and cardmaking any longer.  How sad....

This little card was made with some gray and red Bazzill cardstock, a Valentine print from Hobby Lobby's Paper Studio, a Hero Arts valentine set of sentiments that is relatively new, I think, and a few little silver stud looking gems thingies.  I think they are also Paper Studio. The hearts were cut at 3/4 of an inch with the Baby Steps Cricut cartridge.  I placed one heart on top of one secured with a little glue on each of the "wings" of the heart (make sense?) and taped it's wings down with removable tape. I  know The BEAST does not like having to sew through glue or other adhesives (and you really don't want to annoy the BEAST...believe you me!).After the top hearts were secured by the stitching I just removed the tape.  I love removable tape and use little sliver all the time to keep things in place.  I didn't want my little hearts slipping on me, you know...

Here's my jabberwocky closeup (don't you love that word "Jabberwocky"...love that Lewis Carrol poem!..."Twas brillig and the slithy toves...")

Hope you enjoy looking at my creation...thanks for stopping by and now I am off to see what you all have made (in between watching a replay of the Federer/Nadal tennis match in Australia!).

Happy Crafting!

Fun Shaped Cards and Cricut Challenge 11: Creative Memories Stork's Delivery

Like my friend, Kim, who hangs out in her BASEMENT and was talking about this the other day, I too am a linear scrapper.  I like straight edges...it's something for me to round the edges of a card.  I do it from time to time but it really takes effort.  I like those 90 degree angles much better for the most part!

So what showed up in my inbox last Friday?  A challenge at CAS-ual Fridays for a shaped card.  Yikes...that meant probably no straight edges.  Today, one of my favorite bloggers Christina of Creations with Christina made a shaped card using her Gypsy and I thought to myself, "Self...you can do that!"

I ended up making these two little cards:

Both were made for enclosures for baby gifts.

The first one was made with cards stock scraps I had in my scrap box.  Some Core'dinations cardstock and some Bazzill were used for the little zebra.  I used a little tag I had and stamped "Sweet Baby" which is a Paper Trey Ink sentiment from the Mega Messages set. He has a little Bazzill bling for eyes.

You can see the cute little zebra a little closer here:

The image came from the Creative Memories Stork's Delivery Cricut cartridge.  I think he's just so cute!

The second one shown below was done with the Baby Steps Cartridge (another newer cartridge):

was done with Martha Stewart papers and a little white ribbon.  I think he's kind of cute, too, if I say so myself!

I had not used the Stork's Delivery Cartridge before so this is another one knocked off my Personal Cricut Challenge! Yay!!!  I will come back to this, though...it's a great cartridge and I need to look at it a bit more closely.

And my dear friends...that is it for today I think!  Hope you all are staying cool...we are having a huge heat wave in the south here....I think today is going to be worse than yesterday with temps in the mid 90s.  And of course here in Atlanta we have HUMIDITY!  It is oppressive but I try not to complain too much as I'd rather have it hot any day as opposed to that cold that some parts of this country get!

Happy Crafting!



Cricut Challenge: #4 Baby Steps and Fabric Cupcake

My challenge for today was to use the Baby Steps cartridge which is one of the newer Cricut cartridges to be released.  I love the new format in the manuals where it shows you the keypad and exactly which key to use.  My eyes are aging and I have a hard time seeing those darned tiny images!
There are lots of cute baby boy and baby girl images on this cartridge...as well as a cute font and some fun wordart.
I decided to use this cute cupcake image for my project today:

Since I used fabric yesterday I thought it would be fun to spruce up a plain old onesie for my new granddaughter to be.  I purchased the onesie at Walmart for $2.  They had some really cute colored ones but they were all soft pastel colors and the fabrics I wanted to use were bright so I chose a plain white one.
First of all I washed the onesie and the fabric to remove any sizing in it.  I read that you shouldn't use fabric softener as the bonding material will not adhere properly.
After I attached the fusible bonding to the fabric I ran it through my Cricut and ended up with some pieces like this:

I cut off the top piece (the cupcake had a candle on it) and decided not to use the flower.  I also cut off the cupcake top as I didn't want the black and white fabric to bleed through the pink cupcake bottom.

I used some fray check to make sure the pieces won't unravel.

Then I ironed the pieces onto the onesie to set them in place.

I then added a blanket stitch around the edges and sewed a button on top!

  I am happy with the way it turned out...and it really was easy peasy!!!