The Remodel and a Card (SSS144 Challenge)

I am NOT into remodeling.  Our house stays the same year after year after year.  I see things I like and think how nice it would be to remodel our bedroom, our living room, our kitchen...but it just doesn't happen.  I find stuff like that overwhelming.  But...I sure would like for my husband to surprise me with new kitchen counter tops for my sliding down the hill and approaching 60th  birthday this year (still a few years away but getting closer and closer each time I blink!).  Probably not going to happen...but one can dream!  Of course, if it comes down to new counter tops and a trip to Spain...well, Adios, Amiga! :)

So, what did I remodel?  Why, my new Silhouette, of course.  The Silhouette is sleek and beautiful on it's own but a girl likes a little extra bling, doesn't she?
Here's what the Silhouette Cameo looks like with no extra ooomph...

Here's what she looks like all pretty and dressed up:

How did I do that so easily?  Looks like a lot of cutting, doesn't it?  HAHA...yes, there is a bit of cutting but I let the Silhouette do it!
I removed the plastic cover from the control panel....it's just a thin sheet of plastic:

I had already found this design in the library of the Silhouette software (one of 51 designs that came with the software) and I thought it was an iPod...but then I realized it was a control panel cut! Woohoo...
See?  Here is a screen shot of the Designer Studio software that I am using:

...and the little control panel thingy is highlighted with the purple circle above.
Well, cool...I just flipped it horizontally (it looked symmetrical but I didn't want to take a chance) and used some glitter paper I had on hand.  I decided to try cutting it upside down with the print side down, that is,  to see how it would cut that way.  I know with my Cricut that sometimes glitter papers don't always cut well because of the variations in thicknesses. 
Here it is cut but still print side down:

It cut perfectly...all I did then was peel it off the mat, punch a couple of small holes with my Cropadile for the on/off lights and stick it in the panel...and add the plastic cover back on.  Cute, huh?  I can dress her up for the seasons.  Right now I'm done with winter so decided to use something bright and cheerful!


Easy Peasy.

Now onto my card.  I saw this sketch on The Sweet Stop

Here's my take on it:

I found a free svg file at SVG Cuts Blog of a bumblebee and decided to tackle the job of importing svg files into the Silhouette and trying to cut them.  Well, I brought them in and tried to cut and nothing happpened!  Nada...nichts...nothing.  Hmmmm....thankfully for Google and Youtube I learned that you had to trace the file so that Ms. Silhouette knows where to cut.  Aha!  That made sense.  So, I did that and got my little bumblebee cut!

I used paper scraps I had to do the bee and October Afternoon Sidewalks printed papers for the mats and the trim.  I also used a little flower button that I did with the Button Studio from Epiphany Crafts.  The little sentiment which I just love is from the Happy Everything stamp set by Unity Stamps.  I cut the little frame with another image that came with Silhouette Studio software.  I just resized it to 1.75 inches so it was teensy and cute.

And that, my friends, is the end to a very long post...

Happy Crafting!

Sewing Machine-a-Phobia

I love the look of stitching on paper crafts.  I enjoy hand stitching but I love when I see cards and scrapbook layouts done with machine stitching.

I, however, am DEATHLY AFRAID OF MY SEWING MACHINE!  We have a love-hate relationship...mostly hate on my end and I think the machine's love part is probably that it loves seeing me so frustrated with it.  My mom was a great seamstress.  She could do anything with a machine.  She made clothes, coats, drapes, tablecloths, all kinds of crafts.  I just knew when I grew up I would be like her.  Didn't happen.  I have had my sewing machine about 25 years...I got it shortly after my son was born and I was home on maternity leave.  I just knew I would learn how to sew all kinds of stuff while I was home with him.  I never did learn to sew from a pattern well...but I did make some curtains and some crafts...but mostly I was just plain scared of the machine.  It always seems to be possessed...had a mind of it's own and our minds were never on the same page.

But every now and then I pull out said machine and see if I can tame the monster.  Nope....I still haven't tamed it but I did do a little sewing tonight on a few cards.  I'll post one tonight and the other tomorrow:

 This card was made with papers from the Sidewalks line of the October Afternoon stash I've been using lately.  I used another new Hero Arts set which came with the Sizzix dies (just LOVE those sets).  It was fun and worked up pretty fast.  And yes...I sewed all 4 sides AND an extra part on the bottom just for the heck of it! 
Probably need to increase the tension a little but I'm afraid to do anything like that because the monster will certainly retaliate!

Happy Crafting!

Cricut Challenge 27: Wrap It Up/ Our Budding Artist and Sculptor

David goes to a Mother's Morning Out program twice a week.  Good for him to go and be with some other children and good for his mother to get a breather.  He wasn't too sure about it the first week and we had lots of tears but now he goes happily and seems to enjoy himself.
Just before the break for the holidays the class had a Christmas party.  One of the activities was for each child to decorate a sugar cookie.  They were given the sugar cookie complete with icing and sprinkles and then were handed some gumdrops to "decorate" their cookie with.
All of the other children just plopped the gumdrops on the cookies except for the few who ate them...David took his job very seriously and very,  very carefully placed the gumdrops on his cookie and then looked up at me and declared, "Castle!".  He had sculpted his very first castle!  After he was finished he looked at his work and proceeded to remove the gumdrops and then ate his cookie!  Such a smart and creative little two year old. :)

So, I created this one page 12x12 layout to commemorate this event.  Here it is before I finished it up on my brand new Scrap 'n Easel that I received as a Christmas Gift from my daughter.  Did I say I love it?  It's so wonderful to see your layout at an angle that does not cause neck strain! Here the castle and circle are not adhered but are being held down by the super strong magnets.  I love this thing!

I used this page from the February, 2012 Scrapbooks, Etc. as inspiration...what caught my eye were the pictures...all done at about wallet size.  I just liked the way they were clustered together and I liked the white edges to them. Ooops...I confess...I tear up my magazines.  Yep, it's true...as I read them (and I usually just go through them once, now)...I tear out the ideas and pages I like and then I throw the magazine away.  If I use a page as inspiration once I done with it out in the trash it goes!  I love my system but I am reckless when I rip magazine pages....!

I used October Afternoon Sidewalks papers and baker's twine (LOVE THIS LINE...it reminds me of the Sally, Dick and Jane primers I learned to read from). Stickers were from the Lunchbox line (also October Afternoon).  I cut the circle out with my EK Success Circle Scissor (haven't used that must have tool in years! LOL!), and the castle at 4" from the Wrap it Up Cricut Cartridge.  I inked edges with the new We R Memory Makers Sweetheart Inkers (brown).  I also used the new Creative Memories border punch tool.  I don't own it but I was cropping with my friend, Cyndi, who has one of everything known to man (or at least to scrapbookers) and she let me borrow it.

And here's the final page with some journaling strips:

Here is a  better photo of it:

Well, sort of better....but I'm still loving my Easel.
And here is a closeup of the castle.  I love the mixes of prints.

I love the way it turned out.

I love my little guy and artist/sculptor and castle builder.

Happy Crafting!