Altered Printer's Tray!

Happy New Year's Eve to you! It is hard to believe that 2010 is just about over. It must be a sign that I am getting older, because the years, months, weeks.....just seem to fly by!

I bought this printer's tray at Archivers ages ago and finally got around to altering it. I used lots of Cosmo Cricket, Circa 1934 paper as well as Theresa Collins Gratitude line. I used a few miscellaneous pieces I had as well as a flower I created using Provo Craft's quilling kit. I love these colors together because my living room is a golden yellow and my kitchen, that opens up from the living room, is a cranberry red. I plan on placing this on my fireplace mantel. They are all of my favorite pictures from this past year. My lil' family. Love them....and am so very grateful for them.
I love being able to add dimension to my projects! : )

Here are a few close ups......first off is my beautiful girl........

And my handsome dude......

And of course my lil' fur baby, Skippers, has to be included too!

Brian and I celebrating 17 years of marriage together!

My two guys together.......

All of us......taken on our mini vacation to French Lick, Indiana.

So what is everyone doing for New Year's? I am just staying home with the hubby and kids. We usually do game night, cook up some steak and lobster, drink a bit of bubbly and then watch the countdown on TV. The days of partying are long behind me, I am content to stay home and snuggle up on the couch.

What are your plans for the New Year's Eve celebration? Whatever you do, be safe, and have a Happy New YEAR!

Crafty Secrets is Having a Sale!

Be sure to do a bit of after Christmas shopping for yourself at Crafty Secrets! : )

Bee Happy!

Good morning! I have another card to share with you today using a sweet image from children's book author and illustrator, Elizabeth Dulemba. This JustRite set is called, "Bee Ride." Her images are so much fun to color! I used my Copic markers. For some reason the name of this paper is escaping me, if I find it my very messy scrap room I will post the name of it later! : ) I did some hand stitching on the circle and perimeter of the background paper. The circle and scalloped circle are from Spellbinders. When coloring her, I was sure to leave the area under the bee's wing lighter.

I stamped the flower twice, cut it out, added glitter to it, and placed a foam square between the layers. I then added it to my bow with a sentiment.

I have nothing on the ole' agenda today. Which kind of feels nice! Maybe I'll get a bit crafty today or something! Who knows! : ) Have a great day!

A Christmas Card to Share!

Well, it is Christmas Eve. My house is quiet.....for now. Soon I will have company, little ones running around the house giggling, and family talking and laughing. I want to slow down today, enjoy it, revel in it, because in the blink of an eye, it will be over. While I am sipping my coffee I thought I'd share one last Christmas card with you. The image is from the "Little St. Nick" set by Crafty Secrets. I colored him in with Copic markers and cut the image out using the Curved Rectangles set by Spellbinders. I backed it with a bit of black paper and used some papers by Girl's Paperie. I added a glittery snowflake by Spellbinders and some seam binding.
Love me some glitter! ; )

When I was in Utah at the Circle Swarm Jana, Cindy, Shantaie and I went to some very cool store. I can't remember the name of it but they had the cutest holiday decorations, jewelry, ribbons etc! It was like the EVERYTHING store! They had all these cute cupcake and food related ornaments. I picked up a bunch and thought it would be cute to have a food themed Christmas tree in my kitchen. So without further ado......here it is!!! Hope you took a peek Cindy! ; )

I wish you and your family the Merriest of Christmases!!! I am off to get my holiday started and enjoy, enjoy, ENJOY! : )

How About a Non Christmas Post?

I know Christmas is only a few days away.....believe me, that's all I can think about! For the last two days, I've cleaned, baked, shopped, and wrapped presents! I am hosting Christmas Eve this year......so there is lots to do! But, I have a non Christmas card today......just because. It is a JustRite image, called, Quiet Moments, illustrated by Elizabeth Dulemba. She is a children's book author and illustrator, and her images are so sweet! I colored this image with my Copic Markers. I cut it out using my Circle Spellbinder's die. I matted that against a scalloped circle and then placed a doily behind it. The designer paper is by Girl's Paperie. I softened the pattern a bit with a piece of vellum. I machine stitched the perimeter and added pearls to the corners.
The sentiment was stamped using the same set in Ripe Avocado (Papertrey Ink) and cut out using a scalloped heart by Spellbinders. I added some glitter, pearls, and some of my colored seam binding.

I have one last Christmas card up my sleeve for Friday........... : )

Off to see my Gram today. She is 90 and has Alzheimer's. And let me tell ya, that disease totally sucks! She isn't the woman she used to be and it is always a bittersweet visit. She still knows who I am.....which is good, but my heart aches when I see her........*sigh*.

Crafty Secret's Calendar Challenge!

Good morning! Hope you had a wonderful weekend! Vicki Chrisman, our DT leader, issued the DT a challenge.......to incorporate a calendar into our project. I decided to use the free downloadable calendar that Sandy is giving away on the Crafty Secret's blog. I created two collage type cards using items that represented that particular month. I used images from the Seasonal Calendar Creative Scraps.
For January's card I used the Frame It stamp set to stamp the green paper and create a sort of frame for the back of the January Calendar. The top of it was colored with Copic markers.

I added a doily, some mica flakes, and a snowflake cut from a Spellbinder's die.

For February's card I used leftover hearts that I had created using Provo Craft's Imagine machine and the Everyday Cards cartridge. I also used a doily and a Martha Stewart smaller doily.

I used another image from the Seasonal Calendar Creative Scraps . I added some seam binding and some pom pom trim.

Be sure to check out our talented DT's Calendar creations! They are A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!!

Vicki Chrisman Team Leader
Pam Hooten
Heidi Blankenship
Michele Kovack < ---------- Me! : )

Melissa Phillips

Julie Campbell

Mary Hamer

Off to scrub my house from top to bottom.......sounds exciting doesn't it!?

Vintage Gift Card Holder

Good morning and happy Friday to you! Today is my last day of school for 2 whole weeks!!! I am so excited to be home with my kids, stay up late into the wee hours of the night, and not have to fly around in the mornings!

I have a lil' gift card holder that uses some products from my most favorite companies! The envelope was created with my Imagine machine by Provo Craft. It is from the cartridge, Imagine More Cards. If you don't know what the Imagine is, it is a printer mixed with a die cutting machine. You print, then cut the image you want! I am totally addicted, and you will definitely be seeing more projects done with it! The main image is from another favorite company of mine, Crafty Secrets. It is one of the Birds & Blossom's Creative Scraps' images. I inked the edges, dabbed the entire front with Versamark and sprinkled it with a glittery embossing powder. I love the look, but it is glittery without distorting the image! I backed it with a scalloped square using a Spellbinder's die.
I tied some of my colored seam binding around image to finish it off.

I added a piece of velcro to keep it shut...... : ) Then just slip the gift card inside!

Another busy weekend ahead of me.....Cort has another basketball game to cheer for tomorrow and Sunday I will be seeing my Dad, my sisters, all the nieces and nephews for breakfast with Santa. And somewhere in between there, I plan on baking some cookies with the kids!

Have a wonderful weekend! : )

Hello Thursday!

Hello Friends, It's Thursday and in Provo Craft world it's Hello Thursday... the 3rd Thursday of the month when you get to see previews of soon to be released Cricut cartridges. If you are a member of the Cricut Circle, you got to see them yesterday on the Cricut Circle Blog and in the Circle PDF magazine. Yesterday we had an amazing post on the blog showing incredible creations using 9 upcoming cartridges, as well as some great samples in the magazine. Normally, I don't get to share my Circle projects with "the public," but I do get to share my cards showing off the new cartridges soon to be released! My cards today use the new cartridge called, "Spring Holiday Cards!" It is such a fun cartridge that includes, Easter, St. Patrick's Day, Spring Items, etc. LOVE it! Here is my first card using this FABULOUS cartridge! After cutting the image at 4" I took the inner layers of the rainbow and added glitter to them. (Big surprise huh? ;) I added glitter to the clouds and popped them up on pop dots. For the word colors I Copic airbrushed them in the traditional ROYGBIV color scheme and then added glitter to the letters. The frame was also cut using this cartridge. I used white ink around the edges and added colorful rhinestones to the corners.
The rainbows lil' face was given a bit of glossy accents too.....

My next card is for St. Patricks's Day! I live on the southside of Chicago, so I will definitely be making more of these for all of my Irish friends this year! (And maybe a few who want to be Irish for the day! ; ) This card was also cut at 4". I added liquid applique to the "foam" and while I was heat setting it, I added clear glitter. (Told ya I was addicted!) I added google eyes, did a bit of distressing, and some machine stitching to the perimeter. The clover was cut at 1 1/2 " about 6 times. Then I stacked them, glued them together to create a "faux" button. I used my Cropidile to punch holes so I could thread my twine through it. I added some of my colored seam binding to finish it off.

See? It kind of looks like a button? Right? : ) OH! and I forgot to mention.....I added glitter to that too. ; )

Glittery beer foam is the best!

If you would like to become a member of the Cricut Circle click HERE for more info! It is such a fun, supportive community to belong to!

Have a wonderful Thursday!!!! Thanks so much for popping in for a visit!

Don't Forget!

Good morning! It is a very chilly snowy morning here in Chicago. We've had heavy winds and now the temperatures have dropped to an uncomfortable low. I have layers and layers on and am still cold! Ugh! It's going to be a loooooooooooong winter!

Enough about my complaining....and on to my card for today! I have another JustRite card created by children's author and illustrator, Elizabeth Dulemba. This set is called Ellie Time. Who knew elephants could be cute and stylish! (Check out the vest!) ; ) I colored this adorable image in with Copic Markers. The mouse was cut out separately and Crystal Effects was added to his heart. I then placed him on pop dots. The main image was cut out using Spellbinder's oval die, then left in place while I airbrushed with the B000 Copic Marker. I backed that with a scalloped oval in red.
The inside says, " I Love You!"

I created "grass" for my elephant by using my Martha Stewart fringe scissors. The sentiment was stamped directly on it and I threaded a thin white ribbon through it. As a last and final touch, I added a red rhinestone to the ribbon.

And let me reiterate how much I loved reading about you gals! It seriously was the highlight of my weekend! : ) I always appreciate your visits and comments! Thank you so much!!!!!!

Off to school.......dressed as an elf. Yep. Gotta love schoolteachers! ; )

Gypsy Winner!!! : )

Drum Roll please........Random.org picked number 82! The winner is Rexann! She said:

Nice card!! I have Freshly picked and love it so!! Something interesting about me you ask? Well I am a very big introvert and I have no control over it...Is that strange?? Love your card..TFS!!!

Congrats Rexann!

And thank you all so much for sharing a bit about yourselves! I so enjoyed reading these tidbits about you! : )

How About a Card and a Giveaway!

Good morning! YAY! It is the weekend! I have an awesome giveaway today! Would you like to win a Gypsy?! It retails for $209.00! If you win it and register it before December 31st you will be able to download 5 free cartridges HERE! How do you win it? Just leave a comment telling me something interesting about yourself! That's it! Easy right? : ) I will randomly pick a winner on Sunday around 8PM CST. I also have a card to share with you today too! I created this using the cartridge, Freshly Picked. The paper is from Girls Paperie. I inked the edges to shabby it up a bit, and added glitter to the flowers. (They were cut at 1", 1 1/2" , 1 3/4" and then stacked). Buttons were added to their centers. I added a tag cut from the Sentimentals cartridge and stamped on it with a Papertrey stamp. I added some of my colored seam binding and a few pearls.

I created a shadow box effect with the frame (Also from Freshly Picked) and pop dots.

Have I told you how much I adore Martha Stewart's chunky clear glitter? SWOON!!

I hope to learn a bit more about you and make one person VERY happy this weekend! : )

Have a wonderful weekend!

Heidi Swapp and Yudu!

!One of our Cricut Circle sponsors, Heidi Swapp, will demoing the new Provo Craft Yudu Products—foil, flocking, and glitter! Be certain to catch Heidi’s webshow for all the fun! Heidi will be giving away a YUDU! If a Cricut Circle Member wins, we will be adding the foil, flocking, glitter, glue and 70 mesh screen! Also. Jinger Adams will be doing a giveaway on the Cricut Circle Blog! Be sure to check it out if you are a member!

In The Moonlight.....

Good morning to you! I have a JustRite card to share with you today that uses a brand new set created by children's illustrator, Elizabeth Dulemba. The set is called In the Moonlight. I just adore this set! This little gal was colored using my Copic markers. I did a bit of airbrushing while leaving my Circle Spellbinder's die in place. I added some glitter to her wings too! I added a few layers behind the image using Spellbinder's scalloped circle, oval, and Labels 10 die. The paper is by Papertrey Ink and Theresa Collins. As a final touch, I added a bit of sheer ribbon and a small Prima flower.

Life just isn't slowing down with the holidays fast approaching! Since things have been so hectic, my poor house has paid the price.......and the laundry? Piles and piles! Soon I will have no socks to wear! LOL! Maybe tonight.................maybe.

Have a wonderful day! Thanks for stopping by!!!! : )

Crafty Secret's Christmas and More Family Photos!

Good morning to you! I have a Crafty Secrets card to share with you using the new Christmas Mail set. I colored this sweet gal in with Copics, cut her out with Spellbinder's die, Beaded Ovals, and did a bit of airbrushing. I used Spellbinder's die, Beaded Ovals, again to cut out the green felt. I hand stitched the felt in purple to match the Cosmo Cricket's Mitten Weather papers. I added a white satin ribbon, and purple glittery snowflake, and a button.

I have a few family photos to share with you from Saturday. The cousins got together and decorated gingerbread houses, opened presents, and apparently pose with silly elf hats! Here is my girl after like picture number 98! But I finally got her eyes straight, head up, no tonsils showing! And what glorious blue eyes she has!...... SWOON!

I don't often post pics of the "big" kids, but I had to post my sister, Lisa here! I guess the adults wanted in on the fun too! : )

Oh! And did I mention the hat moves, lights up, and plays music? Here is my "big kid!" ; )

My nephew, Alex.........And believe me, you'd better be quick with the camera with this kid!

......Unlike his sister Katie, who will pose alllllll day long for you, if you want!

Kyle, helping Hannah with her gingerbread house! (He takes his "Big Cousin" roll very seriously!)

And my nephew, Nicholas, who is posing with his finished gingerbread house. (I think dad may have helped him just a bit!) ; )

And last, but not least, here is the entire crew together with Santa. Everyone looks great......except my girl, with her eyes closed. Which is why I was so excited about the first pic....cuz this is her norm! Oh! And just so you are clear......their shirts say, "Elves" not Elvis! LOL!

On top of all this fun on Saturday, Brian, myself and the kids went to my in-laws for dinner last night. I thought we were going there because my FIL's TV went out and Brian was going to "help" him "fix" it. But instead? They surprised our lil' family with a trip to Jamaica! I just about passed out! Who does that? PINCH ME!!! We are going in March.....which is just around the corner!!! YAY!!!!

Off to school, to bring more decorations.......let the Griswald Christmas decorating contest continue........pictures to come soon! : )

Have a great day!!!!