Using Copic Markers to Add Dimension

Good morning my friends! I have a card that was published quite awhile ago in Northridge Magazine.  It used the Cricut to cut the circles and flamingos.  I wanted to add a bit of depth to them, and Copic markers were a perfect way to do that!  I added shadows to their legs and bodies.  The background was  also done using Copics to create a sunset of sorts.  I then stamped a sentiment from JustRite, then added a bit of sand at the bottom to finish it off.  

We are finishing up Cortney's room this weekend.  It's a lovely shade of purple!

I think she will be very surprised when she comes home for Easter!

It will be so nice to have both of my kiddos home for the entire weekend!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Vinyl Projects!

It seems ages ago when I created these vinyl projects for Northridge Magazine.  Some of the photos aren't great either.  Northridge photographed everything themselves for the magazine, so I just took quick photos at home before shipping them off.  

The first project is a cute little book bag. 

I added a bit of coordinating ribbon and googly eyes with fabric glue. 

And how about a little Easter onsie? Just some simple layering and a gemstone collar.

Or I love dad?

And this bag was created with Cortney in mind.  She loves music and it is part of her daily routine.  There is nothing better than hearing her sweet sing songy voice try and carry a tune! 

I will be back with more Easter projects this week!  

Have a wonderful Sunday my friends!

:)

Love....

We met 27 years ago at the Burger King Drive thru. I was working, he was with his friends. Romantic start eh?

We were just silly, immature teens,16 & 19.

We started dating in high school, and then continued through college. 

We got married the same year I graduated. 

Talk about a crazy summer!

"You're too young," they said.

"You should date other people," they said.

People placed bets that our marriage wouldn't last.

Boy, were they wrong!

I would be lying if I didn't say we've had our share of ups and downs.

We have had curve balls thrown our way. Many of them.

But I can honestly say that this man right here has made me laugh more times that I can count, especially when I all I wanted to do was cry. 

He has supported my crazy dreams. (What dad sits at a beauty pageant for his daughter all day?)

He believes in me....our children...our future.

He respects me and loves me for who I am.

He is kind.

And did I mention he is funny? ;)

Yep, a man who can make me laugh.....is the best kind of man! 

So on this Valentine's Day, I wish all of you love and friendship!

And laughter.

Lots of laughter.

:)

Oh Christmas Tree-Cricut Style!

Good morning to you!  

I have a Christmas card to share with you today that uses my Cricut and the Creative Holiday Cards cartridge.  It was published in Northridge's Cricut Magazine last year. 

I cut the Christmas tree and added glossy accents and clear coarse glitter.  I then adhered that to the white panel. The designer paper is from Papertrey Ink.

I popped up the main image using foam tape.  I was able to slip red gingham ribbon behind it and tie a bow.  I added a few distressed jingle bells tied with twine to the center. 

I have been sick all week and my goal this weekend is to try and rest up so I am healthy for the holidays.  Of course "resting" will be done in between the 8,000 loads of laundry and the filthy thing I call a house. ;)

I also have a photo shoot tomorrow of a sweet family for Christmas.  

But then.....I will rest. 

Take out and movies!

Have a great weekend my friends!

Happy Fourth of July!

This summer is really flying by!  (As I feared it would!)  Friday is the Fourth of July already! Around my neck of the woods, Thursday is really the big deal.  Our town holds a parade and fireworks.  You know what the best part is? We can see the fireworks from the comfort of our back yard!

I am always the crazy camera lady taking pictures of everyone, everything, so be prepared for a million photos this weekend!

I created a fun layout for Northridge Publishing's Cricut magazine, using a Cricut cartridge called, Home for the Holidays-Spring/Summer.  It has these awesome rosettes! I dunked the edges in tacky glue and dipped it in glass glitter.  

I spritzed the background with a bit of silver glimmer mist and added some red gems.

I added a large star as my focal point.  I added the glittered rosettes, and my banner title.  

I will be back tomorrow and Friday with a project from Scrapbook Adhesives 3L and my first project for SRM Stickers.  So I hope you will find a few minutes to pop on over!

Have a great Wednesday!

You Are My Sunshine......

 It's official. I am back in school.  I had an institute today and one more on Monday.  The kiddos arrive on Tuesday for a full day.  My room is ready, and I am working on my lesson plans this weekend.  I got this. ;)

So once again my craft time has been limited.  My brain can only fit so much thinking into it at a time.  And right now it only has space for "school stuff."  ;)  

So I am sharing a card that was featured in the June issue of Cricut Magazine.  I created a sunshine shaped card using Accent Essentials.  The clouds were cut using the April Showers cartridge and the banner from the Party Picks and Pennants cartridge. 

I layered a Martha Stewart packaged doily under the yellow circle and added a bit of seam binding, twine, and rhinestones to finish it off. 

I am off to do a bit of grocery shopping and to buy a couple of birthday presents.  I have a busy weekend ahead of me!

Enjoy your weekend!

Birthday Hat and a Recipe...

Good morning and happy Monday to you all!  Today my son started his first day back at school as a junior. I start in a few short days.....summer is winding down. 

My lil' family and I spent the day together yesterday.  We went to the race track.  (Great parents aren't we? ;)

Cort loves horses and enjoyed watching them. Kyle placed his 2 dollar bets and won a few bucks.  One of his long shot horses came in first and he was all excited to have almost won 20 bucks, but unfortunately it was disqualified for bumping another horse. :( 

It was a beautiful day and I was glad to have the day to be with my kids and hubby. :)

I have a birthday card to share with you today that was published in Northridge's Cricut Magazine.  It uses the Straight from the Nest cartridge.  I added loads of glitter, Melissa Frances tissue paper garland, and a sentiment from SRM stickers.  

The center of the flower was a large gem from Prima. 

Since placing Cortney on a healthier and gluten free diet, my entire family has been eating better.  I've been cooking more and ordering out less.  It takes a bit more time and creativity and I am keeping my fingers crossed that I can continue this trend when I go back to work.

I found this delicious recipe from The Food Network for:

Penne Pasta in Vodka Sauce.

I substituted the noodles for Gluten free noodles and the vodka was also gluten free. (Smirnoff)

 Ingredients

12 ounces penne (gluten free)

3 TBS of olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 large shallot

1 28 oz can whole plum tomatoes, crushed by hand

1/4 cup vodka (optional) Smirnoff is gluten free

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping

2 TBS chopped parsley or basil

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to box. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain pasta. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, toss, and set aside.

2. Heat 2 TBS olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, vodka, the reserved cooking water, 1/2 tsp salt and the red pepper flakes. Bring to a rapid simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 12 to 15 min. Stir in the cream and simmer for 1 more min.

3. Add the cooked pasta, the remaining 1 TBS of olive oil, the grated cheese and basil to the sauce. Cook, tossing  to 3 min. Season with salt.  Divide among the bowls and top with more cheese. 

Have a great day my friends!

Summer in a Jar....

My summer is quickly coming to a close.  I've been "in school" for the past 3 days doing curriculum mapping.  I look forward to the start of the school year, but I have to admit, I could hang on to summer just a bit longer.  This summer has been somewhat bitter sweet for me.  My lil' family is growing and changing. My son started his first job, and  Cort turned 18.  We've had to do all the legal things to ensure that she is protected.  Things that are positive, necessary, but tug at my heart. 

I love looking at this picture of the 4 of us just 3 years ago.  I can see the changes in my kids, how much they have grown up since then. 

It makes me smile when I remember that day. That vacation. That together time we had. 

This jar was published in the Northridge Cricut's June Magazine. I used the Seashells CCR exclusive to create all of my shells. The jar was a Prego jar that I had cleaned well and then spray painted the lid. How's that for recycling? ;) I added a bit of burlap, filled it with sand and simply placed all of the other elements inside.   

Thank you as always for stopping by!  I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate your visits and comments! 

Have a great day!!

Alien Invites

Good morning and happy Friday to you!  I have a fun birthday invite idea that was published in Northridge's Birthday Idea book.  Paper sacks are a hot trend right now, and makes the invite more interactive and fun! 

I simply sprayed the paper bags with a bit of October Afternoon Spray Mist in white.  I thought it gave it a more "spacey" kind of look! ; )

The tag was cut using Close to my Heart's Art Philosophy cartridge and then run through my printer.  

The alien was cut from Space Party. He was inked, layered, and black pearls were used for his eyes.

The moon was cut from the Solar System cartridge.  I layered it using dimensional foam circles.  The "You're Invited" was printed on my computer using the fill bucket function in red with white print.  I hand cut the flags and tucked them behind my alien.  

This is the first weekend in awhile that I don't have any "official" plans.  Although we may start Kyle's month long birthday celebration...... ; )  Hubby has been sick, so I am not sure we are doing much.  

You know how men are.......LOL!

What are your plans this weekend? Anything exciting? 

An Unusual Coffin....

When you think of Halloween and coffins, I bet you often don't think of mice too....do you? ; ) I thought I'd shake things up a bit....be different and create a cute little box to hold those sweet Halloween treats! You guessed it....with a mouse! Why not? In this gal's crafting world, anything goes! I used Happy Hauntings and my trusty Cricut to create the box and the mouse. I used traditional Halloween colors here, with a heavy dose of glitter.  (Thankfully, the candy will be wrapped!) 

I added a satin bow, rhinestone, some fringy grass....

 ...and a cute sentiment from My Craft Spot.

You can find my box in this month's issue of Cricut Magazine....along with a few other projects I've created!

Tomorrow is Halloween and let me just say....my 5th graders are WELL aware that tomorrow is Halloween!  Holy moly are they excited!  Makes trying to teach a bit challenging, when all they can think about is their costumes, trick or treating etc....

Just wait until you see the teacher's costumes! The students have nothing on us! ; ) Ha Ha!

Have a great day my friends!

Summer...

Summer is drawing to a close.(sniff, sniff!) I am so glad that this weekend was hot. Cortney loves the pool, and she had the chance to swim in it! Before you know it, we will be closing the pool and preparing for winter's arrival. I desperately want to hold on to these last few days of summer!

 I have a LO of my niece that was published in the June issue of Cricut Magazine. My dad had a place in Michigan that we visited quite frequently. The kids loved the water, and it was a place for all the cousins to hang out together.

My niece,Katie, was tentative about the water, just waking up from her nap, but it only took a few minutes for her to decide that being in the lake is where she wanted to be! I am so glad I was able to capture these photos of her.  I used Close to my Heart's Art Philosophy and the Creative Memories' Traveler carts.  

I added a few alphabet beads and twine to my title. 

I loved cutting all of the seashells, flowers, swirls and such! 

I am officially back at work today.  The students arrive tomorrow, and hopefully I am ready!  As much as the students get nervous on their first day......so do teachers! ; )

Have a great start to your week!

Michele

p

Boys and Their Toys….

Good morning to you! I was lucky enough to spend most of the day crafting yesterday. Cort was at school, Brian at work, and Kyle caddying. It was quiet and my craft room was beckoning me to spend time with it. I was able to get 6 projects done! Now maybe for some of you that's a drop in the bucket....but for me..".the slowest scrapper on the planet"...it was huge! B

I have another LO to share that was published in the April issue of Northridge's Cricut Magazine. I used the Boys Will be Boys cartridge.  I repeated the word boys using white paper, inking the edges subtly and placing them on additional white paper. It gives the page texture without overwhelming the LO. I added a few trucks....a scalloped edge, a couple of whimsical brads, and the page was done.

The pics are of my son who was 14 at the time, playing cars with his little cousin, Alex (age 6). It was cute to watch them interact despite the age difference! 

What are you up to today? Anything fun?

  Michele

  g

Me.....

Who I am…….

Sometimes I reflect on who I’ve become….from that awkward kid….teenager…insecure mom….to the person I am today. More confident….happier…and blessed.  Blessed to have the life I have…even with its ups and downs. 

Life has thrown its share of curve balls. But I am a better, stronger, more patient person because of it. Life's lessons have made me the person I am today.  I am not perfect. But I wake up each morning and try to be the best me I can be. 

Published in the May issue of Cricut Magazine.

Have a great day my friends! a

Michele