Provo Craft's Hello Thursday and a Pool Party!

You know what time of the month is super fun? Hello Thursday! This is when Provo Craft reveals their new cartridges for the month. This month the cartridge was designed by Teresa Collins called Chic and Scary. This cartridge is Halloween for grown ups! It has a flair of sophistication to it.....which is so Teresa! I decided to make a faux Halloween cupcake using a styrofoam ball and texture paste. I gave it a generous coat of glitter and sprinkled a few "eyeballs" into the frosting. ; ) The cupcake holder was one of the cuts on the cartridge.....and yes there are more available! How cool is that? For the spider's body, I used black Flower Soft.....he looks sort of tarantula like don't you think? I added tiny purple rhinestones for his eyes to make him look a bit more menacing.

Here is a close up of the menacing spider.......... ; )

If you would like to see what Teresa's cartridge has to offer in its entirety, be sure to visit the Cricut Blog! I also have all of the cut info available there as well as other fabulous projects!

Last week I had Cort's 16th birthday with all of her friends. Her best friend Patty turned 17 and her mom and I decided to celebrate the girls' birthdays together. Here they are in all of their swimsuit and cake glory!! :D

Don't ya love this cheerleading cake?!

Here is Sue and I with our birthday girls.......

Patty......looking so innocent and sweet! Believe me....this girl is a firecracker! ; )

Here's me all squinty eyed with Cort and her wild do!

I am sorry for my lack of posts this week.....hopefully when school starts and we get into a routine around here, I will be able to get back on track!

Have a great weekend! And thank you, thank you for stopping by!!!

Christmas Wishes......in August?

Good morning! I am headed out the door shortly to take my dog to the groomers, tutor, and get in my classroom a second day. I was able to get my desks ready, name tags on, and library arranged yesterday. So I am making progress in my classromm, thank goodness!

I have a card to share with you that I made awhile ago and never got around to showing you! It uses the Deck the Halls set by JustRite. The ornaments were stamped in Pure Poppy by Papertrey Ink. I cut them out, distressed the edges with a bit of brown ink, spread glossy accents over the top, and sprinkled lots of glitter! I colored the leaves with Copics, cut those out, and gave them a coating of glossy accents. I stamped the sentiment (in avocado), separately and cut it out to add to the middle of the ornament. I love that this set comes with the branch stamp. I used it to create my background for my ornaments. It looks like they are hanging off the tree......right? ; )
The "berries" were originally a cream colored pearl that I colored red with my Copics. : )

Thank you for stopping by today! Have a great day!!!!!

A Basket of Flowers

Good morning! As I mentioned last week, life has been a bit hectic, as I am sure it is for many people at this time of year. Kyle had 3 days of golf tryouts and practice that seemed to take over my life......temporarily.....because he didn't make the team. : ( Cortney had her Sweet 16 pool party with her friends this past Friday. (Her birthday was in May......I am just a wee bit late! ; ) And now my mind is on school. I did a bit of shopping for my classroom and this week my goal is to get my room set up and ready.

So on to my card shall we? ; ) I used Pop up Neighborhood for the basket. It was cut at 2 1/2." I love how dimensional it is! I popped up each piece and swiped all the sides with white acrylic paint! I added a piece of vintage lace and tied my black twine through the handles. The flowers were all cut using the Flower Shoppe cartridge. I used the Sunflower cut in various sizes. I used a bit of deeper yellow for the edges to give the flowers a bit more depth.
The tag was cut using the Sentimental's Cartridge at 3/4". I usually cut a whole 12 x 12 sheet of paper of different sized tags and place them in a little bucket for future use! It is a great time saver!

Thanks for hanging in there with me! I always appreciate your visits!!! Have a wonderful rest of your weekend! : )

Just a Silly Little Card.....

Hey there! It has been a bit crazy in my house preparing for the beginning of the school year. Kyle has been taking private golf lessons and had his first round of golf try outs today. Tomorrow is round 2 and I am keeping all of my fingers and toes crossed that he makes the team! In addition to that I am having a sweet 16 party for Cort on Friday and there is always shopping involved, some cleaning, cooking etc. I have been trying to get into my classroom and start setting up, but have been unsuccessful so far. My gram took a tumble yesterday and was rushed to the hospital for stitches. She is home and is okay but I needed to go there and help clean up. So if my poor blog is a bit sporadic you will know why!

My card today is just a silly little card I made just because. I don't do that often but I felt like coloring this cute little mouse. He is part of the Tea With Alice set by Crafty Secrets. I colored him in with Copics as well as the teacups he is holding. I cut the tea cups out and stacked them up using dimensional foam circles. I added a bit of glitter to the "tea!" I did a bit of airbrushing and added a couple of shadows under his feet.

Gotta run! Cort has physical therapy in a bit and she is screaming for a hamburger from McDonalds today! So off we go to the drive thru! : )

Have a fabulous Wednesday!!! ((((((Hugs))))))) : D

Going Vintage

Good morning to you my friends! It is sunny and a bit cooler here.......which means I can finally open my windows! I am heading to lunch today with Cortney's very good friend and her mom to plan Cort's 16th birthday and Patty's 17th birthday this Friday. We are having a pool party with all of their friends! (Including Cort's boyfriend, "Jimbo!" ; ) It is one of those moments that tugs at your heartstrings to see them all together, loving each other unconditionally. Unaware of each other's disabilities.

I have a card that seems to be continuing my pink and black theme.(Polka dot paper is by Echo Park, Green designer paper is Pink Paislee) I used the Exclusive Cricut Circle Cartridge, French Manor to create the Eiffel Tower. (For more information about joining the Circle, click HERE) It was cut at 2.5". The oval was cut using Elegant Edges at 4". The flowers were cut using the Flower Shop cartridge ranging from 1/4" to 1 1/4". I purchased a bunch of stamens off of Etsy and added those to my center. I love the dimension it adds!

See that little rolled flower tucked in there? That was created using Flower Shop too! : D
I added black tulle to the left of the card and wanted the knot to be hidden a bit. So I pushed a decorative stick pin into it and added another flower.
Well off to get my girly dressed and ready for her lunch date! Have a happy day!!!! Thank you for taking the time to visit me! : )

JustRite's Be Strong: Stamping For a Cause!

Hello there friends! JustRite is introducing their first clear set called, Be Strong. I love the option of clear stamps for the simple reason of being able to interchange the sentiments and knowing exactly where you are putting them! : ) So I am super excited about this release!

I love the beautiful frames and fonts of this set....... there are so many options here.
As some of you may know, 3 years ago we lost a teacher at my school to pancreatic cancer. She was only 52 years old and left behind 2 daughters. She had stomach aches constantly, had trouble eating, and after much prodding from us, she went to the doctor. It didn't take them long to diagnose her. By then it was too late. She died weeks after being diagnosed. Since then the staff and I walk for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. Our teachers have all experienced cancer with other family and friends as well and it is an extremely touching and personal event for us. To hear the stories at the luminaria ceremony and see how terribly it has affected the lives of people is heart wrenching.
I am so fortunate to work with such an amazing group of people, who truly are my second family. We need to provide to one another exactly these things, Hope, Faith, and Strength. Those that are fighting this disease, as well as their families, need to know they are not alone in their battle.
I hope you take the time this weekend to stop by the other designer's blogs and see their beautiful encouraging cards.......

JustRite Inspiration

Becca Feeken

Kellie Fortin

Mona Pendleton

Sharon Harnist

Heidi Blankenship

Michele Kovack

Kathy Jones

Stephanie Kraft

Angela Barkhouse

Barb Schram

Have a wonderful weekend! Hug those dear to you!!! ((((HUGS!!!!!))))

JustRite Crafting for a Cause!

Good morning and happy Friday to you! I have a very special post today. JustRite has come out with two wonderful sets that support the people you love fighting cancer. Cancer is one of those diseases that doesn't discriminate, it affects everyone.....young, old, male, female, rich, poor, it isn't picky. And I think it is pretty safe to say that somewhere along our lives we are affected by this terrible disease. I've had two grandparents and a coworker lose their battle to cancer.

To show your support to those fighting the battle as well as their families, JustRite has come out with two sets called Strength and Courage and Be Strong. Today I am using Strength and Courage.

The ribbons can be personalized so you can support the cause that is dear to you.
My card today is in support of breast cancer. My Gram died from this terrible disease many years ago. I was only 9 at the time of her death and didn't fully comprehend at the time what she had gone through, or the battle she had fought. I do remember my dad though, sobbing over the loss of his mother. I remember because my dad doesn't cry.
Amy Tedder, illustrator and graphic designer for JustRite Stamps, is celebrating 6 years of being ovarian cancer free! Ovarian cancer is one of the deadliest cancers because it can go unnoticed for years. Amy's only symptom was that she felt tired. But she also has 3 children, so she shrugged it off as being a busy mom. Her regular doctor found her cancer and referred her to an oncologist.

Today, we need to encourage all the women we know and love to go for their yearly check ups. If there is any kind of family cancer they need to insist on having the lab work done. I am finding that each woman has to be her own advocate. No one else will automatically do it for us. We have to schedule the appointments, WE have to request the tests, WE have to look for ways to protect our own health and take time to take care of ourselves. Just make your appointment and make your mother, sisters and friends schedule their appointments!

Amy said, “During my cancer recovery I was blessed to receive cards and notes from friends to encourage me. My hope is that you will use these stamps to encourage your loved ones that are the care givers or are fighting cancer. “

JustRite Crafting For a Cause

In an effort to find an early diagnostic test or screening tool for Ovarian Cancer, JustRite Crafting For a Cause will donate 20% of the sales from Be Strong and Strength and Courage in 2011 to Ovarian Cancer Research. To learn more about the symptoms of this “silent killer “ visit www.OvarianCancer.org.

Be sure to visit the other designer's blogs for more inspiration!
JustRite Inspiration

Becca Feeken

Mona Pendleton

Debbie Olson

Michele Kovack <------ Me! : )

Kellie Fortin

Kathy Jones

Stephanie Kraft

Angela Barkhouse

Kazan Clark

Heidi Blankenship