Hello Thursday! Provo Craft's Newest Releases!

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Last day to enter is July 30th!

It's that time of the month again for Provo Craft's newest releases! I had the pleasure of working with a brand new cartridge called, Art Philosophy! It is a cart that pairs with Close to my Heart stamps! I think this concept is so incredible, since I have always been a stamper! So for me it combines my two loves.....stamping and Cricuting! ; )


Here are two cards I created using the stamps in conjunction with Art Philosophy. If you would like info on the cartridge cuts I used be sure to visit the Cricut Blog! : )

How about a lil' country Christmas? ; )

Be sure to see all of the other cartridges at the Cricut Blog! You are going to fall head over heels for them!!! *********************************************
What a crazy week this has been! I am so tired of this crazy scary weather! A transformer was hit very close to my house......and let me tell ya....it was LOUD! Unfortunately we were without power for about 13 hours. I really hate storms, and I can't sleep at all during them because all I do is worry!


Kyle had his first golf lesson and the instructor was very complimentary of him and said he has a nice golf swing....but unfortunately had picked up a few bad habits in his posture and carry through. After the hour he was hitting the ball pretty nicely! About 150-175 yards!


We are headed to Navy Pier and the zoo this weekend for a bit of much needed family time. Life has been a bit hectic and we have gone in a zillion directions lately!


I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Thank you for stopping on by!

You Are a Star!

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(Drawing ends on July 3o th)

Good morning and happy Tuesday to you! Summer is quickly passing by and already my mind is on school things. Kyle is starting at a private high school in a few weeks and I've been trying to get books ordered, fees paid, clothes purchased. I am also headed to my school this week to start some class preparations. So I am trying to slow down each day to enjoy my time off, and enjoy being with my lil' family.

I have a shaped card to share with you today using my Gypsy and the George and Basic Shapes cartridge. The star was cut at 5." I also used Flower Shop to cut the flowers and leaves. I used some dimensional stamens from some silk flowers I had in my stash to place in the middle of my flower. I was kind of going for a "shooting" star look.....hence, the reason for the tulle! Not sure if I succeeded or not! ; ) The tag was cut using the Sentimental's cartridge and the sentiment was from Papertrey Ink. I added some silver Martha Stewart glitter and a bit of Pink Paislee twine to finish it off.

Off to tutor this morning, get Kyle to and from school, and head over to my school for a bit of work. : )

Have a GREAT day!!!!

My Weekend!

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(Chance to enter ends on July 3oth)

I have nothing crafty for you today, as I had no time this weekend to create anything........because of this.

I participated in the Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society. 3 years ago we lost a teacher to pancreatic cancer, so every year we honor her and the others we have lost to this terrible disease. I am so incredibly fortunate to work with people who have such big hearts. We truly are a family and I am lucky to have them in my life.

Our group was a bit smaller this year as there were some scheduling conflicts with weddings, family reunions and such......but no matter, the rest of teachers were there in spirit, texting us, and cheering us on. Every group "sells" something to raise money......and this particular booth had garden stones that you could create. I've made one every year and they sit in my garden. Here are our masterpieces! : )
There was a luminaria ceremony......to honor those that have won the battle, those that are still fighting the battle, and those that we've lost. It is beautiful, touching tribute.
Our team raised over $7,000! I couldn't be more proud!
And on to a lighter topic......I had my niece and nephew's birthday party. My sister spent a few hours using my Imagine Machine to print all these cute rockets, for the Space Themed party!
She loves to bake......so there were these too! : )
And what could be better than a giant cardboard rocket?
And here are the two birthday cuties!
And one last picture....just because I thought it was too cute to pass up! It is my other niece Katie taking her cupcake VERY seriously!
I will get back to my crafty posts tomorrow! Thanks so much for letting me indulge a bit! Have a great day! : )

My Party Card!

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What a busy whirlwind of a week it has been! Between CHA and some commitments at home, it has been a bit crazy! I am also walking this weekend to help with the American Cancer Society. A few years ago a fellow teacher died from pancreatic cancer. It greatly affected our school community and since then my co-workers and I have been participating in the walk. It feels empowering to know that we are doing something.....helping in some small way.

Today I have a fun card that uses bits and pieces of two brand new Crafty Secret's sets, Born to Fly and Let's Hang Out!. It was created from scraps of stuff on my desk. Sometimes papers are side by side from two prior projects and suddenly I look at them differently, and think, "Hey!" they look pretty good together! It is a bit brighter than my normal, and I took a little risk with the aqua trim.......but it's growing on me....and I think I kinda like it!

There are lots of layers on this card........I love the dimension that was created to nestle the little party hat!

The hat was colored with my Copic Markers and cut out. I used glossy accents to give it a bit of shine. The twine.....which is seriously my favorite right now, is by Pink Paislee.
I hope you enjoy your weekend! Thank you for stopping by and leaving a little "love!" It always brightens my day to read your comments!

What's New with Provo Craft?

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(Drawing ends on July 29th)

Good morning! I have been walking the CHA floors taking photos for the Cricut Circle Blog! If you are part of the Circle be sure to check out the blog for lots and lots of photos! Not part of the Circle? Click HERE to join! : )

This is the newest to the Cricut family... the mini. It is to be used in conjunction with the Cricut Craftroom and is not a stand alone machine. Can't wait to get to play with this one! : )

And this is The Craftroom!
I will get back to my "regular" crafty schedule tomorrow! I need a little break, and Kyle and I are going to see the Harry Potter movie today! Can't wait!

"See" you tomorrow! Have a great day and stay cool! : )

Crafty Secret's DT Tutorials!

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(Scroll down to enter. Drawing ends on July 29th)

Good morning! I am loving all of the input everyone has been giving me regarding what types of tutorials you would like to see! It definitely gives me some direction and ideas for the future! So keep those ideas coming! : ) It is ironic that today is the Crafty Secret's DT Tutorial Hop! Each designer has a unique tutorial for you today! : ) My tutorial is using a brand new Crafty Secret's set called, Vintage Silhouettes and airbrushing with Copic Markers to create a sunset.

I love silhouette images, and this one is particularly sweet! It is the epitome of childhood!

Are you ready to begin? First, these are the supplies you will need to get started.

I love working with Crafty Secret's stamps because it easy to position the stamp on the acrylic block for precise placement.

I used Versamark to ink up my image.

When using black embossing powder it is common to get a bit of splatter around the image.

I use a soft paint brush to brush away the excess powder.

Next, heat emboss image.

Punch a 2" circle from scrap paper.

Place it directly over your embossed image.

I use magnets to hold the circle in place.

These are the 3 Copic colors I used to create my sunset. But feel free to experiment with different colors. I usually Google Sunset images to see the wide spectrum of colors and their placement.

When working with the Copic Airbrush system be sure the chisel end is facing this way.

I worked my way from top to bottom starting with purple.

Then blue, overlapping the colors a bit.

Lastly, comes yellow, remembering to overlap the colors a bit.

Take your circle off and Voila! : )

I used Spellbinder's square die to cut out my image. Notice I lined it up, so the grassy hill wasn't crooked.

After cutting out the image, take distressed ink and a sponge and apply it to the edges of the square.

Like this! : )

From there I just assembled my card, added some pretty ribbon, rhinestones, and a Prima flower. I am going to try my hand at a video soon.....but I am a bit intimidated to try it! But I do think that would be easier than trying to take a zillion pictures! I hope you enjoyed my tutorial today! Be sure to check out the rest of the DT's!

Crafty Secrets
Vicki Chrisman Team Leader
Pam Hooten
Heidi Blankenship
Linda Duke
Michele Kovack --------ME! : )
Julie Campbell
Amy Teets
Debbie Marcinkiewicz
Fauve van Maanen
Gini Cagle
Jan Hennings
Tammy Roberts
Victoria Warren Mears
Viola Mahr

I am headed to CHA today! I am excited to see all the wonderful new products and see some crafty friends! : )

Have a great day!!!!

Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger!

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Happy Sunday to you! I have to make this a quick post because my hubby is on his way home from golf and we are headed to our pool for a swim with the kiddos! I had about an hour this morning to create and I knew I wanted to use the new Crafty Secret's stamp set called, Let's Hang Out! I thought it would fit perfectly with this week's Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger!

I actually paper pieced the dress using Echo Park paper. The sleeves, ribbon, and pockets were stamped on cream card stock and colored with Copic Markers. I added a bit of pink Stickles to the polka dots. I love these little wire hangers that I've had in my stash forever! I dabbed a bit of white acrylic paint to age it a bit. I used some Prima flowers, a doily, twine from Pink Paislee, and designer paper from Crate paper for the background.
I used yellow as my main color but thought it needed a bit of a "punch." So I added bits of pink! I figured I was safe, since the background of the photo had pink in it! : )
That's all I have for you today! I am off to spend some Sunday time with the family! Have a great one!