Finally! A Tutorial!

Good morning to you! Awhile back I had asked everyone what tutorials they would like to see her on the ole' blog, and creating flowers was one of the most popular answers! So I decided to get my act together and create a tutorial. For my fall inspired card today, I used my Cricut Expression, the Flower Shoppe cartridge, and the Thanksgiving cartridge. (Maple leaves)
When creating flowers you want to cut various sizes and many of them, so that your flower is nice and full! No skimpy flowers around here! ; )

I inked the edges of each flower in brown. Sometimes I opt for a deeper color than the paper or even white.....it is just a personal preference.

After inking all of your flowers, you will want to stack them. Be sure to only glue the centers of the flowers so that later, when it is dry you can pull up all of the ends. I also make sure that the petals of the flowers criss cross each other........

......remember to keep the glue to the center! : D

All of pieces are assembled, but I still need a center. This is the fun part! I often add gems, pearls, buttons etc......

But since this is a sunflower I wanted to create a fuzzy center. The centers tend to be a dark brown or black but I didn't have anything in those colors. Than I had an "AHA" moment! ; )

Grab a container of Flower Soft.......I chose cream since I didn't have dark brown, which is the color I am really aiming for.....

Fill the center of the button with a generous amount of glue......

Fill the center with Flower Soft. Pack it in there as much as you can.......you want it fluffy remember! : )

Then grab a bottle of dark brown walnut ink, or Glimmer Mist, or Shimmerz........

And spray that cream Flower Soft till it turns into dark brown Flower Soft! (You will notice that I had a moment of clarity and took the smaller flower off under the button. Obviously, if you spray the button/Flower Soft, the flower would be sprayed too! So I took it off and put it to the side to readhere later! ; )

I gave my flower a coat of ice resin to make it a bit translucent. I will have a tutorial on using Ice Resin in the near future!

And now my sunflower has a fuzzy brown center! : D

I love those moments of inspiration where you find the ability to use materials on hand and use them in a new and different way!

Have a wonderful Wednesday my friends!

Sweet....

Needless to say this weekend has been difficult for me and my family. My gram was laid to rest on Saturday. She is at peace and in a better place, but I will miss her being a part of my life. On top of that I got a nasty cold. My head has been clogged, I have a cough, and I have been so run down and tired! I haven't crafted all week, and I really feel a bit out of the loop! I am slowly trying to get back into my normal routine with everything.

I have a Crafty Secret's card to share with you today. I actually made it a few weeks back and just never got around to showing it. (Which is a good thing, I had some back up cards! ; ) It uses the new set, Queen Bee. I colored it with Copics and a Spica glitter pen. The kraft doily is by Maya Road and I cut out the center with a circle Spellbinder's die. I popped it up with foam circles. I added a doily behind the lower half, a bit of Pink Paislee twine and a stick pin to finish it off.
I love Pink Paislee twine....... : )

And of course I added a touch of glitter to his wings.........

Thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers..........it is greatly appreciated by myself and my family. (Because I know they read my blog daily!) : )

Have a restful Labor Day to you my friends!

Miss You....

I got the call late Tuesday night......that my sweet Nonnie passed away. I have been fortunate enough to have her in my life for nearly 40 years, but it still stings to lose a person you love. My Nonnie was a tough cookie who endured much in her 91 years. She never lost sight of who she was or succumb to sadness or anger over the hand that was dealt to her. She was my "fun, cool, and hip" grandma. She was pretty, sophisticated, and strong willed. She once said to me that no matter how sad you may be, if you stay there, the world stops listening....so it is best to put a smile on your face and move on. I think my strength and courage have come from her and I try my best to live a happy life everyday. I am a better person for knowing her......and am glad I got to love her for so many years.

Here she is in 1971 with her 4 grandchildren.
And again in 2010 with her 4 grandchildren......

Nonnie........................I love you more.

Cricut Birthdays

I have been fortunate enough to have my projects published in several magazines including this one. If you are looking for ways to create birthday cards, favors, decorations using your Cricut machine, this is an incredible magazine for inspiration! I have a few projects in this one....but I will only share one with you today! ; )
It was created for their kids section. Just little treat bags with these cute lil' mice peeking out of their boxes!

Wet noses and all.......: )

If you are interested in purchasing this jam packed magazine you can purchase it HERE!

Thanks soooo very much for popping by for a visit!

Weekend in Chicago

Apparently, my birthday has turned into a birthday month......since it isn't even my birthday yet, and already I've gotten this wonderful gift, a weekend with my sister. It was great to have a weekend away with her....no husbands, no kids.....no stress. Just girl talk, lots of laughs, way too much eating, drinking, and enjoying each other's company. So here is a little peek into our weekend!

I had so much fun taking photos of this beautiful city I live so close to!
Lisa and I rode the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier....... : ) (And yes, I did take this photo!)

I am not sure why, but a huge sculpture of Marilyn Monroe was there right on Michigan Ave. Had to take a picture of her..... ; )

We visited the famous Sprinkles Cupcake Bakery on Walton Street........it has been highlighted on Food Network....and I can see why! Their cupcakes are YUMMY! and yes, being the big dork I am had Lisa take a picture with my $34.00 worth of cupcakes......but oh...so worth it!

And here they are........Red Velvet, Carrot Cake (x 2), Black and White, Chocolate Marshmallow, and Chai Latte........

And here is my big sis and I stopping to look at the view at Navy Pier.......

Shall I take more photos of food? Of course! I got a surprise knock on the hotel door for this delicious surprise........

We went to see Million Dollar Quartet and I got my picture taken with Jerry Lee Lewis......okay not the actual Jerry Lee......but as you can see from my lack of eyeballs in this picture I was pretty happy with this Jerry Lee..... ; )

We had a delicious dinner at Catch 35........one of my favorite places!

Oh! And did I mention I got cake? ; ) A molten lava type of cake that was warm and gooey!

And here I am just a couple weeks shy of my 40th birthday........I get to enjoy a couple of more weeks in my 30's! LOL!

I seriously think I gained 10lbs eating all the cakes and sweets from this weekend! But in all seriousness, I had a great weekend......and is definitely a part of the many sweet memories I hold near to my heart.

Thanks for letting me share this with you!

An Early Birthday Present.....

Good morning! I am more excited than usual that today is Friday! Why, you ask? Because last weekend, my hubby, in-laws, and dad decided to surprise me with an early birthday present. Since my birthday isn't until September......I didn't suspect at all! My mother-in-law created this adorable presentation......yep....she's crafty like that! : ) Inside this cute card is a girl's weekend away with my sister! Just the two of us......shopping.....talking......laughing......

......eating........drinking.......

....And watching this awesome musical!!!

I couldn't be more excited! I can't remember the last time my sister and I have had the opportunity to spend time alone! Since getting married, having kids.....life always seems to get in the way. So for the next couple of days, we get to reconnect a bit and build a few memories.......

Thanks for letting me share! : D

Have a wonderful weekend!

Day 3 of JustRite's Newest Releases!

Today is Day 3 of JustRite's newest releases! This set is such a fun vintage inspired set that is perfect for coloring or doing a bit of embossing. (Like I did on my card today) ; ) This set is called Shabby Chic Labels Four. Isn't it just beautiful!!?

I colored the perfume bottle and background image with Copics. The bottle was cut out and popped up with a dimensional foam circle. The center image was stamped a second time and embossed in silver. I added a bit of stitching, twill, and a pretty lil' flower.

Here is a close up of that main panel that was colored and the center embossed in silver. You can also see that I added glitter to the white sections for extra sparkle!

I hope you have enjoyed all the new releases by JustRite this week! I have had so much fun creating with them! Be sure to visit the other designers' blogs for more inspiration!

JustRite Inspiration
Becca Feeken
Debbie Olson
Mona Pendleton
Kellie Fortin
Michele Kovack
Kazan Clark
Sankari Wegman
Kathy Jones
Stephanie Kraft
Angela Barkhouse
Barb Schram

Have a wonderful Thursday! I've almost officially survived my first week of school. ; )