MIA

Oh my goodness! It has been way more than a year since my last post! Where have I been? What have I been doing?

Well, let me tell you... My husband and I decided to down-size and build a smaller house. That was a difficult year long process. We sold our previous home, packed it up and moved into an apartment until our new house was built. Apartment life is not for me and don't get me started on our builder! Ugh!

Because we were in an apartment, space was limited. I tried to scrapbook but there's something about confined spaces that limits my creativity. I didn't scrap anything the entire time we were there.

Now, we are in our new home! I have a new, smaller scrapbook room and it's going to be really nice when I get everything put away. IKEA turned out to be my favorite place to shop for my scrapbook room. My desk is frickin' awesome! Actually, every storage piece in my room is fantastic! As awesome and fantastic as it is, I still haven't scrapped anything... I'm one of those types that can't cook in my kitchen unless it is completely clean. The same thing holds true for my scrapbook room. Once it's all together, I can focus!

You don't realize how much stuff you have until you try to cram it all into a smaller space! I'm going to have to sell some of the stuff I don't use anymore because there just isn't anywhere to store it.

We are almost settled into our new house but we are also doing a lot of traveling. Our son is going to be a senior in high school this year. He has a lot of colleges showing interest in him and we have started visiting them. Lots of football camps this summer, too.

I'm hoping somewhere in between decorating the house and traveling, I will have some time to scrap and share! I can at least say I've been taking pictures!

I Have You Tuned Out

Oh, my! It has been a little while since I posted anything! My family and I have so much going on! We are in the process of building a new home! At the same time, we are packing up our current house and getting ready to move into an apartment until our new house is ready in October. Since we have to move into an apartment until our new house is finished, I won't have my scrapbook room. Luckily, my mom loves to scrap and is letting me store my machines, cartridges, and other scrapbooking supplies that she doesn't have at my parents house.

I did find some time recently to make this little sign for my desk at work. I have been unbelievably busy at work for several months now. When I'm busy like I have been, I usually put my headphones (earbuds) on and listen to my favorite stations on XM Radio to tune everyone around me out. I get into a serious groove! When someone comes into my cube to talk to me, they can't tell that I have my headphones on and it's a minute later when they realize I didn't hear a thing they said or they think I'm ignoring them! So, I decided to make this sign to let them know I have my headphones on and I'm listening to music.

Cricut Cartridges Used:

• Rock Princess for the cool chick with the headphones on
• Type Candy for the title
• Locker Talk for the iPod

Love

This is also my last project as a member of the Stuck On U Sketches Die Cut Design Team. I have thoroughly enjoyed and learned so much being a part of this very creative team. Everyone has such awesome talent! Even though I will no longer be on the design team, I will still be participating in the challenges!

Now, on to my project!
I have the perfect picture for this layout. So where is it? Still on my laptop where most of my pictures still live! I don't know why I don't LOVE printing pictures. There's really nothing to it. As much as I dislike printing pictures, I LOVE this layout! Do you see where I am going with this? You guessed it! The challenge this week for the die cut design team over on Stuck On U Sketches is LOVE! Since this is the month of LOVE, I created this Valentine's layout. Lots of LOVELY little details!

 

The title "Love" was cut from my Sophisticated Cricut cartridge and then covered with pink micro beads. The large and small hearts were cut from a red metal sheet and embossed with my Cuttlebug.

I used smaller hearts to seperate the month, day, and year for the Valentine's date and strung them together with baker's twine to make a banner.

I used the same technique on the smaller hearts I used for the large one.

Cricut Cartridges Used:

• Sophisticated for "Love" and numbers
• Martha Stewart Birthday Cake Art for the large and small hearts

If you LOVE this project and want to see more projects to fall in LOVE with, head over to Stuck On U Sketches!

Postmarked With Love

The Stuck On U Sketches die cut design team was challenged to create a project with a "You've Got Mail" theme. My brain immediately skipped over to the movie. Great movie! Then my brain skipped over to a sound clip I had on my computer of Dr. Evil saying, "You've got frickin' mail!" whenever I received an email. After a few more days of my brain skipping to and fro, I finally got serious about my SOUS project.

In the end, I absolutlely love this scrapbook layout! It may be the best one I've come up with in a while! Hope you love it too!

Cricut Cartridges Used:

• 3 Birds on Parade for the title "Postmarked with Love"
• Sentimentals for "Postcard", stamp, flourish, feather and inkwell

For more "You've Got Mail" themed projects, check out Stuck On U Sketches!

Brr!

For me, anything below 60 degrees makes me say "Brr" but this snowman card I made for the Stuck On U Sketches Die Cut Design Team warms my heart!

Cricut Cartridges Used:

• Doodlecharms for the snowman
• Create A Critter for the hat
• Winter Woodland for the scarf
• Paper Doll Dress Up for the tree
• Something to Celebrate for the banner, "B", and "R"

The rest of the design team has also created some cool snowman projects. Head on over to Stuck On U Sketches and check them out!

Winter Fun

Even though I live in North Texas, I don't get to see or feel a lot of northerly weather. We may get a day or two of snow during the winter but that's about it. I have lived in other areas of the country where I did get to see and feel a real winter. Playing in the snow was so much fun!

This week over on Stuck On U Sketches, the theme for the die cut design team challenge is Winter Fun. When I think of winter fun, I think of cute little penguins!

Head on over to Stuck On U Sketches and see the other awesome winter fun themed projects the die cut team created.

Almost forgot! Stephanie from Whimsical Designs is the sponser for the rest of the month on Stuck On U Sketches. Stephanie has graciously donated some of her very own stamp collections to some very lucky winners of the sketch and die cut challenges this month on Stuck On U Sketches. Get inspired! Create something! Create to win! The more projects you create and post on Stuck On U Sketches, the more chances there are of you winning!


 

 

 

Jolly

I don't know if there is a name for this but I love using images as letters in the alphabet to spell words and making framed art! I originally got the idea from a stamp set in one of the Stampin' Up! mini catalogs. I don't buy rubberstamps anymore because I Cricut-ize everything now!

This is my latest Cricut-ization (don't you just love my Cricut vocabulary?). This is my project for the die cut challenge on Stuck On U Sketches. This week's challenge was to create a project with lots of snowflakes.

The background paper has lots of snowflakes that I printed using my Cricut Imagine and the Mr. Frosty Cricut Imagine cartridge. I added additional snowflakes cut from the Paper Lace Cricut cartridge.

Cricut Cartridges Used:

• Gingerbread for the "J" (upside-down candy cane)
• Joys of the Season for the "O" (wreath) and "L" (stockings)
• Winter Woodland for the "Y" (holly)
• Paper Lace for the snowflakes

To see more projects with lots of snowflakes, go to Stuck On U Sketches.

Happy Holidays!

Holiday Baking Bookmark

Mmm, mmm! Cakes, pies, and cookies! Lots of holiday baking yumminess! This is the best time of the year to bake all of those sweet treats! I made this project with holiday bakers in mind.

Cricut Cartridges Used:

• From My Kitchen for the rolling pin
• Paper Trimmings for the gingerbread man and snowflake

You can find other holiday baking projects over on Stuck On U Sketches!

Happy Holidays!



 

Thanksgiving Home Decor

I love the holidays! I love decorating my home inside and out! I have made more home decor items for my house this year than ever before!

I used this week's die cut challenge on Stuck On U Sketches to create Thanksgiving home decor. The SOUS challenge is "Thanksgiving Table." This project has so many little details but was so much fun to do! I am extremely excited about this project!

Are you ready to see it? I hope so because I am SO ready to reveal it!

I put this scrap-scene on one of the counters in front of one of the little windows next to the stove top in my kitchen!

My favorite part of this scene... the chair rail and base boards! I used my Cuttlebug, Stampin' Up! Stripes and Framed Tulips Textured Impressions Embossing Folder Die to make them.

(Sorry about the reflection from the Mac on the other side of the kitchen.)

I love the delicate lace tablecloth, too! Maybe, I need a little dog sleeping under the table... That's what my dog would do.

Juicy, ripe fruit! I embossed the cornucopia using the Stampin' Up! Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder Die.

I added a little sparkle to the cherry pie holes and candle flames with Stickles.

A little cardinal needs to be sitting in the window...

I printed the "Count your Blessings" phrase on my Imagine using the Thanksgiving cartridge. It looks kind of like it was cross-stitched!



Cricut Cartridges Used:

• Thanksgiving for "Count your Blessings", pie, cornucopia, pumpkin, grapes, leaves, and turkey.
• Sophisticated for the chandelier and table (made from the bottom portion of the big chair)
• Elegant Edges for the "Count your Blessings" frame
• French Manor for the windows
• Chic & Scary for the candelabra
• From My Kitchen for the pear
• Serenade for the apple

Want to see more Thanksgiving table projects? Go to Stuck On U Sketches!

Thanks for stopping by and have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Place Mats

I'm guessing I probably should have posted the projects that lead me to this project first but I've had a lot going on and just haven't had the time. I will try and get those projects posted too!

For now, let me tell you how this project came about. My coworkers and I decorate our department for just about every holiday on the calendar. Halloween is our biggest holiday followed closely by Christmas. When I say big, I mean huge! There's always a theme. Last year was the Old West! Each cube was decorated like something you would see in the old west. We had a saloon, jail, general store, blacksmith, even a brothel! All with a haunted twist. I was the local baker but my cakes and sweets were "special". This year for Halloween, we did children's fairy tales. Since I was still recovering from Halloween and Christmas last year, I didn't decorate my cube this year but I helped all who needed me and my Cricut!

My coworker came to me a week or so ago and asked if I would make Thanksgiving place mats for her. She is hosting Thanksgiving dinner for 20 family members! That's a lot of cooking! Anyway, I thought the place mats were an awesome idea! This is what I did!

 Cricut Cartridges Used:

• Thanksgiving

Fabulous Fall

Don't you just love fall? I would probably love it more if I actually got to see the leaves change color. Here in Texas, you really don't get to see that. The next best thing for me would be to create a scrapbook layout with fall leaves!
The Die Cut Design Team over on Stuck On U Sketches were challenged to create a project a leaf (or two or three). My simple layout is full of color and a few leaves!

Cricut Cartridges Used:

• 3 Birds On Parade for the title "Fabulous Fall"
• Straight From the Nest for the leaves

If you would like to see more fabulous leaf projects, go to Stuck On U Sketches!

 

Defense! Defense! Defense!

Defense! Defense! Defense! I've been cheering that a lot lately! The Frisco Racoons are dominating this year! Go Racoons!

Anyway, before my son's game last week, I was thinking about what I should do for my next Stuck On U Sketches Die Cut Design Team Challenge. This week's challenge was to create a project with a "fence". I immediately thought about doing another Halloween layout with a creepy fence and was perfectly happy with the idea, then my son's football game started. So, I'm sitting there cheering, "Defense! Defense! Defense!" and it hits me... the sign with the letter "D" and a picture of a fence that fans hold up at games and another football layout was born!

 Here's a cool little detail...I used my Cricut Imagine to print the quote "Offense wins games; Defense wins Championships"!

Cricut Cartridges Used:

• Billionaire for the "D"
• Wild Card to print the quote on my Imagine
• My Community or Wrap It Up for the fence

Head on over to Stuck On U Sketches to see all of the other great "Fence" projects!

Make a Wish Birthday Card

Yesterday was my wonderful husband's 44th birthday! I made this card for him!

 

 

Cricut Cartridges Used:

• Phases for "Make a Wish"
• Wrap It Up for the candle flames

Halloween Sign

I got the idea to do this sign from a Stampin' Up! stamp! I love to find ways to Cricutize things!

Cricut Cartridges used:

• Chic and Scary for the cat, spiders, and spider web
• Smiley Cards for the candy corn
• Happy Hauntings for the boots, pumpkin, bats
• Four Legged Friends for the snakes
• Indie Art for the bones