Musings of a Crafty Mom

Cooking With Cricut: Anything BUT a Card, must use Yellow & Polka Dots Challenge

2012-01-25T09:51:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday! It is challenge day over at CookingWithCricut.com and you will want to check out the AMAZING things the Design Team cooked up . . . the ladies really rocked the challenge this week.

The stomach flu hit our house hard and we've been down and out now for almost two weeks with someone sick. (Unfortunately, the adults have been hit the hardest.) YUCK! So I've not been crafting at all. Soon though . . . very soon!

~ Jen

Princess Party!

2012-01-19T09:00:00.005-05:00

Welcome to the most girly, pink, over-the-top, princess-y post you will ever see me do! Today I am sharing all of the wonderful creations we made for our niece Kylie's first birthday party this past weekend. I am also thrilled to be the Cartridge Showcase Chef today at CookingWithCricut.com -- sharing all the ins and outs of the Cricut Events Princess Party cartridge. BIG thanks to my friend, Melin at CWC for loaning me this cartridge -- this princess party would have looked much different without you! Thank you!!!

Disclaimer: If you have an aversion to the color pink, today's post is NOT for you.

Hold on to your party hats . . . I'm going to cover a lot of ground, share tons of photos, and give you all the details for TWELVE different projects. So heeeerrreee we go!

The Invitation:

This cute invitation was a pain in the rear, but so worth it (fortunately I only had to make 20)! There are multiple layers and then to top it off, we decided it needed glitter! This gate-fold invitation is on the Princess Party cartridge -- I cut it at 7" wide by 5 1/2" high (unfolded). Folded it fits into a standard invitation envelope. The pink and lavender papers are Bazzill card stock, the white is plain office store card stock.

The Banner:

This cartridge has a wonderful pennant banner that screams medieval times to me. I cut the pennants at 5 1/2" high for the base layer and 5" high for the top layer using Bazzill card stocks (Pinkini and Chablis). The crowns are also from Princess Party and measure 2 1/2" high and are finished off with some pen doodling and rhinestone gems. The letters were cut using the George & Basic Shapes cartridge from a thick glittered card stock made by Recollections. They measure approximately 2 1/4" high.

I added eyelets at the top corners and then tied pale pink ribbon to connect the banner pieces.

Birthday Time-Line:

I used the same heavy glittered card stock and the Princess Party cartridge's crown to make these cute clothespins for our photo time-line of the birthday girl's first year. The crowns are cut at 3 3/8" and are decorated with rhinestone gems.

They are attached to wooden clothespins with hot glue.

Disney Princess decorations:

It wouldn't be a party if a little girl's favorite princesses didn't show up! I created thess "head shots" of the ladies to jazz up the party space -- later on they will be framed to decorate Kylie's bedroom.

They are all cut at approximately 11 1/2" high. I used a variety of Recollections and Bazzill card stocks (and lots of adhesive). Ariel, Belle and Jasmine are cut using the Disney Princess Dreams Come True cartridge. Cinderella, Aurora and Snow White are from the Disney Princess Happily Ever After cartridge.

Each of the princesses has glittered elements. (Click on the photo to make it larger.) And they really turned out well -- I think Kylie's mommy loved them more than she did!

Glass Slippers decorations:

The "glass" slipper is also from the Princess Party cartridge. I used a solid silver glitter card stock made by DCWV and a scrap of that purple glittered card stock I used on the banner to make these cute little pumps. I made two of them -- they were cut at 11 1/2" wide by 10 7/8" high. Unfortunately, I did not get a good picture of them. But they were cute!

Birthday Hat:

A Princess must have a crown and so must a Birthday Girl have a party hat! This little hat is also on the Princess Party cartridge. I cut it at 11 1/2" wide by 7" high from Bazzill's Pinkini card stock. The crown is cut from the glittered card stock used previously at 2 1/2" high and is decorated with rhinestone gems and a silver letter "K" cut from the Cake Basics cartridge. I made a pom-pom from some left-over tulle, added two eyelets and some ribbon.

Onesie:

All of the birthday girls and boys in our family get a special onesie or shirt made by Aunt Jen. Kylie was no different. I used the freezer paper method to create her princess shirt. The Princess Party cartridge came through again . . . the tiara was cut at 5" wide by 2 3/8" high and the "Princess" was cut at 6" wide and 1 7/8" high. I used Tulip brand soft fabric paints and adhered some purple rhinestone gems using Alene's Fabric Fusion adhesive.

Tutu:

The girls also receive a hand-tied tutu to go with their birthday shirt! Kylie's is a soft pink tulle with sheer pink and white polka-dot ribbons. Doesn't she look adorable!

Smash Cake:

Dee is the Cake Guru at our house. But now that we have a Cricut Cake machine, I get to help out occasionally. Kylie's "smash" cake was made using one of Wilton's new pans -- Wilton Kids Mini Princess Pan. There are so many sweet details on this little cake -- check out the pearl necklace! I used the Cricut Cake and the Princess Party cartridge to cut the crown out of fondant. It measures 1" high by 2" wide. The little sign at the bottom is made from paper. I used Cindy Loo, Calligraphy Collection and Cake Basics cartridges for the text.

Cupcake Wrappers & Picks:

The Princess Party cartridge has an adorable cupcake wrapper, too. I cut it out at 8 3/4" wide from Bazzill's Pinkini card stock.

The crown picks are from the Princess Party cartridge and are cut at 1 1/2" high from Pinkini and a deep purple Bazzill card stock. The flag picks are cut using the Cupcake Wrappers cartridge at 2" high by 6" wide and are folded in half. We used two different rubber stamps and embossed them with white embossing powder.

THE Cake:

Dee made the most AMAZING cake! It is two tiers -- a tier of funfetti with buttercream filling and a tier of chocolate with a chocolate mousse filling. The turrets are not edible -- they are cardboard tubes covered with fondant. The tops of the turrets are ice cream cones coated with nonpareil sprinkles.

All of the decorations are made from icing or fondant, with the exception of the princesses. We used the Cricut Cake and Cake Basics and Tags, Bags, Boxes & More (TBBM) cartridges to cut the turret and castle cake tops, doors and windows. The Cake Basics simple feature was used to cut the turret/castle toppers. I welded three sections of the border cut, with the diamonds hidden -- each section measured 3 3/4" wide by 1 1/2" high before welding. The castle door and windows were cut from the TBBM cartridge using the rounded top tag. The door is 2 3/4"wide by 3" high; the castle windows measure 1 1/2" high by 1" wide; and the turret windows are 1 1/2" high by 3/4" wide. The flags on top are from paper and are cut using the Princess Party cartridge. I flipped the pennant on its side and welded two together -- they are cut at 5/8" high by 4" wide.

Dee cut the flowers and the bottom border on the cake and turrets using various cake tools. This cake was a ton of work -- but so worth it! No one wanted to cut it -- and everyone wanted to take a picture of it. And it made the 45 minute journey from our house to the party location intact -- in spite of a very bumpy dirt road at the end of the trip.

Thanks so much for stopping by and enduring this very long, pink-filled post! I hope you have enjoyed all of the party elements -- we sure had fun making them.

~ Jen

P.S. I am going to link up my princess party stuff at Decorate to Celebrate for their Anything Goes challenge; at Whimsical Wednesdays who is also having an Anything Goes challenge; and at Little Scrap Pieces for their Anything Goes challenge.

Blog Hop Winners!

2012-01-18T16:27:00.000-05:00

My winners from the Cooking With Cricut "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue" Blog Hop on Saturday, January 14th and Sunday, January 15th as chosen by Random.org are . . . . . . .

Day One:

Congratulations, Becca you are the winner of this set of clear stamps by Inkadinkado. I will be contacting you shortly via e-mail to get your mailing address.

Day Two:

Congratulations, Reva! You won the Cardinal and Holiday Assortment mini clear stamps by Inkadinkado. I will also be contacting you via e-mail shortly to secure your mailing address.

Thank you so much for all of the sweet comments you all left on both days of our Blog Hop! Mark your calendars . . . our next CookingWithCricut.com Blog Hop will take place on February 11 & 12 and our theme is "Love is in the Air."

~ Jen

Cooking With Cricut Blog Hop: Day Two!

2012-01-15T08:00:00.004-05:00

Welcome to Day Two of PaperCraftingWorld.com and CookingWithCricut.com’s first Blog Hop of 2012! Our theme is: “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue!”

If you have arrived here from visiting Angie at Scrappin Memories, you’re in the right place! If you've just popped in . . . head on over to see Melin at CookingWithCricut.com and start at the beginning so you don’t miss any of the wonderful projects the Designers have created -- 'cause I'm the caboose on this train!

Our Designers had to use something old from their craft stash, something new (a recent purchase or new technique), something borrowed (an element from a Cricut cut or from a PaperCraftingWorld.com cutting file or digi stamp) and of course, something blue.

I recently completed a number of items for a little boy's first birthday. His Mommy and Daddy selected a gator theme using pastel blue, a light lime green and white. See yesterday's post for the banner, picture clips and shirt I made for the birthday boy's celebration.

Today I am sharing the yummy cake and cupcakes Dee and I made! Usually Dee is a solo act when it comes to the cakes. However, now that we have our new Cricut Cake machine that we scored on eBay I have a feeling I will be participating more. This is the first time we used the Cricut Cake and I am still amazed at how easy it was to use! The key is rolling your fondant to the correct thickness and then letting it sit out to stiffen up a bit.

The bottom tier is white cake and the top tier is chocolate.
Both are covered in buttercream frosting before the fondant is applied.
All of the accents are fondant and the border is M & Ms.
The embellishments on the gators and the monogram plaque was
achieved with edible food writers.

All of the fondant decorations were cut using the Cricut Cake!

Here are the decorations drying a bit before being applied to the cake.

To apply the decorations to the cake you simply
brush them lightly with water. The water
activates the sugars and allows the fondant
to stick to itself.

The birthday boy is ready for cake!

And here is how I fulfilled the hop requirements:

Something old ~ Create-A-Critter cartridge
Something new ~ Cricut Cake and Cake Basics cartridge
Something borrowed ~ one layer from the multi-layered gator
Something blue ~ the number one, stripes, and the monogram medallion.

Dee also made some delicious cupcakes that I decorated with cupcake picks. I used Accent Essentials, Create-A-Critter and Cindy Loo cartridges.

Tyler had a wonderful first birthday -- and his Mommy and Daddy were so thrilled with all the items Dee and I created for his party.

It wouldn't be a Blog Hop without some Blog Candy, now would it! I have four sets of clear stamps by Inkadinkado that I'm giving away -- two sets yesterday and two sets today. To be eligible you must leave a comment on each day's post (Saturday's post to be eligible for that day's stamps and today's post for today's stamps) with your e-mail address. I'd love it if you'd like to become a follower of my blog, but it is not a requirement.

Here is today's giveaway:

The stamp on the left is hard to see -- it has a Cardinal sitting on a branch.

Thanks for stopping by and hopping with us! Make sure you check in tomorrow at CookingWithCricut.com and see what Chef Nita has whipped up for our Monday Cartridge Showcase!

~ Jen

Cooking With Cricut Blog Hop: Day One!

2012-01-14T08:00:00.006-05:00

Welcome to Day One of PaperCraftingWorld.com and CookingWithCricut.com’s first Blog Hop of 2012! Our theme is: “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue!”

If you have arrived here from visiting Larelyn at Handmade from My Heart, you’re in the right place! If you've just popped in . . . head on over to see Melin at CookingWithCricut.com and start at the beginning so you don’t miss any of the wonderful projects the Designers have created -- 'cause I'm the caboose on this train!

I recently completed a number of items for a little boy's first birthday. His Mommy and Daddy selected a gator theme using pastel blue, a light lime green and white. Here is what I came up with . . .

Every birthday boy needs a special shirt! I used my Cricut and the Create-A-Critter and Cindy Loo cartridges.

The gator is cut at 6 1/2" wide by 1 1/2" tall is from the Create-A-Critter
cartridge the number one is cut from Cindy Loo at 2 1/4" tall.

This is the birthday boy sporting his new shirt-- isn't he a cutie pie!

And here is how I fulfilled the hop requirements:

Something old ~ Create-A-Critter cartridge
Something new ~ White polo shirt
Something borrowed ~ one layer from the multi-layered gator
Something blue ~ the number one

I also created a banner and some clothespins to hang pictures from his first year.

Here's the recipe for the banner:

Pastel blue circles cut from Accent Essentials at 5 1/2".
White "gear" cut from Accent Essentials at 5".
Gators cut from Create-A-Critter at 4 1/2" wide.
Text cut from Mickey Font at 3" tall.

Some pen doodling, eyelets and narrow white ribbon complete this super cute banner.

Aren't these clothespins cute -- almost as cute as those baby pictures! These gators are also from Create-A-Critter and are cut at 1" high by 2 3/4" wide. The larger gator measures 11" wide by 3 7/8" high.

Tomorrow I'll be sharing several more items from this party -- here's a hint . . . there's cake involved! So don't miss out!

And it certainly wouldn't be a Blog Hop without some Blog Candy, now would it! I have four sets of clear stamps by Inkadinkado that I'm giving away -- two sets today and two sets tomorrow. To be eligible you must leave a comment on each day's post with your e-mail address. I'd love it if you'd like to become a follower of my blog, but it is not a requirement.

Here is today's giveaway:

The stamp on the left is 2 1/4" square and the four small stamps are each 1" square.

Make sure you check in tomorrow at CookingWithCricut.com and see what the Day Two Designers have cooked up! Thanks for stopping by and hopping with us!

~ Jen

Cooking With Cricut Challenge: Photo Inspiration

2012-01-11T09:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Wednesday and welcome to challenge day at CookingWithCricut.com! I didn't get anything made for this week's challenge, but I hope you will go over and check out all of the beautiful things the Design Team made using this gorgeous photo for inspiration . . .

This picture was taken by photographer Chris Summerville. It is entitled "Relax" and was taken in Charlotte, North Carolina's Freedom Park. One would think this was a gorgeous winter scene, but in actuality this photo was taken with an infrared lens -- those trees were really green!

Don't forget -- this weekend is CookingWithCricut.com and PaperCraftingWorld.com's first Blog Hop of 2012! Join us beginning at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on Saturday and Sunday, January 14 & 15. Two days of fun with two sets of designers!

Now, head on over to CookingWithCricut.com and check out the great projects!

~ Jen

Cooking With Cricut Challenge: Something New!

2012-01-04T09:00:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year! Today is challenge day over at Cooking With Cricut and Melin decided to change things up a bit to kick off 2012. The Designers have paired up and selected the challenge themes! The first set of "hostesses" are Jenny R. and Madison and they challenged the team to use something new -- a new cartridge, paper, ribbon, bling . . . or even a new technique.

I decided to try my hand at one of Melin's wonderful digi stamps! I hadn't ventured into the digi stamp world yet -- having always been a traditional rubber stamper -- and wasn't sure I was up to all the coloring. Having had two not-so-successful carpal tunnel surgeries on my right hand, my stamina for coloring just isn't there. But I gave it a shot and paced myself over several hours.

Not too shabby for my first attempt. I used Tombow markers to color this sweet little bear; a white Gelly Roll pen for details and doodling; and 3-D Crystal Lacquer to give his eyes, nose, whipped cream and the snowflake on his cup some shine. (You can purchase this cute "Bear Holding Hot Chocolate" as a digi stamp or cutting file at PaperCraftingWorld.com.)

The card is a top fold I created using my Cricut Design Studio and the Joys of the Season cartridge. The cup measures 6 1/2" wide by 4 3/4" tall. The snowflakes are from the same cartridge and they are 1 1/2" tall.

Here is a side view:

I used the Cake Basics cartridge to cut "Thank You" to go inside.

Now . . . its your turn! Link up your project using something new or even a new technique at Cooking With Cricut. You just might be this week's "Top Chef!"

Head on over to CookingWithCricut.com and check out what the other Design Team members created and don't forget to mark your calendars -- our next blog hop is Saturday and Sunday, January 14 and 15th. Two days of fun with two sets of designers!

~ Jen

WINNERS!

2011-12-30T11:05:00.000-05:00

The 25 Days of Christmas Crafting Showcase winners from weeks two and three, as well as the Grand Prize Winners are being announced today! Head over to CookingWithCricut.com and see if you're one of the lucky ones!

Good luck!

Cooking With Cricut Challenge: Year in Review

2011-12-28T09:00:00.004-05:00

Happy Wednesday and welcome to Cooking With Cricut challenge day! Melin asked the Design Team to share their favorite project from 2011 for today's challenge. There were so many . . . it was hard to pick just one!

I finally narrowed it down . . .

I just love the way this door sign for my sister's baby shower turned out!

It now hangs on this cutie-pie's bedroom door! Baby Everett joined the family on December 10 and was just 15 days old for his very first Christmas. His Mommy and Daddy said that all of their other Christmas gifts couldn't hold a candle to this precious gift from God.

Here is the link to the original post with all of the details and specifics, if you'd like more information.

Now it's your turn! Link up your favorite project from 20111 over at CookingWithCricut.com and you could be this week's Top Chef. Make sure you check out what the other Design Team members have shared, too!

Sending you all hugs and best wishes for a safe and Happy New Year!

~ Jen

Day 24 & 25 of the 25 Days of Christmas Crafting Showcase

2011-12-24T09:00:00.005-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Last Christmas I created a board book for my then six year-old daughter re-telling the story of Christ's birth in language she could understand. (Here is a link to the post with all of the details.) I had so many nice comments about this little book! So I wanted to share it with you again as part of Day 24 and Day 25 of the 25 Days of Christmas Crafting Showcase at CookingWithCricut.com!

I used only used two cartridges to create this book . . . Paper Doll Dress Up and Plantin SchoolBook!

May you always have the gladness of Christmas . . . which is hope;

the Spirit of Christmas . . . which is peace;

and the Heart of Christmas . . . which is love.

~ Jen

Day 22 of the 25 Days of Christmas Crafting Showcase

2011-12-22T09:00:00.002-05:00

It is Day 22 of the 25 Days of Christmas Crafting Showcase at CookingWithCricut.com and PaperCraftingWorld.com. Can you believe that it is already December 22nd? Have you checked everything off of your to-do list yet?

We've made it about halfway through ours --

tree decorated - check
house decorated - check
outdoor lights up - check
stockings hung - check
presents wrapped - nope, not a single one
baking finished - almost, two different kinds of cookies, Lemon Bread and Chocolate Turtle candies to make still (as a matter of fact, I'm probably baking while you're reading this!)
gifts completed - almost, two to go.

Also on my to-do list was making my seven year old daughter a top to wear on Christmas Day. (She finally agreed to model it for me in front of our Christmas tree! )

This super cute "JOY" applique was cut using my Cricut and the Joys of the Season and Doodlecharms cartridges.

Here are the ingredients you need:

Heat 'n Bond
Assorted fabrics (I used "Fat Quarters" from the fabric store -- they are the perfect amount of fabric for little projects like these)
Tiny jingle bells
Gold seed beads
Googly eyes
A shiny red button
Dimensional fabric paint
Optional: sewing machine with coordinating thread

And here's the recipe:

Stocking cut from Joys of the Season at 5 1/2" tall.
Ornament cut from Joys of the Season at 3 1/4" tall.
Reindeer cut from Doodlecharms at 4 1/4" tall.
Iron Heat 'n Bond to the wrong side of your fabric.
Place on cutting mat, fabric side down.
Cut design -- I use "Medium" pressure and "Low" speed. I have a separate blade I use for fabric only and I always use a sticky mat.
Remove paper backing and iron on shirt.
Secure edges of design by sewing or using dimensional paint.
Embellish -- the reindeer gets googly eyes, a shiny red button nose and a painted smile and antlers; the ornament has a painted hook and sewn on beads; and the stocking cuff is secured with paint and has tiny jingle bells sewn to the toe and the cuff.

Now head on over to CookingWithCricut.com and check out the other Designer's beautiful projects. Don't forget to leave a comment to be eligible for this week's prizes. Oh, and don't forget to download the amazing freebies Melin created for you!

~ Jen

Cooking With Cricut Challenge: Holiday Florals

2011-12-21T09:00:00.003-05:00

Welcome to Day 21 of the 25 Days of Christmas Crafting Showcase and challenge day at Cooking With Cricut! Today we are decorating with flowers -- paper flowers, of course! Melin challenged the Design Team to include our favorite holiday florals in this week's projects.

My seven year old daughter was the inspiration for my project today. She created this cute little candle holder at school and has lit it each night to decorate our dinner table. It is so colorful and just a little bit wild -- just like her!

So Momma decided to make an adult version of this little candle holder!

Here is what you need:

A glass cylinder vase (mine is from the local Dollar Tree store)
Tissue paper (I used Christmas tissue paper)
Mod Podge (mine is matte finish)
A paint brush
Flowers (see the list of ingredients for these below)
Glue Dots

Here's how you make it:

Wash your vase with warm soapy water and dry thoroughly.
Tear your tissue paper into small pieces (mine averaged about a 1 1/2" square).
Using your paint brush, brush Mod Podge onto the vase in an even coat. Don't do too much at once or it will dry out.
Add a piece of tissue. Brush Mod Podge on top of the tissue to to seal it. Make sure your brush has plenty of Mod Podge on it or you'll tear your tissue paper.
Keep adding Mod Podge, tissue and more Mod Podge until your vase is covered.
Let it dry overnight.

All finished. Time to dry.

The ingredients!

Start at the bottom &
work your way
around & up.

To create the poinsettias I used the Cricut Joys of the Season Cartridge and Cricut Design Studio. I used the base cut in black-out mode and then cut three of the flowers -- they are 2 1/2" tall. I hid the flower centers and did not cut them.

Here is what you need to create the flowers:

Card stock for your flowers
Pearl-Ex powder
Soft paint brush
Adhesive
Metallic gold seed beads
Thin gold beading wire
Thin awl or tiny hole punch
Small glue dots

Here is the step-by-step on how I created the flowers:

Base cut in black-out mode -- leafy green Bazzill card stock (I'm not sure of the name -- this came out of my scrap stash.)
Three poinsettia flowers (only) cut out of a cream colored linen paper (left over from some wedding invitations I made for a client).
Brushed two of the poinsettias with a soft paint brush and Brilliant Gold Pearl-Ex powder by Jacquard.
Glued the plain poinsettia to the green base.
Then I stacked the gilded poinsettias on top of the base -- gluing the centers only.
I strung five gold seed beads onto a 28 gauge gold beading wire. To form the circle of beads I strung the wire back thru the beads from each end and pulled it tight.
Using my handy-dandy pointy poker tool, I punch two small holes thru the center of the stacked poinsettia and threaded the two ends thru the holes.
I then turned my flower over and secured my wires by twisting them and clipped the excess wire off.
Using the same poker tool, I curled the poinsettia petals to give them some dimension.
Added a few glue dots to the center of the flowers (back side) and stuck them on the bottom of the vase. My vase took five flowers to go completely around.

All the ingredients for paper poinsettias!

Step 3: Brush with Pearl-Ex

Step 4: Glue plain poinsettia
to the green base.

Step 5: Glue gilded poinsettias --
centers only.

Step 6: String the beads and send
the ends of the wires back thru
the beads to form a circle.

Step 6 continued: Pull tight to
"gather" beads.

Steps 7 & 8: Punch holes and thread
wires thru to the back. Twist to
secure and snip excess wire.

This was a really easy project . . . it took longer to cut out all the flowers than it did to assemble them! And you really can't tell in these pictures, but the Pearl-Ex gives them such a nice golden lustre. The powder gets into all the detail cuts and gives it depth and dimension.

I have to tell you -- I was pretty pleased with the way this turned out and called my daughter to come and see what I made. Boy, did she burst my bubble! I was informed by the second grade "expert" that I had done it ALL wrong. There was NO glitter and my paper choice was B-O-R-I-N-G! LOL!

After I picked up the pieces of my shattered ego, I asked her to tell me how she would have done it. And so . . . a second candle holder was created with the "expert" telling me how to complete each step.

It was declared "perfect!" and "so much better than that other boring one, Momma!" Ahh . . . I guess beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. As you can see, we used red and green tissue paper and LOTS of glitter. (All secured with Mod Podge.) (Note: She did ask me later if I would get in "trouble" for this one because I didn't use my Cricut. LOL!)

Now it's your turn! Link up your favorite holiday florals project at Cooking With Cricut and you could be this week's Top Chef. Make sure to become a follower over at CWC and leave a comment to be eligible for one of this week's prizes and one of the 25 Days "grand" prizes!

The 25 Days showcase is winding to a close. There have been some truly extraordinary projects created by the amazing CookingWithCricut.com and PaperCraftingWorld.com Design Teams! These ladies are so talented and have created many wonderful projects over the last 21 days. We've had some amazing sponsors, too. They've been so generous with prizes and discounts -- I hope you'll check them out. And Melin has outdone herself with some beautiful cutting files and digi stamps -- and those vintage printables have been amazing, too -- and she's given them all away for free as a thank you for stopping by Cooking With Cricut! So make sure you stop by thru Christmas to download your freebies each day -- they truly are wonderful.

Sending you hugs and best wishes for a very Merry Christmas!

~ Jen

Cooking With Cricut Challenge: Gifts, Cards & Tags

2011-12-14T09:00:00.008-05:00

Welcome to Day 14 of the 25 Days of Christmas Crafting Showcase and Cooking With Cricut's weekly challenge! Today Melin challenged the Design Team to come up with some quick and easy gifts, cards or tags for the holidays. You know . . . something you can whip together at the last minute!

Dee and I have lost count (seriously) of the number of nieces and nephews we have between our two families. However, we do have FIVE that were born this year!! Two in January (on the same day, in the same hospital, four hours apart from two different sets of parents and here's the kicker -- they were both early!), one on Valentine's Day, one in August and one this past Saturday! That's right! My sister, Elizabeth and her hubby, Matt, welcomed their son to the family on December 10 at 12:33 a.m. Everett James weighed in at 7 lbs. 13 ozs. and is 20 1/2 inches long and is perfect in every way!

So there are lots of presents to be made and wrapped at our house! All of the little bitties are getting these super easy to make onesies. This one is for the two girl babies . . .

I used the Joys of the Season cartridge to cut the tree out of fabric. It measures 4" wide by 5" tall. I used three different fat quarters -- so I cut each of my trees into three pieces so I could switch it up. A star button and different size/shape red buttons decorate this cute little tree. I am on the hunt for some gift-wrapped package buttons to finish this off. I cut the tree trunk by hand. They are attached to the onesie with Heat 'n Bond and then zig-zag stitched. The buttons are very firmly attached -- but their mommies and daddies will all be warned of the choking hazard.

The three baby boys are receiving this onesie . . .

Yes, we're Gator fans (if you didn't already know that)! Win or lose, we love our team and wear our colors proudly! These were made just like the girl's onesies. The ties are cut from Everyday Paper Dolls and measure approximately 6 1/2" long. The suspenders are 1" wide orange grosgrain ribbon.

Our 18 month old grandson, Dylan, is receiving a Gator onesie and this one to wear for Christmas day . . .

You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch . . . but you sure do make a cute tie! The suspenders are cut by hand out of red cotton fabric. The tie was cut using the Everyday Paper Dolls cartridge. They were attached to the onesies in the same fashion as the girl's appliques. This tie measures approximately 8" long.

Now here is what makes this gift so quick and easy . . . these can all be cut by hand using a "stencil" if you aren't sure about cutting fabric on your Cricut. You can also use the heavy duty Heat 'n Bond and skip the sewing step or use dimensional fabric paint to seal the edges. Or if you don't want to even use fabric you could use freezer paper to make your stencil; iron it on and simply paint the shirt using fabric paints. Easy-peasy, quick and easy . . . and oh! So cute!

We recently took our 7 year old daughter and our grandson to see the Santa at the Mall. Demi did great -- this was the first year that we didn't have to bribe her or take several trips to finally make it to Santa's lap. Dylan was a different story . . .

Nope. Not having any part of the Santa thing at all. Demi was laughing -- I don't know why. She did the same thing from her second Christmas until year before last!

I did manage to get a pretty good picture of the two kiddos prior to the Santa trauma/drama!

That is Dylan's "Gramma grin!" Every time he sees me that is the grin I am greeted with. I just love it -- it makes my day! (And, no, I don't spoil him one little bit . . . it's a lot of little bits! After all, that is my right and duty as a Grandma!)

Now, head on over to Cooking With Cricut and check out the rest of the Team's projects. And don't forget to link up your quick and easy card, tag or gift. You just might be our next Top Chef!

You'll also want to download the amazing free files Melin has created and if you aren't a follower at CWC, sign up! Once you're a follower, leave a comment on the post and then you're eligible for one of this week's prizes provided by our very generous sponsors.

~ Jen

Day 10 of the 25 Days of Christmas Crafting Showcase!

2011-12-10T09:00:00.012-05:00

"Oh, you better watch out . . . you better not pout . . . you better not cry . . . I'm telling you why . . . Santa Claus is coming to town." Can you believe that there are only 15 more days until Christmas!?!?!?! Today at CookingWithCricut.com we are paying homage to the jolly old elf himself.

Santa Claus is one of those figures that people either love or dismiss. I, for one, am a big fan of the man in the red suit. Not because of the materialistic gifts he brings, but because of the life lesson he teaches. What he does is simple, but it is powerful. He teaches children how to have belief in something they can’t see or touch.

Throughout life, we each need this capacity to believe. Believe in ourselves, in our friends, in our talents and in our family. We’ll also need to believe in things we can’t measure or even hold in our hands. I am talking about love, that great power that will light your life from the inside out, even during its darkest, coldest moments.

Santa is love and magic and hope and happiness.

Sounds a lot like Jesus to me. After all Santa has roots based in Christianity. Saint Nicholas of Myra is the primary inspiration for the Christian figure of Sinterklaas. He was a 4th century Greek Christian bishop of Myra (now Demre) in Lycia (now in Turkey). Nicholas was famous for his generous gifts to the poor. He was very religious from an early age and devoted his life entirely to Christianity.

It seems fitting, to me, that the very things we are called to do as Christians -- love, believe, hope -- are embodied in a "person" that is so beloved by so many people of different faiths and beliefs.

For today's Day 10 project for the 25 Days of Christmas Crafting Showcase I have created a little candy container.

Because I knew this little box would be seen from all sides I created clothes for the back too!

Here's the recipe:

Cricut Paper Doll Dress Up cartridge -- Santa Claus cut at 6 3/4" tall.
Cricut Tags, Bags, Boxes and More cartridge -- favor box cut at 11 1/4" wide.
Cricut Plantin SchoolBook cartridge -- rectangles cut at 1" wide by 1/2" tall.

For Santa:

I used a ruby red ColorBox Pigment ink pad to shade the edges of his suit and hat.
The "fur" on his suit was coated with Plaid's Soft Flock fibers.
Gold Stickles were used on his belt buckle and the toy sack bag.
Pink chalk gives his cheeks a rosy glow.
And Zig markers were used to draw the facial features and other details.

For the "chimney" box:

I made the square favor box as large as I could on my 12" x 12" cutting mat using white card stock.
Then I cut approximately 45 "bricks" and glued them on the unassembled box. Once all the glue was dry I scored and assembled the box.
Another piece of white card stock was used to create the lip for the top of the chimney. I simply scored a 2 1/8" wide piece every 1/2 inch and then folded and glued it in place.
The box flaps on the top of the box were folded in and glued to give the box added strength.

I love the way this little project turned out!

Now head over to CookingWithCricut.com and see what all of the other Design Team elves have created! And make sure you download the awesome free files that Melin has made -- they are only available for 24 hours and then a new set is available. So make sure you check back each and every day through Christmas to see what the generous and talented Melin has created for you! And don't forget to check out our fantastic sponsors and the great giveaways, too!

~ Jen

25 Days of Christmas at Cooking With Cricut: Day 6

2011-12-06T09:00:00.001-05:00

We're dancing an Irish jig and kissing the Blarney Stone at CookingWithCricut.com and PaperCraftingWorld.com today. We're taking a break from Christmas and looking a few months into the future with projects celebrating the month of March!

I created a sign featuring an Irish Blessing with a sneaky little leprechaun.

Here's the recipe:

Paper Doll Dress Up Cricut cartridge: Leprechaun cut at 7 1/2" tall.
Emerald Green and Gold Stickles used on the hat and shoes.
Evergreen ColorBox pigment ink used to shade the leprechaun's suit and hat.
EK Success chalk used to shade the beard and hair.
All paper came from my paper stash and is either Bazzill or Recollections card stock.
The patterned paper and saying were printed from my computer. The digital paper was a free download from FreeDigitalScrapbooking.com.
My little leprechaun's face is hand drawn -- I don't own any of those cute little "Peachy Keen" face stamps (but they're definitely on my wish list!) -- using my Zig Writers and a white Gelly Roll gel pen.

I also made a mini-banner using the Paper Doll Dress Up and "Just Because" Cards Cricut cartridges.

Here's the recipe:

Paper Doll Dress Up: Shamrocks cut at 3" tall.
"Just Because" Cards: Green pennants cut at 5 1/4" tall and the white mats are cut at 4 1/2" tall.
The green card stock is by Recollections and the white is just a plain card stock purchased at the office supply store.
Evergreen ColorBox pigment ink was used to shade the green pennants.
The center panel greeting was printed from my computer.
Emerald green self-adhesive rhinestones in two sizes also decorate the center panel.
I used my Crop-A-Dile to punch holes in the corners and set my gold-toned eyelets.
3/8" white satin ribbon tie the pennants together.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my projects. Head on over to see the super cute FREE files Melin has created for you to download and make sure you check out the other Designers' wonderful projects. And don't forget to leave a comment and become a follower at CookingWithCricut.com to win one of this week's awesome giveaways!

~ Jen

On the Fifth Day of Christmas . . .

2011-12-05T22:11:00.000-05:00

. . my crafty friend Melin is giving you . . . sweet treats! Free candy cane cutting files and digi stamps! It's day five of the 25 Days of Christmas Crafting Showcase at PaperCraftingWorld.com and CookingWithCricut.com -- so head over and pick up these yummy treats!

And make sure you check out the delicious projects the Design Team members have created to inspire you! Don't forget to leave a comment and become a follower to be eligible for one of the fantastic prizes!

~ Jen

It's all about LOVE . . .

2011-12-04T11:48:00.000-05:00

It's Day 4 of the 25 Days of Christmas Crafting Showcase at Cooking With Cricut! Make sure you head over and check out all the amazing projects the Design Teams created celebrating love. You'll always want to see the awesome freebies my crafty friend Melin created for you!

Isn't that bear adorable!

Speaking of love . . . I created two cards for my friend Madison's "I Feel the Love" project. Each month Madison selects a different person (or persons) who is going through a difficult time and could use a lift, to receive handcrafted cards. Crafters from around the country have responded and since June 2011 Madison has collected over 275 cards! For November and December the recipients will be children at the Pediatric Oncology Unit at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland, CA.

Here are my cards:

I used the Hello Kitty Greetings Cricut cartridge and made shaped cards. All of the paper came from my scrap stash and they are finished off with some Stickles and a rubber stamped greeting on the inside. The elf kitty has DecoArt's Glistening Snow Writer on her hat brim and pom-pom. They are both 5 1/2" tall.

Here are some close-ups:

I've got a couple of boyish cards in the works to send with these two girly cards. And Monday evening I'm conducting a card class for my daughter's Girl Scout Brownie Troop. They are going to make cards to send to Madison and some for our local hospital's Pediatrics Ward, too!

Make sure you check back tomorrow at Cooking With Cricut for Day 5 of the 25 Days of Christmas Crafting Showcase! Melin's got some more great freebies lined up for you and the Design Teams have been hard at work cooking up some inspirational projects!

~ Jen

On the Third Day of Christmas . . .

2011-12-03T09:00:00.004-05:00

. . . my crafty friend Melin is giving you . . . the CUTEST Christmas elf -- free cutting files and digi stamps! It's day three of the 25 Days of Christmas Crafting Showcase at PaperCraftingWorld.com and CookingWithCricut.com -- so head over and pick up this cutie patootie!

And check out the fabulous projects the Design Team members have created to inspire you! Don't forget to leave a comment and become a follower to be eligible for one of the fantastic prizes!

~ Jen

On the Second Day of Christmas . . .

2011-12-02T09:00:00.002-05:00

My crafty friend, Melin is giving you . . . . a super cute snowman cutting file or digi stamp! That's right! It's DAY TWO of the 25 Days of Christmas Crafting Showcase at PaperCraftingWorld.com and CookingWithCricut.com -- so head over and pick up this cutie!

And check out the fabulous projects the Design Team members have created to inspire you! Don't forget to leave a comment and become a follower to be eligible for one of the fantastic prizes!

~ Jen

On the first day of Christmas . . .

2011-12-01T09:00:00.003-05:00

My true love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree . . . AND the kick-off of Paper Crafting World & Cooking With Cricut's 2nd Annual 25 Days of Christmas & Crafting Fun Showcase!

We are super excited to bring you this wonderful event! The Design Teams have been hard at work coming up with some deliciously creative ideas to share with you! This is how the event will work --

EACH DAY:

Different Designers will be showcasing their projects for your creative inspiration.
We will have a different theme and the themes will not ALL be Christmas or holiday related. So be sure to visit everyday for creative inspiration you can use through out the whole year!
We will be giving away FREE digital stamps, FREE electronic die cutting files and other printable graphics. There will be something for everyone. Please note: The freebies will expire at the end of their 24 hours and new ones will be available. You won’t want to miss them!
We will showcase projects using your Cricut and Cricut tools.
We will showcase projects using your OTHER electronic cutters too! Tools such as our Pazzles, Silhouettes, Gazelles and other electronic cutters. Along with all types of crafting tools and essentials.
You will want to leave a comment for your chance to win one of our weekly prizes as well as one of our GRAND PRIZES!!!
You HAVE to be a follower of the PaperCraftingWorld.com or CookingWith Cricut.com blog in order to win a prize, sorry no exceptions.

So without further adieu . . . Here are my projects for DAY 1! And it only seemed fitting that the theme ON the first day of Christmas is . . . that's right . . . PEARS!

These cute little ornaments measure 3 1/2" tall and are cut using the Joys of the Season Cricut cartridge. All of the paper is from my scrap stash. I cut two sides for each pear and "sandwiched" a loop of metallic gold thread between the layers for a hanger. I used several different rubber stamps and gold embossing powder to embellish my pears.

The stamp in the top photos are: (Left) c. 2004, Stampin' Up! and (Right) c. 2002, Stampin' Up! The stamp in the bottom photo is: c. 2003, Rubber Stampede.

I also made a card using the negative image created when I cut a larger pear for a different project.

The card base is 7" x 5" and is made from a piece of Bazzill Basic card stock called "Guacamole". The deep red mat is cut from a piece of Recollections card stock. The pear is 6" tall and is cut from scrap. This technique is called "Iris Folding." However, I didn't fold my paper -- I just used 3/4" strips to create my pattern. This is a great way to use up those little bits of scrap paper!

All of the patterned paper used in this card is from a paper pack by K & Co. I used a Fiskar's corner punch called "Heritage" to jazz up the corners. The "Peace - Hope - Love" stamp is by Stampin' Up!, c. 2002. and is embossed in gold. The metallic gold ribbon finishes off this card (and hides a corner that didn't punch correctly!).

This Week (Dec. 1st through December 8th) enter at CookingWithCricut.com for a chance to win the following great prizes:

Spring Holiday Cards Cricut Cartridge
$15 Gift Certificate to Quick Quotes
Quickutz Embossing Folder & Dies
Snowflake Embossing Folder, Snowflake Die and Candy Cane Die (These will work in “other” machines too.)
$20 Download from PaperCraftingWorld.com
*Pazzles Craft Room 1 Year Subscription
*The Twinery Ultimate Sampler Pack
*Cutter’s Creek $25 Gift Certificate
*Stamp, Stamp Pad & Block Set

(* Indicates a prize that will be awarded at the conclusion of the 25 days event.)

Simply enter by doing the following:

Be a follower of CookingWithCricut.com . . . . sorry, no exceptions.
Leave a comment on at least one post during December 1- 8 (for this week’s prizes). Winners will be randomly selected from comments, checked for blog-following compliance and announced on Saturday, December 10.
Please only one comment per day, per visitor. All prizes will be awarded through random selection and will need to be claimed according to sponsor specs. Sorry, prizes that need to be mailed are limited to participants within the United States. Prizes that are “Online or downloadable are good world-wide.” Please also see each sponsor’s site for additional international shipping details.

BE SURE TO VISIT OUR SPONSORS AND SUPPORT THEM! Check out the wonderful prizes AND extra discounts available exclusively through us during this event. Discount coupon codes available at CookingWithCricut.com!

Now head on over to CookingWithCricut.com and check out the other "pear" projects and download some great freebies! Melin has created a pear cutting file and a pear digi stamp for you and there is a wonderful vintage graphic available, too! Check back each and every day for more great projects and freebies!

~ Jen

Cooking With Cricut Challenge: Candles, Wreaths & Pinecones

2011-11-30T09:00:00.002-05:00

Happy Wednesday and welcome to Cooking With Cricut' challenge day! Melin challenged the Design Team to use candles, wreaths and/or pine cones in our projects this week in honor of the First Sunday of Advent -- which was Sunday, November 27. Advent (from the Latin word adventus meaning "coming") is a season observed in many Christian churches, a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. Advent wreaths are often used to mark the passage of the season. Traditionally they hold five candles -- one to be lit on each Sunday during the Advent season with the fifth candle being lit on Christmas Eve to celebrate the coming of the Christ Child.

I managed to use all three images in my double scrapbook layout commemorating my youngest daughter's first Christmas.

Here's the recipe:

Joys of the Season cartridge --

Fireplace - cut at 6" high.
Pine bough with pine cone - cut at 1 1/2" wide. (I trimmed the cones off of the boughs to make my mantle garland and journaling block decoration.)
Wreath - cut at 4 3/8" high.
Candles - cut at 1 3/8" high and 1" high.
Stockings - cut at 2 3/4" high.
Christmas Tree - cut at 11 1/4" high.
Star - cut at 2 1/2" (trimmed by hand to eliminate the long tail)
Beaded Tree Garland - cut at 2 3/4" wide (welded several together to form a string, then trimmed to fit the tree).
"Christmas" -- cut at 5 1/2" wide (this is "Merry Christmas" cut without the "Merry").

Animal Kingdom cartridge --

Cat - cut at 2" high.

Cake Basics cartridge --

"2004" -- cut at 1" high.
Picture frames -- cut at 2 1/8" high.

I used two 12" x 12" pieces of a creamy yellow Bazzill card stock for my base. All of the other papers are from my scrap stash; except for the tree and I don't know the manufacturer on it. The packages are Jolee's Stickers and the Christmas ornaments are stickers by Creative Memories. I used 3-D Crystal Lacquer on the tree garland for shine. Some chalk, pen details, and Stickles complete this layout.

I LOVE the way this turned out! It is one of those rare times that what I imagined could be, turned out even better!

Now it's your turn! Link up your candle, wreath and/or pine cone project up at Cooking With Cricut and you just might be this week's Top Chef! And don't forget to join us for our 2nd Annual 25 Days of Christmas Crafting which begins tomorrow, December 1st. There will be tons of projects and even some freebies every day!

~ Jen

P.S. I'm entering my LO in the Creative Cutter Room's "Animal" Challenge.

Cooking With Cricut Challenge: Bible Verse or Quote

2011-11-23T09:00:00.003-05:00

Did you know that the week of Thanksgiving is always National Bible Week? I didn't! Makes sense, though, if you think about -- thanksgiving, thanks giving, giving thanks. Our challenge this week at Cooking With Cricut was to use a Bible verse or quote on our project.

One of my favorite passages comes from the book of Psalms, chapter 119, verse 105. This is a wonderful scripture in any Bible translation, I however prefer it in the King James version. My paternal grandmother taught me this verse when I was very young. She explained it to me this way: "If you allow God in your heart and follow his teachings, he will always light the path for you to follow. Then when you have dark times in your life, you won't get lost or ever be alone -- God will always be there to show you the way."

Here's the recipe:

Card base is a forest/hunter green card stock cut to 7" by 10" and folded in half.
The red mat is cut using "Just Because" Cards and measures 6 1/4" by 4 1/4"
The white mat is also cut using "Just Because" Cards and measures 6 1/2" by 4 1/2".
The lantern is from the Disney Princesses' "Happily Every After" cartridge and measures 3" tall.
The holly branch is from the Joys of the Season cartridge and is cut at 1 1/4" tall.
The text was computer generated.
The metallic gold ribbon is some I purchased at Michael's several years ago.

Thanks for stopping by! Make sure you head over to Cooking With Cricut and see what the rest of the Design Team cooked up for you. I hope you link up your Bible verse or quote project this week -- you could be our next Top Chef!

Happy Thanksgiving!

~ Jen

Cooking With Cricut "Giving Thanks" Blog Hop

2011-11-19T08:00:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Musings of a Crafty Mom and the CookingWithCricut.com “Giving Thanks” Blog Hop!

If you've come from visiting Michelle at Michelle's Crafty Creations, you're in the right place! If you've just happened across my blog and would like to hop along with us, you can go to CookingWithCricut.com and start at the beginning.

Today’s hop is all about Thanksgiving decorations – for your home and table.

Do you ever have one of those weeks . . . you know the kind I'm talking about. You have an important task to complete and you have everything ready to get busy and get finished early (for a change). And then one thing happens, and then another, and then yet another and all of a sudden it's Friday -- the end of the week . . . So you know you have to buckle down and get finished -- no interruptions allowed! Yeah, right! The phone rings and a family member needs you NOW. I had one of those weeks, compounded by a fibromyalgia flare up.

And, darn it, I had some really cute projects to share, too . . .

Table decorations for the kid's table.

A mini banner to hang on the big mirror above our buffet.

So please check back in next week and see my completed projects -- I'm going to try my best to get them finished for Thanksgiving!

Now it's your turn! Link up your Thanksgiving project at CookingWithCricut.com. Here are a few guidelines:

Must follow the challenge topic and use one of the free files provided at CWC.

Must be a NEW project for this challenge. No back dated posts please.

Must have a link back to this post on your blog.

Must link your project post through Inlinkz and not just your blog.

Must use your Cricut in some capacity.

Must HAVE FUN!

You may gladly combine challenges . . . we love to pile it on TOO!

The Design Team will pick their three favorites and one lucky person will be chosen randomly to win one of the prizes being offered in this hop. There is also a prize for just leaving us a comment on the CWC blog. One catch, those leaving comments MUST be a CWC follower. Each prize winner will receive a $10 gift voucher-download from PaperCraftingWorld.com.

Now head on over to see what Dalis at Stamper Girl has cooked up for you!

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

~ Jen

Cooking With Cricut: Let's Talk Turkey!

2011-11-16T09:00:00.003-05:00

Happy Wednesday! Today is challenge day at Cooking With Cricut and our task this week was to incorporate a turkey into our project. Gobble, gobble!

Quick question. Have you discovered Pinterest yet? If you have, please resist the urge to click over and browse the pretty, shiny things until after you've finished reading my post! LOL!

If you haven't, here's the scoop: Basically it is a virtual bulletin board (remember the old school bulletin boards -- you know cork and pushpins, hangs on the wall . . . ). It lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. Some people use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. It is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests -- and is totally addictive!

Anyway, I was cruising Pinterest one day and found an adorable Thanksgiving baby onesie. I thought to myself -- "I could make that using my Cricut!" And it was then I knew that one of the little girls in my life was going to get one of these! Our 10 month old niece, Kylie, won the draw and this little cutie is headed her way via snail mail.

Here's the recipe:

Onesie or t-shirt. Pre-wash and press.
Grosgrain ribbon -- I used four different ribbons. The width on these is 5/8". If you're doing a shirt for an older child you might want to use a wider ribbon.
Pre-washed Fabric -- I used scraps. A brown corduroy for the turkey, a patterned yellow fat quarter for the beak, and red cotton for the wattle.
Two itty bitty buttons -- or you could use fabric, embroidery floss or even googly eyes (although they really don't wash well).
Heavy duty Wonder Under or Heat 'N Bond.

The turkey, beak and wattle were cut using the Animal Kingdom cartridge. The bird is 5 3/4" tall. I ironed on the Heat 'n Bond and cut it on my mat with the fabric down - paper side up. I found that this works best for me and eliminates tons of frustration (and cursing). This was the first time I have tried to cut corduroy and it worked fairly well. I did have to clean up a few edges. But it can be done!

I then ironed on the beak and the wattle. The ribbons are cut at about 4" long -- again, if you're doing a larger size you'll need to adjust the ribbon loops. I pinned them onto my turkey and then ironed the whole thing to the onesie. I had hoped that the Heat 'n Bond would be enough to adhere it to the shirt. But, because I used a heavier fabric it needed to be sewn down. The turkey was sewn down with a straight stitch on the sewing machine -- because they were so small I hand stitched the beak and wattle. Added a couple of tiny black buttons for the eyes and the bird is complete!

And now it's your turn . . . link up your project at Cooking With Cricut -- you could be our next Top Chef! Here are a few guidelines:

Must follow the challenge topic.
Must be a NEW project for this challenge. No back dated posts, please.
Must have a link back to this post on your blog.
Must link your project post through Inlinkz and not just your blog.
Must use your Cricut in some capacity.
Must HAVE FUN!
You may gladly combine challenges . . . we love to pile it on TOO!

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my cute little turkey. Head on over to Cooking With Cricut and check out the wonderful projects my teammates created! Make sure you check back on Thursday for our Cartridge Showcase -- Chef Linda is sharing some projects she's made with the Thanksgiving cartridge. And don't forget to mark your calendars for our "Giving Thanks" Blog Hop this Saturday, November 19. We'll kick off the hop at 8:00 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time) with tons of Thanksgiving decorations -- that's right . . . no cards in this hop! There will be lots of freebies and chances to win some great prizes.

~ Jen

P.S. I'm linking up for the following challenges: Fantabulous Cricut - Challenge Me Monday; Whimsical Designs - Whimsical Wednesdays; My Sherri Crafts - Challenge #73 "Be Thankful"; Die Cuttin' Divas - Challenge #41; Crafty Sprouts - Anything Goes

A "Berry" Sweet Card

2011-11-12T11:34:00.000-05:00

Our niece, Layla, celebrated her fourth birthday last week and she is in love with Strawberry Shortcake. And since Cricut hasn't come out with a cartridge with Strawberry Shortcake and all her pals, I did the next best thing . . . a strawberry card with lots of bling!

I used the Hello Kitty Greetings cartridge for this "berry" sweet card. Here's the recipe:

Hello Kitty Greetings cartridge - using the card feature, I cut the strawberry so that when it is folded it measures 4 1/4" wide by 5" high. I cut the base out of a scrap of Bazzill's Pinkini card stock. The next layer of the card is black card stock. The strawberry and leaves are also cut from scraps. I used hot pink and pale pink adhesive-backed rhinestones.

Create-A-Critter cartridge - Happy Birthday cut at 3 1/4" wide, also from scrap card stock. Little bit of pen doodling and a hand written greeting complete this card.

Thanks for stopping by! Make sure you check back on Wednesday, November 16th to check out my challenge project at Cooking With Cricut. And mark your calendar for Saturday, November 19th at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time and join us for our "Giving Thanks" Blog Hop. We'll be featuring tons of Thanksgiving decor ideas!

~ Jen

Cooking With Cricut Challenge: Cookies, Cookie Monster and/or Clocks

2011-11-02T09:00:00.021-04:00

Today's blog post is brought to you by

the letter C and the number 13!

"C" is for cookies, Cookie Monster, Clocks and Cooking With Cricut! Thirteen (13) is the number of Design Team members who whipped up some fantastic projects to share with you today!

We are celebrating our favorite furry blue monster's birthday, his favorite food (chocolate chip cookies), and the impending time change this weekend. I managed to get all three things into one project using only one cartridge (if you can believe it)!

I call this "Cookie Time" . . .

And yes, it is a working clock . . . made of paper!!! Here's the recipe:

Using the Sesame Street Friends cartridge I made the following cuts:

Cookie -- cut three times. Once out of chipboard (the base), second time out of a 12" x 12" sheet of Bazzill Basics Cinnamon Stick card stock and the third time out of Bazzill Basics Brown card stock (for the chocolate chips). The cookie measures 11 1/2" high.
Cookie Monster is cut at 6 3/4" high from black (base) and a bright blue by Recollections.
The numbers are cut at 3/4" high from red (scrap).

I inked the edges of my cookie with a brown ink pad to give it that "baked" look. The doodling on my numbers was done with a white gelly roll pen. Using a matte finish Modge Podge, I glued the cookie to the chipboard. Then I added all of the other cuts and an additional two coats of Modge Podge over the whole thing to seal it. The clock movement is by Walnut Hollow and is designed for use on 1/4" thick clock faces.

And now, it's your turn . . . so come and play, where every thing's a-okay! Link up your cookie, Cookie Monster and/or clock project at Cooking With Cricut -- you could be our next Top Chef! Head on over and see what this amazing Design Team has created and check out our link-up guidelines.

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Jen

Cooking With Cricut Challenge: Scarecrow/Hay/Crow & Sketches

2011-10-26T09:00:00.002-04:00

Happy Wednesday! First things first . . . thank you all for joining our "Adopt A Shelter Pet" Blog Hop last Saturday at Cooking With Cricut! It was so much fun to see all of the CWC Design Team's projects and read the wonderful comments you all left me. As promised here are the two blog candy winners from the hop. The first person chosen by random.org was . . .

#8 Patti Ross said . . . "This is adorable!" (pattilyncreations.blogspot.com)

and the second person chosen was . . .

# 23 Anna said . . . "Just too cute!!! So adorable!!!" (mamawann.blogspot.com)

Congratulations, ladies! I will be sending you an e-mail shortly requesting your snail mail addresses so that I may get your Fall stamp sets in the mail ASAP.

And now for this week's challenge! Melin challenged the Cooking With Cricut Design Team to use a scarecrow, hay and/or crow, as well as one of three sketches for this week's challenge. After much searching I discovered that I do not own a cartridge that has a scarecrow, a bale of hay or a crow that looks like a crow. There is a pile of hay on Everyday Paper Dolls and there is a crow that looks more like a vulture on Paper Doll Dress Up -- neither one fit what I wanted to do. Hmmmm . . . . what to do?

Then it hit me -- I remembered that I had an old K & Co. Fall paper pack. Maybe, just maybe there would be something in there that would work. B-I-N-G-O!

Here's the double layout sketch Melin gave us to work from:

And here is what I came up with:

Here's the recipe:

Plantin SchoolBook --

Text cut at 1" h (Our Little Punkin') and 3/4" h (2004).
Large photo mat cut at 6 3/4" h by 4 3/4" w.
Small photo mats cut at 4" by 4".

Doodlecharms --

Pumpkins cut using the border feature at 6" w.

Cake Basics --

Flourishes cut at 3 1/2" w.

The two 12" x 12" patterned paper sheets are from K & Co. Fall Paper Pack. All of the other card stock is from my scrap stash. I inked the edges of my pumpkins and my journaling mat using a honey brown ink pad by Studio G. A little pen doodling with a white gelly roll gives it the finishing touches.

My journaling block reads:

October 2004 ~ Six months old.

On a crisp October day we drove up to Alachua to the Pumpkin Patch run by the Youth Group of First UMC. They had some huge pumpkins and several hay bales set up for photos — and you know me, I can’t pass up a good photo op! You weren’t too sure about sitting on the hay though! You finally decided it was okay to touch it and before we knew it you had a handful and it was headed to your mouth!

That cutie-patootie is now a big girl of 7 1/2 years. Demi saw these pictures and said "Mom, I hope you didn't brush my hair like THAT!!!" I had to laugh! We used to get asked all the time who styled her hair -- which of course cracked us up -- and we always responded, "No one. That's just the way it grows!"

In a rare moment today, Demi asked me to take some pictures of her -- we're at that stage where she runs when she sees me with the camera. So here is a current picture of my beautiful girl! I look at those photos of her at 6 months old and at her now at 7 1/2 and I wonder where time has gone!

Now it's your turn! Link up your project at CookingWithCricut.com. Here are a few guidelines:

Must follow the challenge topic.
Must be a NEW project for this challenge. No back dated posts, please.
Must have a link back to this post on your blog.
Must link your project post through Inlinkz and not just your blog.
Must use your Cricut in some capacity.
Must HAVE FUN!
You may gladly combine challenges . . . we love to pile it on TOO!

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my challenge project. Now . . . head on over to Cooking With Cricut and see what the rest of this amazing Design Team has whipped up!

~ Jen

Cooking With Cricut's "Adopt A Shelter Pet" Blog Hop

2011-10-22T08:00:00.002-04:00

Welcome to Musings of a Crafty Mom and the CookingWithCricut.com “Adopt A Shelter Pet” Hop! October is National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, but we wanted to honor and celebrate all of our furry friends and to helping bring awareness to the plight of millions of abused and abandoned animals in community shelters nationwide. If you've come from visiting Dalis at Stamper Girl, you're in the right place! If you've just happened across my blog and would like to hop along with us, you can go to CookingWithCricut.com and start at the beginning.

I have a dear friend who is a kindergarten teacher. She loves animals just as much as she does music, her students and SEC football (although I think she roots for the wrong team)! Her classroom is decorated with all kinds of furry friends and I wanted to make her something special. I finally decided upon a door hanging that would welcome visitors and students to her room.

Using my favorite Cricut cartridge -- Create-A-Critter!! -- and the Accent Essentials cartridge here is what I came up with.

This door hanging measures approximately 42"long. I used a 2" metal ring for the hanger. My ribbon is a brown grosgrain with turquoise stitching and is 1 1/2" wide. All of the solid colored mats are Recollections brand card stock. The patterned papers are from The Paper Studio Basics Paper Pad, except for the top piece and it is from my paper stash. All other papers are from my stash as well.

Here is the recipe:

Create-A-Critter
Terrier -- cut at 5" tall. (pg. 35)

Cat -- cut at 5" tall. (pg. 29)

Dalmation -- cut at 4 1/4" tall. (pg. 36)

Cat2 -- cut at 4 3/4" tall. (pg. 38)

Accent Essentials
Accent47 -- cut at 6" x 6" for the base and at 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" for the mat. (pg. 78) I hid the inside cut on this frame using the Cricut Design Studio.

I created the center panel using Microsoft Publisher and MS Office clip art for the puppy paws. It is printed on white card stock and cut to 4 3/4" x 4 3/4".

A little bit of doodling and stitching with a white gelly pen and my Zig Writers gave this cute project its finishing touches!

Now it's your turn! Link up your purr-fectly wonderful pet-themed project at CookingWithCricut.com. Here are a few guidelines:

· Must follow the challenge topic.

· Must be a NEW project for this challenge. No back dated posts please.

· Must have a link back to this post on your blog.

· Must link your project post through Inlinkz and not just your blog.

· Must use your Cricut in some capacity.

· Must HAVE FUN!

· You may gladly combine challenges . . . we love to pile it on TOO!

And there are prizes!! The Design Team will pick their three favorite entries -- each will receive a $5.00 gift voucher-download from PaperCraftingWorld.com. One lucky entry will be chosen randomly to receive a $20 gift voucher-download from PaperCraftingWorld.com. There is also a prize for just leaving us some love (a comment) on the CWC blog. One catch, those leaving comments MUST be a CWC follower -- the winning commenter will also receive a $20 gift voucher-download from PaperCraftingWorld.com.

You have until midnight on Wednesday, October 26 to link up your pet-themed project at Cooking With Cricut. Winners will be announced during our normal post on Friday, October 28.

I have blog candy to give away, too! Up for grabs are two clear stamps sets -- each set has five stamps and both sets are Fall-themed. All you have to do to be eligible to win is be a follower of my blog and leave a comment on this post. Two lucky winners will be drawn on Wednesday, October 26 and announced during my Cooking With Cricut Challenge post.

Good luck and have fun! And thanks so much for hopping with us today!

~ Jen

“Adopt A Pet” Blog Hop Participants:

Melin-CWC http://www.CookingWithCricut.com

Mindy - http://scrappyandpiggy.blogspot.com

Adrian - http://www.byadrian4u.blogspot.com

Charlotte - http://alittlebitofdetail.blogspot.com

Madison - http://funkycards.blogspot.com

Nita - http://www.niftynitanotes.blogspot.com

Jill - http://www.jaihartjustlovelydesigns.blogspot.com

Holly - http://ribbonsandglue.blogspot.com

Maria Elena - http://mariaelenaworld.blogspot.com

Linda - http://www.lindascreativity.blogspot.com

Heather http://www.heather-p.blogspot.com

Felicia - http://scrapperinthemaking.blogspot.com

Court - http://courtscraftcorner.blogspot.com

Elizabeth - http://ejoym.blogspot.com

Debbie - http://workinscrappinmomof4.blogspot.com

Dalis - http://stampergirl.com

Jen - http://gator-4-life.blogspot.com

Cooking With Cricut Challenge: Purple, Green & Sketches

2011-10-19T09:00:00.001-04:00

It's another wonderful Wednesday!! Our Cooking With Cricut challenge this week was to use the colors purple and/or green and to use one of Melin's amazing sketches (if you felt so inclined). She also asked us to do something pretty for Mother-in-Law's Day, which is this Sunday; or if we decided to do something for Halloween, to make it cute and not spooky or scary.

I chose to do a Halloween layout using the double 12" x 12" sketch and used both purple and green. I have been working on my youngest daughter's albums sporadically, very sporadically! So this cute LO will be a nice addition.

Here is the recipe:

Paper Doll Dress Up --

Pumpkins - both were cut at 2 1/2" tall.
Scaredy Cat - cut at 3" tall.

"Just Because" Cards --

Decorative Envelope -- cut at 9 7/8" tall (I just used the flap for my "Halloween 2006" title.)

Create-A-Critter --

Postage Stamp -- cut at 10 1/2" square. (I used Design Studio to hide the inner cuts.)

George & Basic Shapes --

Photo and Journaling Mats - cut at 5" x 7" and 4 1/2" x 6 1/2" respectively.

The patterned card stock (accents and mats) is from DCWV Nana's Nursery: Baby Boy paper pack.

The base paper is 12" x 12" black card stock by Recollections.

The orange polka dot is by The Paper Studio and all of the other paper is from my scrap stash.

I used various pens for the doodling and yellow stickles for the cat's eyes and the pumpkins' faces.

The chipboard "BOO" is also by Recollections.

My journaling block reads:

This is the first Halloween that you really understood what Halloween was all about . . . CANDY! You were 2½ and totally enthralled with “The Wizard of Oz.” When you told us you wanted to dress up as a witch, we asked you what kind of witch you wanted to be. You replied, quite matter-of-factly, “A good witch, ‘cause I don’t want to scare any pretties or their little dogs, too!”

You learned this song at Pre-School and sang it ALL the time!

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.
The first one said, "Oh, my, it's getting late!"
The second one said, "There are witches in the air!"
The third one said, "Good folk, beware!"
The fourth one said, "We'll run and run and run!"
The fifth one said, "Let's have some fun!"
OOOOOOOH, went the wind and OUT went the light.
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

Pictures: top left ~ Demi & Miss Samantha during the Halloween Parade at school; bottom left ~ Trying to look like a good witch; top right ~ Inspecting our scared pumpkin; bottom right ~ Trick-or-Treating at Dr. & Mrs. Ford’s home.

She was such a CUTE little witch! And her sweet little voice saying "Trick or Treat!" earned her way more than her fair share of candy -- we only took her to about five houses, all family and friends, but her candy bucket was brimming when we got home!

Thanks for stopping by! Make sure you head on over to Cooking With Cricut and check out the AMAZING projects the Design Team created! Then whip out your purple and green and get busy creating and link up to our challenge this week. You could be our next "Top Chef!"

~ Jen

P.S. Our "Adopt a Pet" Blog Hop is this Saturday, October 22nd. Start at Cooking With Cricut and hop along as we celebrate our favorite furry and feathered friend.

Zoo-Themed Baby Shower

2011-10-17T09:16:00.001-04:00

Welcome to Cooking With Cricut Cartridge Showcase. Every Monday and Thursday members of the Design Team will feature one of their favorite cartridges along with some projects that showcase it. We hope that it will provide you some inspiration -- and maybe you'll use a cartridge that's been collection dust or you'll discover a cartridge that you need to add to your collection. Today I will be featuring one of my all-time favorites . . . Create-A-Critter!

We recently threw my sister, Elizabeth, a zoo-themed Baby Shower. She and her husband, Matt, will be welcoming a baby boy in late November/early December. Baby Everett will be the fourth baby welcomed into our family this year! A niece and nephew were born on January 14 (no they're not twins) and then another nephew on February 14.

I've already shared with you the door sign and the cake and cupcakes. Today I will share the rest, as promised!

The inspiration for the shower was the bedding Elizabeth picked out. The fabric has teals, lite blues, navy, blues, brown, khaki, green and white -- our color palette for the shower ended up being lite blue, teal, brown, lime green and white.

Not only did Dee and I create all of the paper decorations, cake and cupcakes, we also created the invitations, favors, diaper cake, table decor and all of the food! Two of Elizabeth's good friends co-hosted the party with us -- Heather provided the location (her church's fellowship hall) and money for the food; Jessica did all of the shower games, prizes and paper goods (cups, plates, etc.).

All of the papers used were either Bazzill card stock, from a Recollections paper pack or The Paper Studio Basics paper pack. All of the ribbon used was purchased at Michaels.

The "It's A Boy" Banner was created in Cricut Design Studio using the Plantin SchoolBook cartridge. I took a square and welded two triangles flipped on their side for the points. The pennants measure 8" tall by 5 3/4" wide. The text was also cut from PSB at 5" tall.

Create-A-Critter:

Monkey ~ cut at 3 1/2" tall.
Vine ~ cut at 5 1/2" wide.
Zebra ~ cut at 5" wide.

Everyday Paper Dolls: I ended up using this cartridge because the lion and elephant from CAC were just too wide.

Lion ~ cut at 5" tall. I cut him twice. Once in dark brown for the mane and then in an orangey-brown for the body.
Elephant ~ cut at 5" wide and 4 3/4" wide.

Some pen detailing, inked edges, eyelets and assorted ribbons complete this super cute banner.

This Diaper Cake has 112 size one Pamper Swaddlers, 10 cloth bibs, 3 rattles, 2 pacifiers with paci clips and an elephant toy for the topper.

After rolling the diapers and assembling the layers, we hid our structural ties behind some beautiful 1 1/2" ribbon. The diaper cake is "served up" on 16" Wilton Cake Base. We covered the edge with a 5/8" lime green and white polka dotted ribbon.

Create-A-Critter:

Alligator ~ cut at 8" wide
Hippo ~ cut at 6" wide
Lion ~ cut at 7 1/2" wide.

Cake Basics:

Monogrammed medallion cut at 3 1/2" wide. I welded the text using Design Studio.

Here are a few pictures of the other shower decorations and food table.

The tables were covered with plain white table cloths. We took lime green
and teal blue tulle and ran them down the center. Covered paint cans with
balloons, candles, favor boxes and wrapped silverware added more pops of color.

Little brown favor boxes held Hershey's Kisses and were tied with a turquoise
satin ribbon. A tag cut from Plantin SchoolBook was stamped with
"Thank You Very Much" in a bright blue. We dressed up clear votive holders
with ribbon and the same punched circles that were used on the cupcake picks.

Yummy! Our luncheon featured sliced ham, turkey and salami; mini croissants and rolls;
condiments for the mini sandwiches included all of the standards plus a delicious Cranberry
Mustard; Curried Chicken Salad; Egg Salad; Santa Fe Pinwheels; Veggies with Ranch Dip; Apples
with Caramel Dip; assorted sliced and cubed cheeses; Zesty Cheese Ball; Baked Brie in Pastry;
White Bean Hummus with Pita Chips; hot Spinach Artichoke Dip with tortilla chips;
Seven Layer Tex-Mex Dip with tortilla chips; and a fresh Fruit Tray with a Creamy Lemon Dip.

The guest of honor, my sweet sister, opening
some gifts. We had about 30 people at the shower.

Dee and I also made some of her gifts ~ some framed art for the baby's room, half a dozen burp cloths ~ and we bought baby Everett the cutest Christmas outfit!

The framed art was created using Animal Kingdom and Cake Basics (font) cartridges. The frames are 8" x 10" white wooden frames purchased at Michaels. (She really wanted me to do some vinyl cuts for the nursery -- but her walls were just too textured.)

I showed you this piece earlier this summer in this post. However, when it came time to frame it, the darned thing wouldn't fit -- so I had to re-work it a bit!

It is the chorus from the song "You Are My Sunshine." Elizabeth's mom (my step-mom) passed away in 2006. She used to sing this song to her when she was a baby. As Elizabeth got older it became their special song. I know how much she is missing her Mom, especially now, and wanted her to have a special "piece" of her Mom in the nursery. She loved it and even cried a bit -- and then scolded me for making her mascara run!

These burp cloths turned out so cute. We used some of the nursery fabric we purchased as well as some orange and blue Gator fabric.

The cloth diapers were purchased at Wal-Mart and then the fabric panel was sewn to the center section.

It was a great Shower -- everyone had so much fun and enjoyed all of the yummy food and cake. Now all there is to do is wait for baby Everett to make his appearance! The nursery is finally finished and loaded to the gills with all the necessary (and unnecessary) baby gear.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and check out our creations. Please leave me a comment and your blog address . . . I'd love to come visit and see what you're creating!

Hugs!

~ Jen

P.S. Make sure you check back on Wednesday for our weekly challenge at Cooking With Cricut and you won't want to miss Thursday's Cartridge Showcase. One of our new Design Team members, Debbie, will be featuring the Cricut Lite Handy Man cartridge.

Cooking With Cricut Challenge: Cake, Cupcake and/or Teddy Bear

2011-10-12T09:01:00.000-04:00

Happy Wednesday! And you know what happens on Wednesdays -- challenge day at Cooking With Cricut!! So, in honor of "Bring a Teddy Bear to Work" Day (today), National Cake Decorating Day on October 17th and Chocolate Cupcake Day on October 18th, Melin asked us to work a cake, cupcake and/or a teddy bear into our projects this week.

Well, you won't find any teddy bears in my projects, but I definitely covered the other two requirements and they are YUMMY! This past weekend was my sister's baby shower and Dee made the most delicious cake and cupcakes. It was my task to help decorate them. We just recently purchased a Cricut Cake and it arrived on the Monday before the shower -- with no time to play and learn the ins and outs of the new machine, this cake was decorated "old-school."

I cut the animal faces out using the Animal Kingdom cartridge and some plain white card stock. I then used it as stencil on the fondant and cut them out with an exacto knife. A little bit of water brushed on the backs of the layers of fondant stuck them together nicely. I used a food safe brush and some Wilton food coloring to "paint" the faces on the animals. (You can click on the images to enlarge them.)

The blocks on top are 2" wooden cubes we purchased at Michaels. We painted them a glossy white and then I mod-podged the papers, letters and animals on. An additional coat of mod-podge over the finished project sealed them and made it safe to stack them on top of the cake. I used the Cake Basics cartridge that came with our Cricut Cake machine to cut the squares and letters. The animals were cut from the Create-A-Critter cartridge.

The bottom tier of the cake is chocolate with a chocolate mousse filling and covered in buttercream then fondant. The top tier is white cake with a vanilla mousse. The decorative stripes were cut by hand using a Wilton cutter. The polka dots were also cut by hand using a small round cutter. The border around both layers is M & M candies.

The "Welcome Everett" was created in Design Studio using the New Arrival and Cake Basics cartridges. I welded together the letters and the baby image using a 12" circle as my guide and cut it out of card stock.

The wrappers and picks for the cupcakes were created using the Cupcake Wrappers cartridge. I created the center circles using my computer, Microsoft Publisher and a circle punch.

The patterned papers on the blocks and the cupcake wrappers are from a basics paper pack by The Paper Studio. All of the solid papers are either by Recollections or Bazzill.

Thanks for stopping by! Check back on Monday to see more of the things I created for my sister's shower. Now, head on over to Cooking With Cricut and meet our new Design Team members and join in the fun! Make sure you link up your cake/cupcake/teddy bear project -- you could be our next "Top Chef!"

~ Jen

Cooking With Cricut Challenge: Anything Goes!

2011-10-05T09:00:00.019-04:00

It's challenge day at Cooking With Cricut! Melin decided we should have an "Anything Goes" week -- designer's choice of their favorite old project or a new one. I am in the middle of creating all the decorations and such for my little sister's baby shower this weekend, so I thought I would share with you one of my new faves. Elizabeth and her husband Matt are eagerly anticipating the birth of their first child -- a boy -- in early December. And they decided to decorate his nursery in a zoo theme and have selected a bedding called "Modern Zoo."

I created a door sign -- it will be used at the shower location and then later can hang on my nephew's bedroom door. I love making these! It measures 12" x 12" and will fit perfectly into an album frame or a clear scrapbook layout frame.

The turquoise base is 12" x 12" card stock from Recollections. The next layer is a lime green gingham by The Paper Studio that measures 11 1/2" x 11 1/2". The white layer is 11" x 11" and is also from Recollections. All of the other papers are either Recollections or Bazzill. Here's the recipe:

Cindy Loo -- "Welcome" cut a 10" w.

Mickey Font -- "to Everett's" cut at 1" h.

Create-A-Critter --

Redbird, cut at 1 1/4" h.
Penguin, cut at 3 1/2" h.
Monkey,cut at 2 1/4" h.
Giraffe, cut at 7 1/2" h.
Zebra, cut at 3 3/4" h.
Alligator, cut at 1 3/4" h.

Everyday Paper Dolls --

Elephant, cut at 6"h.
Lion, cut at 3 1/2" h.
Zoo sign, cut at 7 1/4" h.
Zookeeper, cut at 4"h.

You will notice there is NO bling on this project -- no cute ribbon or flowers. It was hard not to "girly" it up! I did chalk some edges and added a few pen details.

I must confess . . . this has got to be one of my all-time favorite things I have ever created!

You know how sometimes you envision something and it doesn't turn out like you expected? Well this one turned out WAY BETTER than I ever imagined it would!!

My sister is going to love it!

Now it's your turn! Link up your favorite creation or create something new -- anything goes! -- at Cooking With Cricut. You could be this week's Top Chef! And don't forget, today is the deadline to apply for our Design Team -- click here for details if you're interested.

~ Jen

P.S. Check back next week -- I'll be sharing more creations from the shower!

Cooking With Cricut Challenge: Apples & Honey

2011-09-28T09:42:00.001-04:00

Happy Wednesday and welcome to challenge day at Cooking With Cricut! This week Melin challenged the Design Team to use honey and/or apples in our projects in celebration of Rosh Hashanah. Today, September 28th, is the beginning of the Jewish New Year. And while maintained to be a strictly Jewish holiday, it is part of the "missed or lost understanding" of our Christian (Hebraic) roots. Among some of the items eaten during this festival, the apple and honey are consumed to symbolize a sweet new year.

So here are a couple of "sweet" 12 x 12 layouts I created for my youngest daughter's album.

I used the "Just Because" Cards and Doodlecharms cartridges for my apple layout. The 12" x 12" base is a very light sage green Bazzill card stock. The two photo mats measure 4" x 6" and the paper is from a basics paper pack by The Paper Studio. All of the other papers used are from my scrap stash. A little doodling with a white gel pen completes this layout.

Here's the recipe:

"apple of my eye" cut at 5 1/2" wide ("Just Because" Cards).
large apple cut at 4 1/4" tall.
apple basket cut at 2 1/4" tall (I cut off the handles).
three small apples cut at 1 3/4" tall.

"Just Because" Cards and Walk in My Garden cartridges were used for this layout. The base is a pale buttery yellow Bazzill card stock. The photo mats are 4" x 6" and are also from a basics paper pack by The Paper Studio. All of the other papers came from my scrap stash. I used chalk for shading on the beehive; added some doodling with a white gel pen and brown Zig pen on the title; and finished it up with my black Zig pen by adding some flight trails behind the bees.

Here's the recipe:

title is cut at 6" wide.
beehive measures 3 1/2" tall.
two matching bees are cut at 2" tall.
single bee is cut at 1 1/2" tall.

Now, "bee" a dear and link up your sweet apple and/or honey projects over at Cooking With Cricut! We also have openings on our Design Team if you're interested -- click here for all the details. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, October 5th.

Mark your calendars! Cooking With Cricut is having a blog hop on Saturday, October 22nd. October is National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month . . . so we will be showcasing our wonderful pets. And even though it is about increasing awareness for "pound puppies," we are going to be celebrating all of our precious fur babies and other domesticated four-legged critter friends! I hope you'll join us!

~ Jen

Cooking With Cricut Challenge: The Colors of Autumn

2011-09-21T09:00:00.002-04:00

Welcome to Autumn -- well not officially! The "official" start of Autumn is September 23, but we're kicking it off a little early this week at Cooking With Cricut. Melin challenged the Design Team to use the colors of autumn in our projects this week -- reds, oranges, yellows, greens and browns. So, in the hopes of encouraging some cooler weather here in sunny Florida, I decided to make a Fall wreath.

Here's what you need:

The inner ring from an 18" wooden embroidery hoop.
A couple dozen leaves in a variety of colors and sizes -- I cut mine from the Create-A-Critter cartridge. They range in size from 4 1/4" to 5 1/2" wide.
Hot glue gun.
Rubber stamping inks to "antique" the edges of your leaves -- I used "Cosmic Copper" Brilliance pigment ink pad by Tsukineko and an Archival Ink "Russet" ink pad by Ranger Industries.
Spray Glitter by FloraCraft.
1 1/2" wide wired ribbon -- mine was a variegated ribbon that has a lovely metallic shimmer; purchased at Michael's a year or so ago.
"Sparkle Gold" and "Super Russet" PearlEx powders by Jacquard Products.

I had an awful time getting a good photograph -- it looks MUCH better in person -- and this wreath still needs something. I'm just not sure what yet . . . it looked much better in my mind's eye! LOL!

I cut the leaves out and brushed the edges with rubber stamp ink. Some of the leaves were sprayed with the Spray Glitter and then while they were still wet I flicked some PearlEx powders on them randomly. After everything was dry, I hot glued the leaves to the wooden hoop, tied a ribbon and viola! A quick and easy wreath to hang in my foyer.

There were quite a few leftover leaves -- I think I'll hit them with some UTEE (ultra-thick embossing enamel) and make some some cards or hmmmm . . . . maybe some napkin rings!

I hope you'll link up your Autumn Colors project at Cooking With Cricut this week. We'd love to see what you create! Melin has also put out a Design Team call -- check it out, we'd love to have you join our team.

Happy Fall, y'all!

~ Jen

Cooking With Cricut Challenge: Grandparents

2011-09-14T09:00:00.002-04:00

Happy Wednesday and welcome to Cooking With Cricut Challenge Day! This week Melin challenged the Design Team to create a project in honor of Grandparent's Day (which was this past Sunday).

My last living grandparent -- my maternal grandmother, left us in 2002 at the ripe old age of 96. I decided to create a heritage layout focusing on her parents, my great-grandparents, Minnie and Walter Zurn. And even though I was only six when Pops died and 11 when Great-Grandma died, I remember them fondly. They were a major influence in my young life. I believe I was about three years old the first time Great-Grandma tied an apron around my waist and let me help her make sugar cookies. Pops always told the greatest stories. By the time I came around he was legally blind, so all of the stories were of his childhood and that of my grandmother and mother. It wasn't until much later in my life that I realized that his childhood chum, Harry, whom many of the stories centered around, was in fact President Harry S. Truman! I uncovered several letters between the two before, during and after his Presidency.

They lived in a two story Victorian house that had the most fabulous wooden banister that my Great-Grandma kept polished. I'm certain I must have given my mother heart failure when I came whizzing down it from the second floor! My grandmother sold their home to a local optometrist after my Great-Grandma's death. Dr. Marshall has completely restored the home and converted it into his offices. (I love to go get my eyes checked and visit their old home!) Don't forget . . . you can click on the photos to enlarge them.

The oval pictures were their high school graduation photos. The large center picture was taken on their wedding day. Here is the recipe:

Fiskars ShapeBoss with the PL Heritage embossing stencil to decorate the white mat. (Yes, this is old school -- I don't have a Cuttlebug, yet!)
K & Co. Black & Ivory Fusion 12 x 12 paper pack (purple patterned paper)
Black card stock
White card stock
Plantin SchoolBook cartridge -- text cut at 5/8" tall.
Accent Essentials cartridge -- flourishes cut at 2 3/8" tall.
Self-adhesive pastel purple pearls from Michael's.

The photo on the top left was taken to commemorate their 50th wedding anniversary. The text box on the top right gives a little genealogical history. The two drawings on the bottom left were drawn by my Pops as a gift to his young bride. He also wrote the two poems. I scanned them into my computer and printed them out -- the originals are quite brittle and are not in great shape -- of course they are 106 years old! The picture on the bottom right is one of my favorites! My Pops always had a cigar or pipe -- every time I smell pipe tobacco and peppermints I think of him. And he could always make my Great-Grandma smile. They both had a great sense of humor and love of life and each other.

Thank you for joining me on my stroll down memory lane! I hope you'll link up a project at Cooking With Cricut in honor or in memory of your grandparents or great-grandparents. You could be this week's Top Chef!

Thank you all for your sweet words and your prayers for my family following the recent death of my father-in-law. You will never know how much they touched my heart!

~ Jen

I'm going to be gone for a little while . . .

2011-08-30T07:57:00.003-04:00

. . but I'll be back.

For the last 11+ years, I have been blessed to know my partner's dad and have him be a part of my life. It has been an honor to call him "Dad." For the last 11 months he has lived with us due to some health issues -- that although they were troublesome and painful, still allowed him many more good days than bad. We lost him quite suddenly this past Saturday and as you can imagine our world has been flipped upside down and inside out. Our seven year old daughter is absolutely devastated as she and her Papa were very close. Every day after school, she would go in a snuggle up with her Papa and watch their favorite show "Walker, Texas Ranger." And he was forever slipping her a donut or a honey bun and saying, "Shhh . . . don't tell your Momma or we'll both be in trouble!"

This photo was taken at Christmas time in 2006. It is one of my favorites, because it totally sums up their relationship -- he loved her completely and she worshipped the ground he walked on.

Rest high on that mountain, Dad ~ we love you and you are missed so very much!

James Lester Branum

December 21, 1936 ~ August 27, 2011

Cooking With Cricut Challenge: Peach

2011-08-24T09:00:00.005-04:00

Happy Wednesday! Did you know that August is National Peach Month and that August 24th is National Peach Pie Day? Yep! Here are some peachy factoids for you . . .

Romans believed that peaches were “Nectar from the Gods.”
The peach is a member of the rose (rosaceae) family.
Peaches can be traced back to the 10th century B.C. in China. The Chinese believed the peach tree was the tree of life. Peaches were symbols of immortality and unity. Because of this, brides in China carry peach blossoms.
The United States accounts for about 25% of the world’s peach market. Most of our peaches are grown in California and Georgia.
Georgia is known as the Peach State.
In 1982, former President Ronald Reagan proclaimed August as National Peach Month because of its monetary and nutritional value to the United States.

As you may have already guessed, our challenge this week at Cooking With Cricut was to incorporate a peach into our project. Not as easy at it may seem. This one stumped me. I was however, relieved to discover that I do own a cartridge that has a peach on it -- "Just Because" Cards -- which made my task a bit easier!

August is a very big birthday month in both sides of our family! So I have been making tons of birthday cards! All of the cuts I used came from the "Just Because" Cards cartridge and all of the papers came from my paper stash. I shaded the peach and leaves with several different colored ink pads. Some pen doodling, a piece of ribbon, a rubber stamped sentiment and some rhinestone bling completes this card. Here's the recipe:

Peach cut at 3 1/2" tall.
Brown mat cut at 5 1/4" tall by 4" wide.
Orange gingham mat cut at 4 3/4" tall by 3 1/2" wide.
"Just Peachy" cut at 2 1/4" wide.

Mmm . . . all this talk about peaches has me craving one! Make sure you head on over to Cooking With Cricut and see what kind of peachy creations the other Chefs whipped up! I hope you'll join our challenge and link up your peach creation -- you could be this week's Top Chef!

~ Jen

Cooking With Cricut Cartridge Showcase & Mickey and Friends Monday

2011-08-22T09:00:00.002-04:00

I'm wearing two hats today! Welcome to Monday's Cartridge Showcase at Cooking With Cricut AND Mickey & Friends Monday at Crazy About Cricut! Today I'm featuring the Pooh & Friends Cricut cartridge.

Yesterday was my pal Pooh's 90th birthday! So in honor my favorite bear, here are a few of my favorite Pooh creations . . .

Pooh Birthday card ~ the card base measures 8 1/2 x 5 1/2. The red mat is 8" x 5", the patterned mat is 7 1/2" x 4 1/2". Pooh measures 5 3/4" tall and Piglet is 4 1/4" tall -- they are both from Pooh & Friends. I used Create-A-Critter for the Happy Birthday (4 1/2" wide) and the cupcake (1 1/2" tall).

Here are a few more projects featuring Pooh and his pals. All of the "baby" Pooh cuts are from the Pooh Font cartridge. As always, you can click on the photo to make it larger. I've also included the link to the project post, if you want more details.

Sweetest Day card
(my first Cooking With Cricut challenge project!)

Baby Shower Invitation

Baby Shower: Welcome Sign

Baby Shower: Centerpiece (same link as above)

Baby Shower: Diaper Cake (same link as above)

Baby Shower: Favors (same link as above)

Valentine's Day Card

Perpetual Calendar topper

1st Birthday Layout for my grandson

Family Reunion layout

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my Pooh & Friends projects! And as Pooh's pal Tigger would say, "TTFN!" (ta-ta, for now)

~ Jen

"I Feel the Love" Project for Kate

2011-08-19T18:03:00.000-04:00

I'd like to share with you a card I made for the "I Feel the Love" Project. If you aren't familiar with IFTL -- it is a monthly challenge by Madison at Funky Cards to share some love with a person going through a difficult time.

June's recipient was a teacher at Madison's high school who is battling her second round of ovarian cancer. She collected 22 cards for Mrs. Pentoney. July's recipient was 3 year old Marley Moore and her family. Marley was diagnosed with a brain tumor in August 2009 and is currently battling a recurrence. Thirty-four (34) cards were created for Marley and her family last month.

I will make cards for the entire family before the end of the month, but today I'm sharing the card I made for Kate (here is the link to the card I made for her brother, Will). All of the cuts are from the Hello Kitty Greetings Cricut cartridge and all of the paper is from my scrap stash. I also added a little bit of bling to Kitty's umbrella -- I think the blue rinestones look like raindrops.

Here's the recipe:

Hello Kitty with Umbrella - cut at 4 3/4" tall.
Rainbow - cut at 1 3/4" tall by 2 3/4" wide.
Sun - cut at 2 1/2" tall by 2 1/2" wide.
Butterfly - cut at 2" tall by 2 1/4" wide.

If you are interested in creating a card for someone who needs a little love and encouragement -- please click over to Madison's blog and sign up. I promise it will be one of the best things you do today!

~ Jen

Cooking With Cricut Challenge: Picnic Time

2011-08-17T09:00:00.011-04:00

Happy Wednesday and welcome to Cooking With Cricut's Design Team challenge day! Melin challenge the team with a picnic-theme in honor of August being National Picnic Month. And while it's way too hot here in North Central Florida to picnic comfortably, a paper picnic is always cool!

I created a two page layout for my youngest daughter's scrapbook. We go to a family reunion each June for the Rhoden side of our family. Demi attended her first when she was only two months old! So these pages will commemorate that event -- my color printer is on the fritz and I couldn't print the photos out, so I will add them later.

Each of the pages measures 12" x 12" and the base is a pale blue card stock by Recollections. All of the other papers are from my scrap stash. (Don't forget, you can click on the pictures to enlarge them.)

Here is the recipe:

Pooh & Friends Cartridge --

Winnie the Pooh - cut at 4 1/2" tall.
Piglet - cut at 3" tall.
Tigger - cut at 4 1/2" tall.
Eeyore - cut at 3" tall.
Roo - cut at 2 7/8" tall.
Rabbit - cut at 4 1/2" tall.
Owl - cut at 2 1/2" tall.
Trees - cut at 3" tall.
Apple Basket - cut at 1 5/8" tall.
Cake - cut at 1 1/4" tall.
Veggies - cut at 1 1/4" tall.
Clouds - cut at 2 1/4" and 1 1/2" tall.
Sun - cut at 2 1/2" tall.

Pooh Font cartridge -- Text - cut at 1 1/2" tall.

Everyday Paper Dolls cartridge -- Picnic Basket - cut at 1 1/2" tall.

Whew! I think that is the most Cricut cuts I've ever used in one project! And believe it it or not -- it was fun . . . in a Disney cartridge-sadistic kind of way! LOL! Disney cartridges are notorious for their many itsy-bitsy, teeny-tiny cuts. (You may notice that some of my cuts are kind of rough -- I had to change blades about mid-way through my layout.)

Now it's your turn -- link up your favorite picnic project over at Cooking With Cricut this week. You may be our next "Top Chef!" And make sure you head over and check out what the rest of team created!

And as my buddy Tigger would say, "Have a Tiggerific week! TTFN!"

~ Jen

P.S. I'm entering this layout in "Decorate to Celebrate" blog's reunion challenge.

"I Feel the Love" Project & CWC Cartridge Showcase

2011-08-08T09:00:00.009-04:00

Good morning, crafty people and welcome to Monday Cartridge Showcase at Cooking With Cricut! Each Monday a different member of our Design Team features projects created with a single Cricut cartridge. It is our hope that maybe you will be inspired to dust off your cartridges and find a new way to use them! Today's featured cartridge is: Mickey & Friends!

Today I'd like to share with you a card I made for the "I Feel the Love" Project. If you aren't familiar with IFTL -- it is a monthly challenge by Madison at Funky Cards to share some love with a person going through a difficult time.

August's recipient is is Kate McRae and her family. She is 7 years old, her older sister Olivia is 9, and her younger brother Will is 6. Kate is battling a rare form of brain cancer (sPNET) that was diagnosed in June 2009. Doctors were only able to remove about 50% of the tumor due to it's location in the left temporal lobe of her brain and the fact that the tumor had wrapped itself around the left middle cerebral artery to her brain. Kate experienced right sided paralysis immediately following surgery along with the loss of her speech. She has since relearned how to speak, walk and do the many things that young children do, however her right sided weakness still continues. Kate has endured more than any child should have to -- many rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatments, speech therapy, physical therapy. . . and many, many stays in the hospital. She has an amazing support system with her Mom, Holly and Dad, Aaron, leading the charge. If you'd like to learn more about Kate and her journey, check out her website at www.prayforkate.com.

I will make cards for the entire family before the end of the month, but today I'm sharing the card I made for 6 year old Will. All of the cuts are from the Mickey & Friends Cricut cartridge and all of the paper is from my scrap stash.

Here is the recipe:

Card base - 8 1/2" x 11" white card stock, folded in half
Mat - patterned paper cut to 8" x 5"
Car - cut at 6" wide x 3 3/4" high
Mickey - cut at 4" high
Mailbox - cut at 2 7/8" high
Fence - cut at 4"wide x 2 1/2" high
Tree - cut at 3 5/8" high
Grass - cut at 1" high (two sections welded together in Design Studio).

I haven't decided what I'm going to put on the inside yet, other than "Hi ya, pal!" So for now it is blank.

If you are interested in creating a card for someone who needs a little love and encouragement -- please click over to Madison's blog and sign up. I promise you it will be one of the best things you do today!

Thanks so much for dropping by. Make sure you click on over to Cooking With Cricut to check out the Monday Cartridge Showcase. And make sure you check out our special Guest Designer tomorrow, too!

~ Jen

Cooking With Cricut Challenge: Sailboat

2011-08-03T09:00:00.002-04:00

"Come sail away, come sail away, come and sail away with me lads . . ." That song has been playing in my head for days! (Can you name that 70's band?) You might ask why is that song running around in my head? Well, it has to do with this week's Cooking With Cricut challenge. In honor of Christopher Columbus' first voyage on August 3, 1492 the Design Team was challenged to use a sailboat or make a sailboat inspired project this week.

I love sailing! As a teenager I spent every summer at Girl Scout Aquatics Camp -- I also spent every weekend my parents would let me at the same camp -- sailing and windsurfing! I didn't care what kind of sailboat it was as long as the wind was blowing! I've sailed everything from a Sunfish to a 26 ft. Day Sailer. My favorite though was the little racers called "Lasers." Every other sailboat on the lake could be luffing in the wind, but the Lasers would fly even with just a hint of a breeze! I bet I haven't sailed in 20 years -- but I still remember the thrill of flying across the water with my sailing partner hiked out and hanging on for dear life . . . *sigh* . . .

Anyway, I decided to make a pirate party invitation with a pirate ship in full sail. This is just a mock invitation -- my nephew's birthday isn't until January and he'll only be one -- not really old enough to enjoy the "arrggggh-ing" and sword play!

I used the Paper Doll Dress Up cartridge and my ship is cut at 2 3/8" wide. All of the papers came from my scrap stash. After I printed out my invitation and trimmed it to the size I wanted (5"x7"), I crumpled up and distressed the edges. Then I inked the edges with an ink pad. The "X" is a rubber stamp and I free-handed the treasure map markings.

Now it's your turn! I hope you'll link up your sailboat inspired creation at Cooking With Cricut this week. Make sure you head on over there and check out what the rest of the Design Team whipped up!

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Jen

P.S. Did you guess the name of the band? It is Styx. "Come Sail Away" was on their seventh album, "The Grand Illusion" and was released on July 7, 1977.