Cooking With Cricut Challenge: April Showers

Happy Wednesday!  The challenge this week at Cooking With Cricut is April Showers -- anything with rain or water as the focus.  Which is appropriate since it rained here most of last week.  As you may remember, I decided to make a perpetual calendar for 2011.  If you don't remember, you missed it or if you're new to my blog here is the link to my March calendar topper.  Well, I decided not to wait until the end of the month this time to create my topper . . . so here is April!  (Don't forget, you can click on the image to make it larger.)

I am a huge lover of Winne the Pooh (classic or Disney) and all of his pals!  In one of A. A. Milne's books, Christopher Robin is in the Hundred Acre Wood during a downpour with Pooh Bear -- so this is a bit of a play on my memory of that story.   And since there are no images of Christopher Robin on either of the Pooh cartridges, I created him using the Everyday Paper Dolls cartridge. 

No 12 x 12 paper was harmed in the creation of this project  -- with the exception of the base 12 x 12 sheet, everything else came from my scrap stash!  The solid card stock is either Bazzill or Recollections and the plaid (Christopher Robin's shorts) is from an old K & Co. paper pack.  I used the following cartridges for this project:

Cindy Loo -- "April" text cut at 2" tall.

Pooh & Friends -- Clouds cut at 2 5/8" tall; Raindrops cut at 1 1/8" tall; Sun cut at 2 1/4" tall; Bridge cut at 7 1/2" wide; Pooh cut at 4" tall; and Piglet cut at 3"tall.

Everyday Paper Dolls -- Christopher Robin cut at 5" tall (all clothing and accessories cut to fit); Umbrella cut at 3 1/2" tall; and the grass was cut at 2" tall and 11 3/8" wide.

Animal Kingdom -- Duck cut at 1 1/2" tall.

A little chalk, a little ink on edges, some pen detailing and viola!  Quite possibly one of the cutest things I've ever made for myself!  I say that because I'm one of those crafters who always gives everything away as gifts.  I have very few actual examples of my hours of crafting -- tons of photos, but not too many things you can actually hold in your own two hands!

Please hop on over to Cooking With Cricut and check out what the amazing Design Team Chefs have whipped up for your viewing pleasure!  I hope you'll be inspired to create your own "April Showers" project and link it up at CWC-- you could be our next Top Chef!

And don't forget!  This Saturday, April 9th is our one-day Bunny Hop.   Our Design Team Chefs are busy cooking up some yummy treats to inspire you and get your creative juices flowing for all things Easter-related.   Come join us!

~ Jen

A Buggy Birthday Cake!

Check out this awesome cake Dee made for Demi's 7th birthday!  It is three tiers -- a chocolate, a white and a funfetti -- covered in the yummiest buttercream and decorated with fondant accents. 

I made all of the ladybugs, bees and caterpillars from fondant and then "painted" them with a mixture of ice colorant and vodka.  (Yes, vodka!  Don't worry, the alcohol evaporates!)  Dee cut out and formed the flowers, leaves and butterflies.  I added some details to the leaves and large flowers with one of the fondant veining tools.  Dee added buttercream centers to the little flowers

The big lollipop on top was purchased at Wal-Mart and the other two lollipops are made from tinted white chocolate.  We didn't have a lollipop candy mold for these so we used a cookie cutter as out mold and then glued the stick to the back with more chocolate when it was hard.  It was as delicious as it looks and the birthday girl loved it!  And so did all of her party guests!

Huge Blog Candy at Cooking With Cricut!

Melin is celebrating 1600 followers (actually she's over 1700 now!) at Cooking With Cricut!  WOW!

And to commemorate and celebrate that benchmark she is giving away some awesome blog candy . . .

Hop on over and check it out -- she has three generous ways to win.  And while you're there, check out the rest of her site -- this is one amazing and talented woman!

Hugs!

~ Jen