Crafts With Cutters Challenge #118

Happy Wednesday!  Our "Crafts With Cutters" challenge theme this week at MyPaperCrafting.com is "Wintry Outdoor Fun!"  Melin tasked the team with creating a project featuring wintry outdoor fun, activities, scenery, etc.  

If you're new to my blog let me fill you in on a well-known secret . . . I'm a THIRD generation FLORIDIAN (I have lived in North Central Florida all but 1 year and 6 months of my life).  Our "wintry" outdoor fun is what most Northerners do on a Spring or Summer day  -- we bike, hike, swim, work in the yard, etc.  The white, cold stuff very rarely, if ever, makes an appearance here.  I consider it a very bad day if it is cold enough for me to wear long pants instead of shorts.  Now, having said that . . . we are currently under a freeze warning and there is a fire going in the fireplace!  But it was fun to create this snowy scene.

This card is based on one I saw awhile back at Jana Eubank's web site.  I loved the layout of her card and that little bird on the branch is just too cute.  Here is my take on it:

And here is the recipe:

• My card base is kraft card stock and measures 5" x 7".
• The red and white polka-dot paper is by Recollections and measures 4 1/4" x 6 1/4".
• The strip of striped paper is from a DCWV paper pack and the brown mat underneath is Bazzill's basic brown card stock. 
• The branch is cut from the same brown card stock, the snow and berries are cut from scraps.  The cardinal's layers are all from my scrap stash, too.
• The branch and cardinal were cut using Cricut's Winter Woodland cartridge.  The branch measures 5 1/2" wide and the bird is 2" tall.
• The circles were cut using the Cricut George & Basic Shapes cartridge and more scraps!  The white circle measures 3 1/2" and the green patterned paper circle measures 3 1/4".
• The word "peace" was cut using the Cricut Joys of the Season cartridge at 3" wide and is from the same Bazzill card stock as the branch.
• Some rhinestones and pen stitching finish off this sweet card.

I have to confess . . . once I had this card all put together, I really didn't like that striped paper.  But I think it is growing on me.  I wanted to use some non-traditional "outdoor" colors for my "scene" and I think I succeeded!

Now, it's your turn!  Link up your wintry outdoor fun project for a chance at being chosen as this week's "Top Crafty Cutter!"  Head on over to MyPaperCrafting.com and check out all the winter fun the Design Team created! 

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Jen

"Elmo" Card & Gift Bag

TGIF!  Wanted to share a quick gift bag and birthday card that I made for our nephew, Evan's birthday.  This sweet boy turned TWO on Monday! 

Like most toddlers, Evan LOVES that furry red monster, Elmo!  So I knew that an Elmo card was a must.  I also "Elmo-fied" a plain gift bag for Evan!

Here's the recipe: 

• Gift Bag -- Cricut Sesame Street Seasons cartridge, page 38 -- cut at 8" wide.  The green rectangle and text were cut using Sure Cuts A Lot (SCAL).  The rectangle is 6 3/4" wide by 2" tall.  The font is "Stencil" and measures 5/8" tall.
• Card -- Cricut Sesame Street Friends cartridge -- Elmo is cut at 4" tall; the number 2 is cut at 5/8" tall.  Cricut Create-A-Critter cartridge -- Happy Birthday cut at 3 1/2" wide; balloon cut at 2" tall.
• All papers are from my scrap stash.
• The Elmo on the bag is backed with a foam tape to raise it off the bag.
• The balloon on the card is pop-dotted for dimension as well.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a great weekend!

~ Jen

Crafts with Cutters Challenge #117

Happy New Year!  It seems like ages since I have posted anything!  Christmas is always such a busy time with my very large extended family and then my 8 year old and I spent the week following Christmas sick in bed with the flu.  School resumed on January 3rd and it has been just crazy-busy ever since.  Whew!  

Our "Crafts With Cutters" challenge theme this week at MyPaperCrafting.com is "Bundle Up, Baby!"  Melin tasked the team with creating a project featuring winter attire -- mittens, scarves, boots, hats, etc.  We have had an unusually warm winter thus far in North Central Florida -- our high today is 78!  So it was fun to think "chilly" and create this card.

Here is what I made:

And here is the recipe:

• My card measures 7" wide by 5" high.  The mat is from a Christmas stack (manufacturer unknown) that I have had for quite some time; it measures 6 1/2" wide by 4 1/2" high.  (The white snowflakes are embossed and glittery and shiny.)
• All of the die cuts on the front of the card are from Cricut's 3 Birds on Parade cartridge.
• The text is cut at 2 1/2" tall (it was a block, which I took apart) and is cut from scraps.
• I inked the top edge of the words with a white stamp pad and then used a blue pen and did some doodling around the edges.  I wanted it to look frosty!  The dots on the i's are self-adhesive rhinestone snowballs.
• The bundled up birdie is cut at 3" high.  The papers are from my scrap stash and I did a little pen doodling on her cap, scarf and boots.
• The little bird on the inside of my card is also cut from scraps and at 3"high.  This little guy was originally holding a gift.  I decided to use a snowflake cut I had laying on my desk instead -- it is cut from SCAL's Winter Library at 1 1/2" wide by 1 3/4" tall.
• I did some faux stitching to create a border on the inside of the card using a hot pink Gelly Roll pen.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Please head on over to MyPaperCrafting.com and check out the wonderful things the Design Team members created.  And don't forget, you can join in on the fun, too!  Link up your winter attire project for a chance at being named this week's "Top Crafty Cutter."  

~ Jen