Oh My Goodness! I'm So Excited!!!

I received an email this morning informing me that I have been selected to participate on the Flaunt It Fridays design team for 2011!  I am so incredibly excited about this.  It is my favorite challenge blog, and I can't wait to get started.  Trying to do "non-card" types of things has really forced me to expand my papercrafting skills--and to do it on a budget is even more challenging, but I'm managing that too!  Check out Flaunt It Fridays by clicking on one of the buttons at right!

The first ever Flaunt It Fridays blog hop is on January 7.  Please join the hop and check out the cool projects we will be making with Hello Kitty Greetings.

Jen

Flaunt It Fridays--Create a Critter Turtle

This is quickly becoming my favorite challenge site...I am loving it, and I find that even if I don't have the cart being flaunted, then I can look through my cart books and find a cut that is "close enough."  This week's challenge was to flaunt the turtle from Create a Critter.  I have a dear friend having a baby in May, and I thought this would be a cute little sign to hang on the door to the baby's room.  All cuts are from Create A Critter. Click on one of the buttons at right to go to Flaunt It Fridays.

**I also entered this project in the Stamping and Scrapping Challenge Central Anything Goes challenge.

For a Dear Father In Law

My darling Father-in-Law is really one of the neatest people I know.  He is 86 years old, and he is just such a light in  our lives.  However, he is really hard to buy gifts for.  Every birthday and Christmas, I struggle to think of something for him.  There isn't really anything he needs or wants, so it's tough.  I do know that he loves, loves, loves cranberries.  So, I looked for a cranberry cookie recipe and found these on the Martha Stewart site--and the best thing?  No high altitude adjustments!  Awesome, right?  Put 'em on a decorative plate, wrap it up with some seasonal cellophane, and tie it with a bow!  He absolutely loved it, too!  Swoosh!

Mmmmmmmm! Of course I tried one, and they were divine!

Flaunt it Fridays--Lemonade Challenge

Over at Flaunt It Fridays, the challenge this week was to make a project using the lemon and glass from Simply Charmed--which I don't have.  But I really wanted to play, so I searched my cartridge manuals and discovered:  1) the "layer" feature on the water bottle cut from Sports Mania looks a lot like a glass, and 2) the baby's head, when using the "blackout" feature from Doodle Charms, looks strangely like a lemon!  Lucky Me!

So, here goes with the how-I-did it.  First, I cut the "layer" for the water bottle to make the glasses.  I cut this from clear acetate.  I then cut another set of this same layer from yellow cardstock to make the "lemonade," which I cut straight across.   I colored the top part of the acetate with Blue Sharpie to simulate "Mexican" glassware that I own.  Then I made the ice cubes.  First, I used Accent Essentials to cut the cubes from Frosted Ruff and Ready Shrinky Dink plastic.  I cut them at 2 1/2", and they cooked down to about 3/4" square.  I adhered these shrunken squares to the "lemonade" cut.  By then, I had decided I would create a frosted look for the glasses, so I coated them with a thin layer of two-way glue and sprinkled them with clear MS superfine glitter.  When I layered them over the lemonade and ice cubes, the ice cubes were difficult to see, but I wanted to keep the dimension, so I used SU Crystal Effects on top of the glitter to create the ice cubes in a shiny way.  I made the straws from white cardstock, then adhered everything to DCWV background paper.  The lemons were cut using the blackout feature from the baby's head from Doodlecharms on SU patterned paper.  I ran them through the Textured Impressions, then added some bright yellow chalk and adhered these as well.  The finishing touch is the quote from Ron White in the upper left corner:

When life hands you lemons, I think you should make lemonade...

then find someone whose life handed them vodka and have a party!

I intended for this to be a card, but it got a little larger than I intended it too, so I put the whole thing in an 8x10 frame.  I'm going to give it to my friend for the bar area in her house.  She will love it.  I had so much fun making this!  I have a weird sense of humor, I know, but it gets me through the day!

Jen

A Few "Gifty" Things

So, for all of my VIP coworkers, I mixed up some hot mocha mix.  I would love to share the recipe, but I don't really know what it would be...I just mix up nonfat dry milk, powdered sugar, powdered unsweetened cocoa, powdered nondairy creamer, and instant coffee till I like the way it looks.  Then I add a pinch or two of salt and call it good.  I put it in these fancy jars, then added a bag of homemade peppermint marshmallow stars--marshmallow recipe is on Martha Stewart Living site.  Instead of vanilla, I add peppermint and a bit of red food coloring to make them PINK (because PINK rocks, of course!)  The snowman is from Hello Kitty Greetings (LOVE THIS ONE!) and the snowflakes from Accent Essentials--which I am using a lot lately.

My wee son's basketball season ended today.  He has had the greatest, most positive experience this year.  His coach has been really awesome.  So, of course, she had to have a Thank You card.  The card is 5x5, with the black background (DCWV Textured White Core) cut at 4.5x4.5, and the basketball from Sports Mania cut at 4x4.  A little organza ribbon (Hobby Lobby, I think) and an MSE stamp, and the card was complete.  I love the bball textured paper from The Paper Company, which I picked up at JoAnn for a quarter.  Here he is, with his coach......

Unfortunately, he's not too "wee" anymore, but a Mama can dream, right?

Cupcakes! Cupcakes!

I have been using my Cricut to design cupcake decorations for the past week.  My little boy's birthday is December 23, which is always in the middle of school vacation.  He always misses out on the school party, so this week, he asked me to make cupcakes to take to school.  He had to have Kit Fisto, his favorite Jedi.  They turned out cute!

Basketball team party is also tomorrow.  So it will be a cupcake extravaganza again!  I got the Sports Mania cartridge the other day.  So, I had to try it out!

Flaunt It Fridays--Sleigh Card--"When Reindeer Dream"

This is my entry for the Flaunt It Fridays challenge this week, which was to flaunt the sleigh from Paper Doll Dressup.  I started with a piece of plain white cardstock, which I chalked on top, then added some glue and glitter "snow."  I cut the trees from glitter Coredinations cardstock I picked up yesterday at Joann for 25 cents!!  I added glue and brown glitter to the trunks, then some white paint to the limbs.  I cut the sleigh at 2 1/2" from plain white cardstock, then added a layer of DCWV textured CS, MS glitter paint around the edge, and MS ultrafine glitter on the runners.  I cut santa's bag from PDDU as well, from shimmery cardstock by Coredinations.  Santa was also cut at 2 1/2", starting with his body, using the blackout feature.  Clothes were also cut with blackout, then I altered him to be turned sideways--this took FOREVER, but he's cute!  The only part of him I don't like is his eyes...still haven't figured that out yet.  Reindeer is cut from Create a Critter, as is the light string ornamenting the sleigh.  I added glossy fabric paint to his antlers and nose, then added Black Stickles to his hooves.  Santa's fur trimmings are painted with white acrylid paint, which I lifted with a brush to add texture.  Rudolph's scarf, and the reins on the sleigh are strategically placed embroidery thread.  The inside of this cuter than cute card says, "When Reindeer Dream..."  It will be a hit with its intended audience!

A few new projects!!!

I am so glad to finally be back on here...we have had a bit of a family crisis, which left me not much in the mood for crafting, and my little boy's basketball season has been underway.  Not to mention that I actually have a full-time job!  But nevertheless, here I am...with a few new projects to share.  Gonna get my Flaunt It Friday project up tomorrow...have a really cute idea for that one.

This is a birthday card for my good friend and colleague, Anne.  The card is 5x7 white cardstock covered with Black toile paper--I think it is Paper Studio.  Flower embellishments a friend of mine gave me.  The Blue background paper is from a Stampin' Up patterned stack I picked up a Loooong time ago.  Gray Core'dinations, an MSE stamp.  Cake was cut from Everyday Paper Dolls from cardstock first, then layered with vellum and accented with MS glitter.  I popped it off the page with Action Wobbles--I LOOOOOOOOOVE these!  I got mine free from a giveaway that Emma at My Creative Time sponsored. THANKS EMMA!!!  Click here to go to a video that shows how to make a "wobble."  It's not the Action Wobble, but I have no idea where you can buy the authentic product.

My baby boy will be 10 on December 23.  These pages are from his 8th Birthday.  He had his party at an indoor water park--such fun.  He got a BB gun for his birthday that year.  I wanted to say, "you'll shoot your eye out!"  But I didn't.  The paper came from the DCWV Grade School Stack.  Green strips from Stampin Up.  Blue and Red from DCWV, then run through the textured impressions with a Cuttlebug Folder.  Letters were cut from Plantin Schoolbook, then faux stitched with blue gel pen.  Ribbon on journaling box came from Target dollar bin.  Stickers were purchased for me by my good friend, Linda...and they blended so well!  

This 4x4  inch card was made to attach to my children's teacher gifts.  The red card background is DCWV textured cardstock.  The White cardstock was run through the Textured Impressions machine with a Cuttlebug folder.  The cup is from the Joys of the Season cartridge, cut at 2 inches on DCWV paper from the All Dressed Up stack.  A few stickles for steam and holly.  Red snowflake ribbon from Target dollar bin.  Inside, it says, "For a TEA-rriffic teacher!  Merry Christmas!"  I attached it to a package containing a clear glass mug full of herbal tea bags and homemade chocolate truffles.  But then I didn't take a picture! LOL

I waited so anxiously for my order from CricutMachine.com to come.  I finally purchased the Hello Kitty Greetings cartridge (@$17.95!!!!!!), and this was my first effort with it.  I cut using the card feature, then added all the little pieces.  Added some stickles to dress it up a bit, and I love how it turned out--though the photo is horrible!  

Hope everyone is having a great season.  I finished my shopping today, but the crafting still goes on.  And the shipping hasn't even begun!  I get to go be a basketball mom again tomorrow, though.  That is first priority!

Whew!!!

What can I say....being a middle school teacher was DEFINITELY a challenge this week!  But my work week is over, with relatively few papers to grade this weekend...so I will get some projects posted this weekend.  Love my job, but the last few weeks of the grading period...COMBINED with the few weeks before Christmas=total chaos!  So glad I have my amazing husband and great kids (and my crafting :)) to come home to!