Valentine's Cards

Hi Everyone! Hope your new year is going great. I have been playing some more with my Cricut and have been making some Valentine's cards. Once I get these Valentine's projects out of the way, my next project is Peyton's birthday. She is turning 4! And she wants a princess birthday party. No surprise there, right!

Here are the pics of what I have been working on:

I have been having a lot of fun using non-traditional Valentine's paper to make these Valentine's cards.
Happy Valentine's Day card
Cardstock - Kraft Archiver's
Patterned Paper - Happily Lost Lily BeeStamps - heart American Crafts; sentiment Studio GInks - pigment ink American Crafts; Chocolate Chip Stampin' Up!Embossing Powder - clear Stampin' Up!
Ribbon - Stampin' Up!
Border Punch - Scallop Border
Pearlie - Stampin' Up!
Pins - Joann's Crafts
Cricut cartridges - scallop squares Accent Essentials

Yep, I broke out my paper crimper to use on the heart for this card!
XOXO card
Cardstock - Kraft Archivers; Very Vanilla Stampin' Up!
Patterned Paper - Happily Lost Lily BeeStamp - Studio GInk - American CraftsEmbossing Powder - clear Stampin' Up!
Twine - my stash
Jewel - Stampin' Up!
Cricut cartridges - Heart and Circle George and Basic Shapes; xoxo Opposites Attract

This year's Valentine's sucker cover. I love making these every year!
XOXO sucker cover
Cardstock - Close to Cocoa Stampin' Up!; Kraft ArchiversPatterned Paper - Happily Lost Lily BeeStamp - Studio G Ink - American Crafts 
Embossing Powder - Stampin' Up!
Punches - itty bitty flower and slit Stampin' Up!
Cricut cartridges - scallop square Accent Essentials; xoxo Opposites Attract Glitter glue - Martha Stewart Pearlie - Stampin' Up! Ribbon - Stampin' Up!

Yep, it's true. I really do love my Cricut. It's been so much fun and now I can't seem to craft without it. Even for making these tiny cards! And guess what! They actually fit inside envelopes cut from one of my Cricut cartridges. It's hard to tell from the picture, but the cards shimmer from using the Valentine's special edition ink spray from Tattered Angels. It's pink, but when I sprayed it on this black cardstock it just made it shimmery and pretty.
Be Mine cards
Cardstock - textured black and Kraft Archiver's; Very Vanilla Stampin' Up! 
Patterned Paper - type print Stampin' Up!; Yours Truly Echo Park
Punches - itty bitty flower and heart Stampin' Up!Jewels - Stampin' Up!Glitter Glue - red Martha StewartTwine - my stash
Stamp - Studio G
Ink - Basic Gray Stampin' Up!Ink spray - Studio Calico {on Be Mine sentiment}
Cricut cartridges - medium size and large hearts and background shapes Accent Essentials
 

I love the Echo Park Valentine's paper this year! What caught my eye was the more traditional colors used. Although I have been using the Lily Bee paper too to make Valentine's, I knew I also wanted to make some using more traditional Valentine's colors as well. 

Well, I am off. I hope you are all good! 

P.S. I went and saw One for the Money yesterday with friends. I was pleasantly surprised that I liked it as much as I did. The book is awesome, but the movie ended up being pretty good too!

Just A Few Cards

Hi Everyone! I just wanted to take a minute to show you the cards I have made lately. I haven't had a lot of time for crafting in the last few weeks. But I managed to do a few cards. Plus I also made my dad's birthday present. It was pretty cute. I neglected to take any pictures though :(. So I will have to post it another time.

Here are the cards:

hello Card

Supplies:

Cardstock - Stampin' Up! Very Vanilla, Basic Gray {textured}, Going Gray

Patterned Paper - Authentique Blissful line

Ink - Stampin' Up! Basic Gray; Stazon Black

Stamps - Stampin' Up! 

Punches - Stampin' Up! Scallop border, Large Scallop Circle, Itty Bitty Flower 

Cricut Cartridges - Once Upon A Princess {hello tag, tea pot}

Ink Spray - Tattered Angels 

Crochet Flower - Imaginisce

Brad and Jewel - Stampin' Up!

Ribbon - American Crafts

Foam Adhesive - my stash

I just love this paper from Authentique. All of the paper that they have come out with is gorgeous! But for some reason, this one seems to be my favorite. I don't usually gravitate to these colors, but I totally love the color combinations. 

Be Mine mini Card

Cardstock - Very Vanilla, Real Red Stampin' Up!; Kraft Archiver's

Patterned Paper - Echo Park Yours Truly

Cricut Dies - Accent Essentials {scallop circle, large heart}; 

Forever Young {red and kraft tag}

Stamps - Studio G {Be Mine sentiment}; Stampin' Up! Established Elegance {established 1873 sentiment}

Inks - Real Red, Crumb Cake Stampin' Up! 

Ink Spray - Tattered Angels Be Mine

Punches - Scallop Border, Small Heart, Itty Bitty flower Stampin' Up!

Glitter Glue - Martha Stewart

Jewels - Stampin' Up!

Button - Basic Grey

Ribbon - American Crafts; Stampin' Up!

Liquid Glue - Crystal Effects Stampin' Up!

This year I had a hard time choosing the Valentine's paper that I wanted. That is until I saw the line from Echo Park. I loved the other brands I saw, but I LOVE this Echo Park line. It's just fun and I love the traditional color scheme. I am sure this is not the only project I will be using the products for. 

Thanks So Much Card

Cardstock - Very Vanilla Stampin' Up!

Stamps - Established Elegance, {Thanks So Much sentiment} Stampin' Up! 

Inks - Island Indigo, Crumb Cake Stampin' Up!

Spray Ink - Studio Calico Mister Huey's Clay

Jewels - Reflections

This is a very simple card for me, if you all don't know already. It takes a lot for me to not piece a card together. When I got my new Island Indigo stamp pad, and my new Established Elegance stamp pad from Stampin' Up! however, I got inspired to simplify just a bit.

Happy Valentine's Day Tag

Cardstock - Kraft, Jet Black textured Archiver's; Very Vanilla Stampin' Up!

Patterned Paper - Echo Park Yours Truly

Cricut Cartridges - Once Upon A Princess {Envelope and Tags}, Accent Essentials {Large Heart, scallop circles}

Punches - Itty Bitty flower, Small Heart Stampin' Up!

Stamps - Happy Valentine's Day sentiment Studio G; flourish Stampin' Up! Embellished Elegence

Inks - Real Red, Basic Gray Stampin' Up!

Jewels - Reflections

Glitter Glue - Martha Stewart

Ribbon and Twine - Basic Gray satin Stampin' Up!; twine is my stash

When I saw the cute envelope and tag on the Once Upon A Princess cartridge from Cricut, I knew it was only a matter of time before I attempted to do something with it! And it didn't take too long after all! I love this darling envelope and tag. I will get plenty of use out of it for sure!!! And, yep. Used more of the Echo Park paper for this one too. I really just absolutely LOVE it! 

I know I keep mentioning the Cricut cartridges I have been using on all my projects lately. But I haven't mentioned the fact that I got a Cricut! :). I borrowed my friend Marci's Cricut to work on my sisters shower decorations. I fell in LOVE with it, told my mom and then she got me my very own! I was debating whether to upgrade to the Cricut Mini but I like the fact that I don't have to plug this one into the computer. I want to eventually get a Cricut Expression. A girl can dream :). 

I am lucky to be able to borrow cartridges from Marci and also from Thong's cousins, Thia and Bea. I have purchased a few on my own, and also got clobbered on Black Friday at a local store who was selling them for $10!!!! I got three that morning {after waiting in the freezing cold for 4 hours}, one of which wasn't really one I wanted, or one that I have yet to use. Since then, I have purchased two more since then - Once Upon A Princess {MY FAVORITE} and Cindy Loo {Love the font on this cartridge!}

I got it early and was supposed to wrap it and put it under my tree. Somehow though it ended up straight up in my craft room instead, open and turned on with a cartridge just waiting to be used! What can I say, I used it right away :). It was practically begging me to anyway, right!

I have got to show you all this adorable pin cushion {you can see the ones that Amber made me, and one that I made right behind it}. I didn't make this most adorable pin cushion ever! No, that was made by Thia, my husbands cousin. I fell in love with it right away! Could you just die! :)

Hope this year is coming along great for everyone. I admit, it hasn't all been roses, but it has been good! I have a new addition to my family. His name is Jack and he is such a cute little happy guy! He belongs to my sister and her husband. He is just a few days old, but is loved immensely already!

Peyton couldn't wait to meet her new baby cousin and hold him for the very first time. She is already planning games for them to play when he gets a little older. I told her it may be a while, and she said she will wait! :) 

Talk to you all soon!

Once Upon A Princess

Once upon a time...

There was a little girl who said when she grew up that she wanted to be professional soccer player, tooth fairy, dentist, doctor, and of course a princess. When her family would drive by the large professional soccer stadium she would tell them how much she longed to play there someday. She was a happy girl who loved to dance, sing, dress up, watch movies about fairies and longed for adventures. Cinderella was her favorite princess in the entire world and her favorite color was blue. She loved blue so much she would make her mom go to the blue doors at Super Target any time they went there! She was all ready to be a "big girl" and told her mom she was no longer 3 but 33 years old. She dreamed of big celebrations to spend with her family and friends. She spent lots of time making decorations and invitations for her events. She played hard and loved everyone around her.

The End

I know all mothers think their kid is the best kid in the world. I am by no means the exception. I love how much Peyton loves life and loves her friends and family. She is such a happy girl and she makes me happy that I am her mom.

My Cricut has been a lot of fun already in the short time since I have had it. Although I have mostly done Christmas stuff at this point, I have made a scrapbook page, some cards, and am also currently working on a project for my dad's birthday next week. Peyton's birthday is coming up in February, so I am going to start working on party decorations as well. She wants a princess party, no surprise there :). Right after I got my Cricut, since I only had the cartridge it came with, I ended up purchasing 2 more {not counting the 3 I got trampled for on Black Friday}. One is Cindy Loo. That cartridge has such a fun font!!! I've now used it on a few projects already. The other is Once Upon A Princess. This is such a fun cartridge for all things Peyton! I instantly knew that it would inspire projects for Peyton's birthday party to her bed room, and even some paper dolls for her to play with. I had been working some sort of wall hanging out in my head for the last few weeks since I had got the cartridge, but it took seeing the special issue of Cricut Magazine Home Decor, to get the gears really moving.

Here is what I came up with:

Yep, still addicted to these junk bows. Thanks Amber! :)

A few years ago, I had to ground myself from a little local store called The Wood Connection. I LOVE it! It's full of unfinished wood projects and such. I got the frame from there. It's been sitting in my craft room closet just waiting for me to use it. Hence, the grounding due to excess products purchased there that I have yet to use all of. But I am glad I finally had the perfect use for it. A few years ago - actually 2007 - I posted some small magnet boards. Those were actually purchased from The Wood Connection.

Anyway, here are the supplies used for the frame:

Paint - Acrylic cream
Stamps - Pebbles, Inc.; Stampin' Up!
Ink - Stampin' Up! Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Soft Suede, Old Olive
Ribbon - American Crafts; Stampin Up!; tulle is my stash; Close to My Heart
Cardstock - Stampin' Up!
Patterned Paper - Echo Park; Stampin' Up! {only on junk bow}
Cricut Cartridges - Once Upon A Princess {Princess, butterflies, large scallop border, rose}; Cindy Loo {flourishes, Font}
Punches - Itty Bitty Flower, Tiny Heart Stampin' Up!

Glitter Glue - Stickles
Flair - American Crafts
Jewels and Pearlies - Stampin' Up!
Paper Doily - Wilton


To make the frame "dirty" I take a sponge and cover it in ink - same as when I distress a piece of paper - and then I rub it all over the wood. This is of course once it is painted and the paint is dry. I love the effect. It makes an instant impact.

For the month of December, local paper craft company, American Crafts, had a warehouse sale. I guess they do the same thing every year. I have mentioned many times how much I love their stuff. So I knew I would have to make the trip at least once. I was pleasantly surprised at how much great stuff I found and at such great deals. It's actually where I got all the Crate Paper patterned Christmas paper from. I also got some cheap clear stamps, {we are talking $2 for sets normally $6} including the princess phrases I used in this frame. I also got tons of ribbon. They were ridiculously low {40 spools for $5!}. I even got a large 12x12 paper trimmer there for $8. They had great deals on scrapbooks, inks, Thickers and all kinds of things. Can't wait to check it out next year for sure!

Hope you are all enjoying your holiday week! Happy New Year!

Linking to Paper Issues