My 2009 Christmas Cards

This year I made 62 cards for friends and family. The Santa and Snowman are both paper piecing patterns that I bought from http://myscrapchick.com and the holiday word tree is a file I created with my Cricut and the Storybook cartridge. I hope everyone that received one truly appreciated all the hard work and love that went into making these! Happy Holidays to everyone!

Thanksgiving Place Settings

My final project for my first day back - not too bad - two pies and 20 place setting cards - a rather productive afternoon!

I made 20 of these simple place setting cards. I actually goofed and they were supposed to be half the size - but when I printed the saying, I didn't adjust it to fit the lower half. Oh well, made them work anyway! A very basic watercolored stamp and a double layered scallop circle complete the look. They read..."Let's get stuffed" and the person's name.

Tomorrow working on simple centerpieces...I hope!

My Thanksgiving Pie Favors

These cute pie favors are what my guest will be getting this Thanksgiving. Each one holds 6 Hershey Kisses or for my niece, Vanilla Teddy Grahams. It takes 10 pieces to make a whole pie. One is pumpkin and one chocolate cream. The favors were made using the Big Bug, Tags Bags Boxes and More and George cartridges. I am very pleased with the final project! Thanks for looking.

Boxes - My Thanksgiving Pie Favors.cut

After a long absence...

WOW! After taking almost 4 months off from blogging and crafting in general I am back...and boy does it feel good! It was a very busy summer and fall...our first year with bees was a very interesting one...and very rewarding. All said and done, we harvested 132 lbs. of delicious wildflower honey, not to shabby for 1st year beekeepers. Now on to crafting....

M.I.A. So Far This Summer

Feeling sorry to be neglecting my blog for so long. This summer has been a very busy one for me working in my house, cleaning out clutter and re-modeling a few rooms. FINALLY seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and almost ready to get back into my craft room! I really need to start working on my Christmas Cards...as fast as this year has gone so far...Christmas will be here before you know it! SEE YOU ALL SOON!

Happy 51st Anniversary Mom & Dad

Love to you both!

Gate Fold Wedding/Anniversary Card

Here is a card that I have made several times now and thought I would share - it is a 6x11.5 gate fold card - made especially for a wedding or anniversary. The cartridges that I used were the Paper Doll Dress-up and George & Basic shapes. The file is sized so that the dolls will fit perfectly inside. I have grouped together the items that I wanted to cut out of the same color papers. I hope you like the file and enjoy making one of your own! By the way I also designed an envelope (made with George) and you can find that in my next blog entry!!

Cards - My PDDU Wedding-Anniversary 6x11 Gatefold.cut

Envelope for Gate Card

Here is the envelope that I created to fit the 6x11.5 gate card. It was made using George.


Envelope - My 6 x 11 Gate Card - george.cut

Happy Father's Day!

These are the Father's Day Cards that I will be giving to my Dad and Dad-in-Law. A huge thank you to Ruelysi Creative Cards for sharing her cut file on her blog. The tool belt and tools were all made using the Cricut and the George cartridge. I am sure that something similar to this could also be done in SCAL.

(Please go check out Ruelysi Creative Cards if you haven't already. She is not only very talented, but also very generous with her cut files!)

I knew when I saw these that they would make perfect Lowe's Gift Card holders. I am really pleased with the way they turned out!

This Was My Biggest Project Yet!

This most definitely was my biggest project I have yet to work on. At last count I had over 30 hours into making this ABC Baby Album. It was a gift for a co-worker expecting her first child on June 16 - she is the type of person who appreciates something "homemade" and can also understand and appreciate the time it takes to make something like this.
I made the book with the mindset that new parents are very busy and often don't have the time it takes to document the special moments in their first child's lives until later (yep, that was me, scrapbooking my kid's baby albums when they were in their early teens - LOL).
So I thought I'd give her a head start with an album all set to add the pictures!
She's a teacher - so the ABC theme was perfect. There is a page designed for each letter of the alphabet and a cute saying to go along. I then added three individual paper piecing pictures for each letter - some letters boggled my brain for a "cute" design appropriate for a baby book. Most of the piecings were cut by hand, as they were tiny and I found this actually easier than cutting them on my Cricut. Many of the patterns came from an ABC Paper Piecing Booklet that I purchased from Paperwishes.com for only $3.99 - well worth the money! Below is a link to a slide show of the book - I hope you enjoy browsing through the pictures and take time to leave me a comment! It is the comments left by you that continue to make me want to keep posting and sharing files that I create!

My ABC Baby Album

Here is a link (hope it works) to Photobucket, where the slide show will play. (I hope)http://s92.photobucket.com/albums/l16/cheezer_02/Baby%20Book/?albumview=slideshow

I've Gone to the Bees!

Well, on May 16th our two packages of Honey Bees arrived. Bees are very interesting little creatures to say the least. I now clearly understand the meaning of the phrase...Busy as a Bee! Poor little things literally work themselves to death. This ia a picture of one of the hive frames about 3 weeks after the bees were installed. They are already very busy building out the frame combs and her royal highness, Queen bee, is very busy with her only job of laying eggs. The bees are so cute when their hind legs and pollen sacs are full of pollen - I call them "The Cheetos Girls" because they look like they are carrying Cheetos on their legs - LOL
I'll update now and then on their progress - and hope to stay free of stings in the meantime! So far...so good!

Mother's Day 2009

Yet again I could not decide what to make for Mother's Day cards.... so I made and gave two. The first is a "Z" card inspired by cards that I have seen on Angel Stamper's blog. The teapot and teacup are paper piecing patterns that I duplicated in Inkscape and made into svg. files so that I could cut them using my Cricut machine.

The pop-up flower card is a file that ScrappedLives was so kind to share! It is a beautiful card to put together! You should check out both of these blogs for more of their creative projects! I think both my mother and mother-in-law liked both of their cards!

Teagan's First Birthday Cards

So far I have these two cards that I made to choose from for my niece's 1st birthday. The first is a little girl outfit card which I made using a pattern and SCAL. The front of the card is the side with the bunny in the pocket and the back has the rubber ducky sticking out the back pocket.

The other is a paper piecing teddy. I think I may even work on a few more before I decide...that's one problem I always have when I sit down to make something....I always think I can make something better than the last. (This is how I usually make and sometimes give more than one card)! Thanks for looking!

Kaylee the Tear Bear

Meet the newest addition to my tear bears. My daughter was getting upset that I was making all these cute bears and giving them away on cards. So I made one especially for her. I think she looks darling in her pink and white gingham outfit. I actually used some tulle from the slip
that I wore on my wedding day to accent the top. These bears are very addicting.

Just wanting to wish a Happy Mother's Day to everyone who happened upon my site today! Enjoy your day - I'll be spending some of mine crafting, of course!!

Felicity the Fairy Bear

My daughter's boyfriend asked me if I'd make a card for his mother for Mother's Day. (He actually asked me what I would charge for a card - LOL - like VISA homemade cards are priceless!)

His mom loves fairies so I thought this cute "Tear Bear" fairy bear would be perfect. She was the smallest one that I have made so far, and I am finding out the smaller the harder! She was fun to make though and I am happy with the way she turned out!

A Card by My MOM

Since she won't post her work .... like any good daughter, I'll post it for her. This is the absolutely adorable card that my mother made for my daughter's 20th birthday. My daughter is currently in school to become a Medical Assistant and her card is perfect! I am not sure how well the picture does it justice...it's 3-D! I think you did a FANTASTIC job on this card mom (yes, I know you'll read this sooner or later). I am sure that Sarah will cherish it for years to come! Mom, you should be very proud ~ you are one very talented lady! Love You!

Mother's Day Cards Teaser

Coming soon...sorry I can't post pictures or else MY MOM will see her card before she gets it on Mother's Day!!!

Beatrice in her Buggy

My second Tear Bear (and last) for today. Again, I plan on using this somehow in a baby card for another co-worker. (If there is something in the water, I don't want any - LOL)

I think I'd change the buggy a little next time, maybe make it a little deeper???

I used a pattern from "606 Paper Piecing Patterns" and imported to Inkscape, then made pattern pieces to cut in Sure-Cuts-A-Lot. (Sure is a lot of work too!!)
I am having tons of fun though...and that's what really matters!

A Wagon for Clarice

No...I haven't been couped up in my scrap room for too long...so my little bears need something to do. I made a little red and white polka-dot wagon for Clarice to sit in. She looks pretty cute, even if I do say so myself.

This pattern, along with Clarice and the other Tear Bears come from a new CD I purchased from here: http://www.paperwishes.com/categories/craft-books-9.html?category_id=0&browsing=92. They are a great site...Great service and very fast shipping!

The CD is fantastic! Now using SCAL I can make a ton of paper piecing creations.

Thanks for looking!

Stella and her Snuggie

Okay...so I swore I wasn't going to get addicted to Tear Bears....yeah, right!!! Pretty soon my family is going to sign me up for CA (Craft's Anonymous!)

Here is sweet little Stella. She will be part of a baby shower card for a co-worker. Of course the card part is yet to be finished and I'll post a pic of that when done. She was really fun to make!

Meet Clarice

Okay so now paper piecing has me trying my hand at making Tear Bears - Clarice, (I always name my creations), was my very first try. She's all dressed up and ready to go. Tear Bears are fun to make but also a lot of work to get them to look half way decent, (and I am rather a stickler for a nice looking project) - but I think she came out rather cute. I will definitely try another - though I'm not sure that this will become one of my growing addictions! Let me know what you think!!

Mermaid Birthday Card

Here's another paper piecing pattern that I made from a coloring book. My 20 yr. old daughter and I have this on going joke about mermaids and I thought it would be a fun card to make. (Hopefully she gets the joke and doesn't think it's too childish). It was a LOT of work and I had trouble figuring out exactly what to put on the card along with the mermaid. Luckily I had bought a MS punch on clearance and thought it would make cute sea urchins. Let me know what you think. I may have slightly gone overboard embellishing...but I know I've said it before, sometimes it's hard to stop!!!

Raggedy Ann & Andy

Here is MY official first paper piecing project that I made from an online coloring page. The process was rather involved - import the picture into Inkscape - trace and save each individual piece - and then cut with Sure-Cuts-A-Lot. But...I love the finished project and I am quite proud of the way they both came out. I am so enjoying using both my Cricut and the Design Studio and my new program Sure-Cuts-A-Lot. I'd love to hear what you think ~ so leave me a comment if you'd like~

Thank You Loopy Lou!

THANK YOU SO MUCH LOOPY LOU FOR THIS KREATIV BLOGGER AWARD!
I was excited just to read the comment you left, and when I saw this it really made me smile!
Here are the RULES for this AWARD:
1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs, letting them know they have been nominated.

These are the 7 things about myself that people might find interesting (maybe-maybe not)
1. I love cleaning! I know this may sound weird, but it actually relaxes me and puts me in a good mood.
2. I love my fur babies (2 doggies & 2 kitties). They are spoiled rotten!
3. I keep finding new additions (and addictions) to add to my crafting. (I am going to need a BIGGER room soon)
4. I am a huge fan of Harry Potter. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the books and are upset that there will be no more!
5. I have never flown in an airplane and are quite afraid to do so!
6. I have never been outside of the U.S.A.
7. I will be married to my sweetheart 25 years this August!

Now here are my 7 nominees: (wish I could nominate tons more!)
Vicki - http://angelstamper2.blogspot.com/
Ruth - http://ruelysicreativecards.blogspot.com/
Jen - http://jensbrainthings.blogspot.com/
Diane - http://capadiadesigns.blogspot.com/
Paper, Scissors, Ink - http://www.paperscissorsinc.com/
Mel - http://melstampz.blogspot.com/
Okie - http://okieladybugsscrapnmore.blogspot.com/

Please visit these sites along with the ones in my "Gotta Love These Blogs" and get a lot of inspiration!

My Newest Addiction - Paper Piecing

When will I ever learn to stop surfing the web for craft projects.

I stumbled upon several blogs and sites for paper piecing - of course this looked interesting - so I thought, heck, why not add it to my list of addictions!

It didn't take too long to become addicted - after my very first piece - I was already hooked.

It can be a little time consuming, but I love the look of the finished project.

Now that I have Sure-Cuts-A-Lot along with my Cricut, I can cut the patterns out with a machine rather than all by hand. These are my first two projects.

The patterns are taken from a Yahoo Group called Paper Piecing and were made by one of the moderators, Kristal.

Bunnies, Bunnies, Bunnies!

Last night I spent about 6 hours making these tiny treat boxes for the 36 children, in the two classrooms where I am a remedial paraprofessional. I re-created a bunny face and feet designed by Jody P. (from the Cricut Messageboard) and designed my own teeny treat box with a window. I filled the boxes with Smartie candies.

They were truly a labor of love! Nothing justifies spending hours crafting like the smile and genuine thank you of a child!

Easter Baskets

I made crafty Easter Baskets for my older children this year. They know that their mom is a Craft Addict, so they should expect nothing less! The basket is from Mel Stampz blog - http://melstampz.blogspot.com/ - it is called a Rolling Hills basket. If you aren't familar with her blog - go check it out!

The sheep is from Paper, Scissors, Ink - http://www.paperscissorsinc.com/ - and you should definitely check out her blog too!

So as you can see, I can't take any credit for the design of this one - they were definitely a lot of fun to make though!

My VERY Productive Day!

Today was a very productive day !

A Mother's Bragging Rights!

I just had to share the little bulletin boards that my son had to make for his Early Childhood class. The assignment was to come up with a lesson plan, and then build a bulletin board around that. Well, of course I let him use my Cricut ~ and they came out beautiful! Now he realizes just how long it can take to make something from start to finish. Each of these took MANY hours to complete. He just got his grades back last night - needless to say - and this is the bragging part - he got an 100 on both! So proud!

My First Attempt At SCAL

I had been hearing so many great things about the Sure Cuts A Lot program and cutting with the Cricut machine that I finally had to jump into the fire and buy one for myself. It has been a learning process - to say the least - and I am learning - slow but sure. This is my first attempt (so please don't laugh) at creating a file from a graphic I found on Google of my favorite mouse, Mickey!

I was quite please with it for a first try!

My Version of a One Cupcake Box

There have been many versions of the cupcake box bouncing around - here is mine. It will hold one, very nicely decorated cupcake. There is a front cutout for viewing the cupcake when the box is closed. Again this cutout could be interchanged with other shapes, as long as it remains the about the same size.

I'd love to see your creations!

Boxes - My One Cupcake Box with Window.cassell.cut

A Matchbook Purse

I know these have been done before but not yet by me! Here is a Matchbook Fold-over Purse. You place your goodies in clear bags (found at Walmart) and then staple them under the inside flap. Fold over the scallop top, tie with a ribbon bow and your done. How much easier could that be! A favorite of mine for a quick but cute goodies bag!

Purses - My Matchbook Fold-over purse.cut

A Box W/Attached Cover

Another box - one can never have enough boxes, I say - saw a similar one on Angel Stamper's blog and had to recreate one for the Cricut. I used a bunny cut out for the front of mine, since Easter is fast approaching; but any shape can be interchanged. Since it's not too big, I was able to make it within the 6x12 mat for the Baby Bug too! Enjoy!

Boxes - My Interchangable Cutout with attached cover.cut

My Love of Boxes Continues...

Here is rather cute, larger box for holding anything you desire to fill it with. It has a front cutout - which you could switch out for different occasions. It measures about 5" wide by 2" deep. This one is a little too big for Baby Buggers (sorry) and was made with Plantin Schoolbook. (This has been my cartridge of choice for making cutfiles with lately)

Boxes - My Interchangable Cutout with separate cover.cut

Mini Bon-Bon Boxes

These Bon-Bon holders were actually modeled after ones that I saw on the Scor-Pal site, Feb. 09 E-zine. They would probably hold a couple nuggets or something similar in size. Both holders are on the one file. They were made with Plantin Schoolbook with the Baby Bug mat. There is a page for both showing the scoring lines so be sure NOT to cut that page when making some! Enjoy!

Boxes - My Bon Bon 2-3.cut

A Big Bon-Bon Box

If you checked out Scor-Pal projects lately, you'll see in the Feb. 09 E-Zine, that this BonBon Box was made strictly using a Scor-Pal. I figured why not try to duplicate something similar with the Design Studio. Much easier to cut!

This is the larger - with the base measuring just about 2 1/2" square. Probably big enough for a Reese PB Cup. (Of course there is NO chocolate in my house when I need it!-LOL)

Made using Plantin Schoolbook - since I figured more people have that than George!

Boxes - My Bon Bon 1.cut

A Tiny-Teeny Box

I saw a similar box on Angel Stamper's blog and thought this would be easy to recreate in Design Studio. It's a cute little box for holding just the right amount of tiny treats. The finished box measures only 2" x 2". There are two files - one for George and one for Plantin Schoolbook. (Both on one file) It is Baby Bug compatible!

I think I will be making these for the kids in my classes - not too big and not too hard to make!

Boxes - My Candy Box.cassell.cut

Cards from Templates

Here are a few cards that I made with a template I purchased from "Hot Off the Press". One is called a Giant Spiral Card and one a Giant Flower Card. I got lazy with these and actually bought the templates instead of trying to make one. I am always looking for a different card to make and give.

My Harley Davidson Card

Here is a card I made for my hubby's friend. He loves Harleys! Thanks to Leah (BeeCherryLady) on the Cricut forum for the Harley Davidson logo file. The inside was made with the Paper Dolls cartridge - just changing some of the clothes to fit a Harley hog!