A Big Thank You!

I'd just like to say "Thanks" to everyone for their nice comments either here on my Blog or through the Cricut Messageboard. Your kind words mean a lot, and help to inspire creativity! So...

THANK YOU!

My "Son" o-gram!

This was pre-Cricut so I had to cut out the pregnant silhouette by hand...again I saw this layout in one of my many idea books and thought it was a cute way to scrap your ultrasound pictures. I think it's a perfect way to share baby's REAL first pictures.

Lip Balm Bag

and then you open and viola...

This design is NOT mine and thus I CANNOT take credit for the creativity... but I did make it easier to make by creating a cut file. I think it is cute for chapstick, but I could also see those tiny tubes of perfume inserted through the slits too!

Here are some basic instructions for assembling:

After cutting out the pieces, score the outer layer on the long edge at 1/2" and 3 1/2" then flip card and score the opposite end at 3".

For the inner layer (the part for the chapstick) score at 2 3/4" from each of the sides.

Next fold down the 1/2" top, adhere your purse handles, then adhere the band over and around it. Use the circle layers to cover your seam. (Now the bottom half of the purse will tuck inside this).

Glue together your inner and outer layers BUT be careful NOT to glue the section that will hold the chapstick. Gently insert your chapstick as the paper slits will tear easily. These have to be snug enough to keep the lip balm from sliding out. Now you can embellish as you see fit. (Although you MUST apply lipstick and put the lips on yourselves! LOL)

Cards -My Lip Balm Gift Card.cut

Cards - My Baby Bug Lip Balm Holder.cut

Let Me Bug You About My.....

This is my take on the photo wallets that I've seen bouncing around on the Cricut Messageboard and also at SplitCoastStampers. My wallet file was designed as one solid piece, so unfortunately it won't be Baby Bug compatible. ( - I do believe Capadia made one for Baby Buggers - )
I've included pages for the layers for the journaling and/or photo mats. This one was designed using the George cartridge, but could easily be converted for Plantin Schoolbook.
Here it is partially opened...

and here it is fully opened...


Photo - My Photo Wallet.cut

A Candy Shaped Card

~ Here is one of my favorite shaped cards that can be used for any occasion. I call this "My Candy Shaped Card". I first used this design at Christmas with stamped images of snowmen in the center. (of course I didn't take pictures of those - LOL). I can see this card decorated in SO many different ways - really dressed up or really simple - This is just a quick one I made for Valentine's Day ~

Cards - My Candy Shaped Card.cut

Candy Wrapper

I was surfing my favorite blogs and came across this cute little candy cover. I thought, now this would be a really easy .cut file to make, so I set out to design one. I used the 12 x 6 mat so that it would be Baby Bug compatible. The first page of the file is the wrapper itself. The next two pages are added edge designs which you can use if you wish. If you choose to use these added designs, do not remove your wrapper from the mat before you make these cuts.

Candy Cover - My 4 pc. Nugget Wrap.cut

Halloween Calendar

This is a cute layout that I found in one of my old scrapbooking books. I thought it would work great for a Halloween layout. I made it look like a calendar page, and for each day of the week is a picture of my son at Halloween when he was that age.

For instance on October 1 - he was one yr. old, Oct. 2 - he was two years old, etc.

I've used this same layout for Christmas photos of my kids opening their presents. Cute idea I think.

Rocky Page

Here is a layout I made WAY back in 2002 - I had each family member pose holding on to big boulders, then carefully cut around each, mounted them onto black paper and stacked them on top of each other - I think it came out rather interesting looking.

Round Gatefold Card

This is another really cute idea for a card - I can see it being used for so many occasions - it was made with my Big Cricut Bug and the George and Basic Shapes cartridge, but there are two files, one for the Big Bug and one for the Baby Bug.
When it is done - it fits nicely into an invitation size envelope. Hope you like!
Cards - My round gatefold card.cut
Cards - My Baby Bug Round Gatefold Card.cut

Love, Love, Love Nugget Boxes

Here are just a few of the nugget boxes I have made. I just love these for any occasion! But then again, I am addicted to boxes!
I've given them to the teachers I work with at the end of the year ("It's been SWEET working with you" on the tag), made them for Halloween, used them at my kid's birthday parties (w/their baby pictures printed on labels and stuck over the nuggets), and given them for prizes for games played at showers.
They are pretty easy to assemble and no matter what size, all assemble in the same fashion. Below are some of the cut files I have managed to make for these. There is also a cut file for the tag, made from the WIMG cartridge. As of now, you will need the Big Bug to cut these (I will be adjusting my files shortly to accommodate the Baby Bug too!!)
Hope you enjoy!

I wanted to share with you some nugget boxes Debbie made and posted on the Cricut Messageboard - Great job Debbie!
http://www.cricut.com/messageboard/tm.aspx?m=3985471

Invasion of the Spiders

Working in two different classes in school and having about 40 kids total that I see daily, I loved this idea for Halloween. The kids absolutely loved them - many saved the spider after they ate the peppermint and used it as a pencil topper. This file has multiple spiders on it so it's easy to to make them in large numbers. The files is also arranged at the top of a 12x12 mat and can easily be cut from the Baby Bug too!

Candy Cover - My Spiders.cut

Teacup

This is another very simple idea for a quick and cute gift. This cup will hold your favorite teabag. Again a great teacher or "thinking of you" gift. On this one I used my Cuttlebug to emboss it and make it look like a china cup. I can see this decorated so many different ways!

Boxes - My Teacup.cut

Boxes - My Baby Bug Teacup.cut

Snowman Soup or Coffee Packet Mugs

Here is a cut file for a mug to hold cocoa or coffee packets. There are two different style handles on the one file. These make really cute teacher gifts and again are simple to make.

Sometiimes it's all about the simplicity -

Boxes - My Coffee Mug.cut

Boxes - My Baby Bug Coffee Mugs.cut

Baby Bib Card

This baby bib card can be made on both the Baby Bug and the Expression. It fits into an Invitation size envelope when folded. It would make adorable shower invites or thank yous. If you use this cut file, I'd love to see some of your creations!

Check out what Debbie made using this file - she was very creative - Thanks so much for sharing on the Cricut Messageboard.

http://www.cricut.com/messageboard/tm.aspx?m=3963671

Cards - My baby bib card.cut
Cards - My Baby Bug Baby Bib.cut

A Page from Vacation

Another of my favorite non-cricut scrapbook pages.

This one is from our water rafting trip we took back in 2004. It was a really fun experience - unfortunately for us it was kinda cool weather and towards the end of the day it really downpoured. We made the most of it though, and I think our two boats had the most fun of all. The water was freezing (the coldest water I have ever felt!!!) My poor sister-in-law didn't want to go in, and said that if Cindy went in she would. Poor thing, next thing she knew, over I went - and she had to too!

I really like the dimensional layout in this one.

Meet the Kitties

Can't leave the cats out of the picture. Since you've met the dogs, you gotta met the cats. Here we have our silly Sophia Loren. She loves to find the craziest places to sleep. Here she is in our closet wedged into our sock basket. Scared me half to death when I went in.
This is Minnie Mouse. The oldest of all of our pets. Not sure if it's a Calico thing or her age, but she sure can be moody. She loves to be pet, but just watch out, because once she's had enough - she'll bite you.

Gift Card Holders

I always like to have a few of these on hand in case I need them. These are very easy to assemble and decorate. I like to use my Cuttlebug to emboss both the tag and card holder. These have become one of my favorite gift card holders to make because of the simplicity and because they can be used for any occasion!

Gift Card Holder - My Baby Bug Library Card & Tag.cut

Organization 101

I just loved to be organized - call it a sickness - but I truly believe that there's a place for everything, and everything has its place.

The latest thing I actually got organized was my scrap paper.

I bought a large expandable folder and labeled each section with color names or pattern names. Now I always go there first when needing a piece of paper. No longer are all my scraps in one HUGE pile collecting dust...and I'm sure you know how fast all those scraps add up. Hope this gives someone else an idea for scrap paper organization!

Carousel Treat Holder

I must say that I am addicted to boxes and candy covers. This one is really simple to make and can be used for many different things - candy, cocoa or coffee packets - you name it.

Boxes - My Carousel Note Treat Holder.cut

Boxes - Baby Bug Carousel Treat Holder.cut

Birthday Hat Box

Here is a cut file for a Birthday Hat shaped box made with the Cricut and GBS cartridge. It has a side opening and can hold tiny treats inside. I also posted a picture of the scoring lines, as this may help in assembling the box.
The box is a side closure - so you can load in your goodies in the back of the box - the basic instructions are you will glue the bottom tabs on each side (for a total of 4) with a good sticky glue (I use Terrifically Tacky Tape). Do not glue the one front tab on the bottom as this will line up with the back closure. Now just load your goodies and insert the back tabs into the slots. Do not glue the side of the box! I tried one and loaded Hershey Nuggets into mine and it held up great! Also there is a straight strip on this file - it is just another option for a brim - maybe more masculine -

Boxes - My birthday hat box.cut

I hope you like!

Meet Little Miss Liberty Belle

All is fair in love and war. And since I posted a picture of our other dog, Hannah, I just had to give some cyber time to Libby Bear too. She is our 5 lb. toy poodle who my daughter just HAD to have. (But...guess who potty trained her, feeds her, etc. - you get the point)

She is totally adorable though..cute enough to be a stuffed animal! It's very funny to see her boss around our black lab, who out weighs her by 65 lbs.

Small but feisty!!

My Love of Painting, Too!

One of my other crafting hobbies is painting murals and pictures. This is one I did for the boy my daughter babysits for. It is of Tidus from the video game Final Fantasy. I couldn't wait to give it to him, and he was really surprised by it.

I'll be sharing some of my other paintings with you from time to time. I hope you enjoy looking at them!

Okay, there is a story behind this one!

One day, when my son was still very small, he came across his picture that they took at the hospital of him on the day he was born. Now after being in labor for TOO many hours to count and pushing for TOO many more hours to count, I finally had an emergency C-section.

When he finally arrived, his head was quite mis-shaped from being stuck in the birth canal all that time.

So...and here's the story behind the picture. When he saw his picture for the very first time, he thought it was a picture of E.T.

We still don't let him live that moment down, and to this day (he's almost 23) we still joke about "E.T. phone home!"

Of course, being a mother, I just had to do a page on it, so he'd never, ever forget!

More Scrapbooking...

I got on the scrapbook wagon when my kids were already in there pre-teens. I had a lot of catching up to do and felt a little bit over-whelmed to say the least. Here is one of my favorite pages (pre-cricut) from my daughter's book. It was taken on Character Day at school. Dr. Seuss was always a big hit at our house!

Thanks to the Wonderful Jen C.

Here is a card that I made for my hubby for Christmas from the wonderfully talented Jen C.'s bikini cut file. I think it is TOO cute!


And this is one I made to hold a Victoria's Secret gift card. I simply stuffed the bra (LOL) with the gift card. It got quite a response! (Front and Back Photos)

Who Couldn't Love a Face Like This!

Thought I'd share a great way to get a pet! Almost two years ago now, we adopted our dear little girl from Louisiana. She was only about 12 weeks old when we got her. We found her through the Labs4Rescue.

If you are thinking of getting a dog, please consider adopting one from the many, many rescue sites out there. When I was told how many puppies and dogs are put down every month because there are no homes for them it made me want to adopt them all!

Our "Hannah Louisiana" is one VERY spoiled girl!

Tall Peek-a-Boo Box

This is my version of a Peek-a-Boo box. Made with my Cricut and GBS cartridge. It's perfect for little treats (M&Ms, or candy hearts for Valentine's Day) I think I will be making these for the kiddos who are in the 3rd grade classes I work in. That's a total of 40 boxes - so I best get going! (The one pictured is pretty plain - you can dress it up any way you'd like)




Boxes - My Baby Bug Skinny Tall Peek-a-Boo Box.cut

Boxes - My Skinny Tall Peek-a-Boo Box.cut

My Knight in Shining Armor

This is a card that I created for my hubby on our 24th Anniversary. The Main card was made with my Cricut DS - using the George and Paper Doll cartridges. Happy Anniversary was written using the Beyond Birthdays cartridge. (which could be changed out w/whatever cartridges you have).





Cards - My paper doll anniversary card.cut