Tuesday, September 29, 2009

We're Falling at The Cuttlebug Spot


This week at The Cuttlebug Spot we're featuring a Fall theme. WooHoo, now we even have some cooler weather here in CA for some inspiration! I was also inspired by SusieB on the Cricut message board and decided to do a little treat bag like those she did for Halloween. Click HERE for her post and instructions. I decided to use my new Nesties Maple leaf for the flap and the autumn Cuttlebug folder which I inked a bit and shimmered up with Perfect Pearls. The other leaf is the Cuttlebug cut and emboss die. I used a piece of packaging from one of my Cricut cartridges and ran it back and forth until it pretty much cut through (about 4 or 5 times and it still needed a little punching but not too bad) and then used alcohol inks to color (on the back side). Then used my cropadile to punch two holes through all of the layers and tied it up with raffia.

I know the first pic doesn't really show it's a treat bag, but it did show the glimmer a bit better. Hmmm... this pic doesn't really show it much either but you get the idea. I always make spiced pecans at Thanksgiving and thought these would be nice for favors. So fun and easy! Thanks SusieB! Now drop on by The Cuttlebug Spot to be inspired to join us with your own Fall themed project.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Priceless BBTB Blog Hop


Wow, where has the month gone? It's the last Monday in Sept and time for another BBTB Blog Hop. Hopefully you've arrived from my uber talented DT sister DeeDee's blog, but if not and you want to start the hop from the beginning, click HERE. This week Regina chose the Priceless cut from the Wildcard cartridge. This was a perfect cut for me this week because yesterday was my BFF Lisa's birthday and she's taking off from work today so we can celebrate with lunch and shopping. Her friendship and our time together is truly precious to me. This is her birthday card. With work and kids and all we don't get to spend nearly enough time together. We LOVE our shoes and accessories so I made a shape card of a handbag fom Everyday Paper Dolls. The bag is flocked to resemble suede with shiny black card stock handles and trim to resemble patent leather. The shoe (which resembles a Christian Louboutin we covet, note the red sole) is from Wedding solutions. We be big on animal prints, and red and black are fave colors.
The sentiment is from DonJuan, my fave font of the moment. It's a bit easier to read than it appears in the first pic. Of course I used my beloved adhesive beads.
Lots of popping for dimension too.
I was excited to finally have a personalized stamp for the back of my card. Regina now offers personalized downloadable "Handmade Stamps" from The Cutting Cafe and this is just one of the styles there are in the set. I punched this one out with a 1 1/2 " circle punch, but you could also choose the style you want and position it to print directly on your card back. OOps, you can see my less than perfect coloring with my Copics but it doesn't look nearly as bad from further away. LOL Click HERE to see all of the options in the set.
Now on to the blog candy. I'm offering some Christmas candy in the form of a K&Co. matstack and some coordinating dimensional stickers. All you have to do to win is leave a comment in this post. Now on to your next stop in the HOP, my fabulously talented DT sister Heather's BLOG. You're in for a major treat! Thanks for participating. Hope your'e having fun.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

SWARM Pix!


Sorry it took so long. Here it is already a week since we Cricuteers got together and I'm just now getting around to posting the pix. We sure had a great time. Thanks so much to Leah's (BeeCherry Lady on the Cricut mb) parents for letting us invade their house again. Here's the whole crowd. Row 1: Laura, CiCi, Too Buggy, Row 2: Me, Jen, Kira (holding Cody), Leah and Anita Row 3: SandyE and Lakisha. I didn't get diddley done, but boy did we have fun!

Lakisha, Laura and Sandy.

Sandy and I. Finally we meet!

Cody and I. Couldn't you just eat him up with a spoon!?! Now we're planning an overnighter in Oct. WooHoo! SLUMBER PARTY!

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Whatcha Got Cookin?-.Cut File Available


Happy Saturday! For some reason it seems more like Sunday to me but I'm glad I have 2 more days to finish my DT projects instead of one. I'm kinda dragging because I seemed to have caught a cold. Blah! Hope I feel better for Monday when my BFF and I will be celebrating her B-day with lunch and shopping. I promise to post my Swarm pix tomorrow but for today I have another little simple shaped card using From My Kitchen. Now I can't keep the song "Hey Good Lookin'" out of my mind. It is designed for Custom Crops so as usual the .cut file is available for free HERE. My sample uses DonJuan but I did design the sentiment using Plantin Schoolbook as well. After the QVC gypsy broadcast there will be tons more people with DonJuan so WooHoo! It's one of my favorite fonts. Did I buy one? No, not yet. It doesn't have all of the features I need so until they update to add them I'm waiting. My craft bill this month was over the top so I just couldn't justify it when I would just put it aside for a few months. It was a super deal though,
congrats to all who took the plunge.
I kept telling myself this card was way too simple but I get requests for unintimidating designs using fewer cartridges so this is it. I really love the paper from Nana's kitchen though. Finally it became my own when I decided to hang the oversized question mark over the handle. My dear friend Margie (be sure to check out her blog HERE) was teasing me about my adhesive pearls (or the lack there of) on my Perk Up card. Well you've got to go read the article HERE to see what happened to the majority of them on this card. They are NOT always the right choice. LOL

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Spooky Chandelier Card- .Cut File Available


Okay, this one I have to say I'm REALLY proud of. I've been dying to use the chandelier cut from Home Decor and couldn't think of a better way to use it than an elegant Halloween card. Also used the web from Paper Doll Dress Up, "Spooky" welded from Black letter, and those delicate spiders are from Lyrical Letters. Who knew? I designed this for Custom Crops so the instructions and .cut file are FREE. Just click HERE.

I glittered the chandelier using Doodlebug glitter. The colors are gorgeous and have sort of a mixture so they really glow. (That's why it looked a bit blue in the pic Sandy.) Here's a dimension shot. I'm gonna have to come up with something else for another DT project using this cut in a few weeks (wink), but I couldn't wait to post this one. Hope you like this as much as I do. Thanks for commenting! xxD

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Perk Up .Cut File Available


I absolutely LOVE the new From My Kitchen cartridge. The retro feel of it makes me think of my Auntie Lee's kitchen Up in Ishpeming MI when I was a little girl. We Swede's are big time coffee drinkers so my first card had to be something about coffee. I did this for the Custom Crops Design Team so the .cut file and complete instructions are available HERE. I love the DonJuan font thanks to all of the super cards my sweet friend and super talented Cuttlebug Spot Design Team Sister Julie has done with it but I realized that cart wasn't so easy to come by so I did an alternative sentiment using Plantin Schoolbook too, as well as a little tag for those of you who would prefer a stamped sentiment. I used papers from DCWV Nana's Kitchen and Nana's Nursery Baby Boy mat stack. I thought it would be cute for a friend who wasn't feeling 100%.


BTW, my little Scarecrow Treat Box is now available at Custom Crops too. Just click HERE. And as always, reviews (good ones anyway LOL) are always appreciated.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Happy Anniversary Cuttlebug Spot!



Have you heard? It's The Cuttlebug Spot's first Anniversary and we're celebrating all week long! Stop by The Cuttlebug Spot each day to win a fabulous prize! The Design Team is revisiting the very first challenge which was inking the folder. I have to say I wasn't all that crazy about doing this because I hate making a mess. I told myself I had one chance to do this right and lo and behold it worked (and wasn't nearly as messy as I had feared). Using dye ink is the key to this. I used the new harlequin folder because it's a fave of mine (I've got lots of harlequin pattern in my living room.) and chose Halloween colors. My Bazzill card stock had quite a bit of texture and I love how it showed through the inking. Then I went into my Halloween stash from last year. The scrolly paper and circle tag are elements from a card kit from Dream Designs. I don't usually purchase kits, but Bety has such a knack for putting things together. I so love her style! The pumpkin is a Cuttlebug cut and emboss die and the cat is a Martha Stewart punch. Spooky is a shadow cut using the Blackletter Cricut cartridge which I welded in Design Studio and dirtied up a bit. Although it's not exactly my normal style I kinda like it.

I used a bit of dimension, some sheer dotty ribbon, leaves and adhesive beads for embellishment. It went together so quickly that I may do a few more things like this. Now hop on over to The Cuttlebug Spot and see the marvelous creations from my Design Team sisters and stop by each day for a chance to win a prize.

Monday, September 21, 2009

BBTB Camp Out Dragonfly (with a twist)


Happy Monday everyone! I sure had a great time at the SWARM and will post pix later in the week. As usual, I didn't cut a single thing but I did some designing and had a ball meeting loads of friends from the Cricut message board. How fun it is to put faces to names and really get to know others who share in your passion. Now on to BBTB where this week Regina chose the dragonfly cut from the Camp Out cartridge. The twist is the wings had to be polka dot. I had misplaced Regina's original email and knew something had to be polka dot, but when I went to our DT blog the post said it said the body so I made the wings transparent. Fortunately you could see through them to the dots on the sunflower so they looked polka dot after all. LOL I've had this cart months thinking I would do something for DH since he loves to backpack and all but of course hadn't touched it so I was happy to finally break it in a bit. The sunflower was an inspiration from the beautiful cards on the Cricut message board using sunflowers by Dawne Wilcox and Jeannie Phillips. I chose the cut that Dawne used from Stretch Your Imagination and made a shaped card using Design Studio. The multiple layers were inspired by Jeannie (although I didn't do nearly as many as she did.) The leaves are from Accent Essentials and the color of the dragonfly is like the ones that live in our backyard. I cut the wings twice in acetate and colored them with Copics but they didn't want to dry. They were still sticky when I went to assemble the card so I turned them colored side down to make sure I didn't get red all over everything and I'm actually not sure they're even dry now. I guess that's okay because it worked for the challenge but I probably won't be sending it to anyone anyway. this card is ENORMOUS! I designed it without leaves first and it just didn't look right so it got bigger and bigger.

The final touch was a bit of bling and a bit of popping for dimension. My DT sisters did a fabulous job with this challenge so be sure to stop by Bitten by the Bug to check things out. It's an easy one to play along with too so we'd love to see what you come up with. Also there's a new contest sponsored by Peggy Loves Vintage so be sure to check it out HERE. Peggy has so graciously provided adorable vintage images to use on your contest project so it's there's no excuse not to join in on the fun. And now she is offering both downloadable images for those of you who just can't wait (like me!) as well as her CD's which are chock full of adorable images for loads of occasions. There's not an easier or more adorable way to make a quick card!

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Am I the only one?


Happy Sunday! I'm so excited to be going to the SWARM (a gathering of Cricuteers for those of you scratching your head) that I couldn't sleep and have been up since 3:00 a.m. Instead of shoveling out my craft room to figure out what I'm gonna take I've been messing with my new MS border punches, particularly those with the matching corners. Am I the only one so mechanically challenged that I can't for the life of me make a complete square or rectangle. Seriously, I can't do it. I KNOW you're supposed to cut your paper in 1 3/4 inch increments and all that baloney but I CAN'T DO IT. I think I used up an entire piece of 12x12 black cardstock messing with the spider web. My whole table (and floor) is littered with tiny shreds and I didn't get ONE USABLE PIECE! So I moved on to the maple leaf and had a bit better luck. Still didn't get a complete piece but I trimmed the unusable part, found a scrap and made this quick card. I hope I do a little better at the Swarm. It took me 15 minutes before I had to go get the instructions for my corner chomper too. Couldn't figure out where to put the paper in. LOL I hope that was due to the early hour and not any indication of how productive I'm gonna be today. I promise lots of good stuff next week though. See you then and thanks for stopping by.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Sorry No Card but A Request

So sorry guys, no new card to post but I haven't been slacking. All week I've been working on Design Team projects that can't be revealed until next week. I wanted everything to be done because I'm attending a SWARM tomorrow and didn't want to have things hanging over my head. My dear friend Leah is hosting this get together and I'll have the opportunity to meet lots of new friends, including SandyE who I feel I already know. I'm really excited for tomorrow.

Now for the request. Many of you know I'm a Design Team member for Custom Crops where I design projects and offer .cut files for the Cricut. I'm having a ball doing this, but I'd love to have some feedback as to what those of you who find inspiration from my designs would like to see. Do you like my more complicated designs where you can stretch yourself a bit when putting them together or would you prefer something easy and quick? Are there particular cuts or cartridges you'd like to see? Would you like birthday, wedding, holiday or whatever? My mind is reeling with ideas but I want to make sure I'm offering what you would like to download and enjoy. I appreciate any feedback you can give me and will try hard to accomodate any requests. I've done an elegant adult Halloween card and some new designs using From My Kitchen so stay tuned. Thanks so much for responding. xxD

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Doodlecharms Treat Bags .Cut file available


I guess I've been on a bit of a Halloween kick and had been asked to do a few simpler projects using fewer carts for Custom Crops so I made these treat bags using Doodlesharms and the round bag from Plantin Schoolbook. Technically Design Studio isn't a must for these but I did tweak the sizes of the Doodlecharms cuts to fit a bit better on the bags (and make sure they'd fit). These babies are a pretty good size to fill with a bunches of treats and the spider (my FAVE) stands pretty tall. Because of that he was cut with multiple layers and his legs are reinforced with wire. There are more pix on the Custom Crops site and you can view the article and download the .cut file HERE. Thanks for dropping by! xxD

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Peek a Boo!- .Cut File Available



Here's a cute little card I did for Custom Crops. Thought it would be fun for a young child or anyone you didn't want to scare too badly. LOL It's sort of the same idea as a flower pot card. I used Cricut Design Studio and Paper Doll Dress Up and had a ball putting it together. Of course the .cut file and complete instructions are available HERE. I hope you're inspired to make one of your own and would love it if you let me (and THEM) know what you think. Thanks so much! xxD

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

The Cuttlebug Spot Confetti Challenge





This week was a really different challenge at The Cuttlebug Spot. We were to make "confetti" to fill a container. Bet all of you who checked out The Cuttlebug Spot thought my contribution was a card. Guess the pic really didn't show it was a container but it is. I used the round handbag from PS and welded a hat from the new Every Day Paper dolls to it, then made the layers and embossed the face with Mesh Texture to sort of look like burlap and the hat with Tiny Mosaic to look like woven straw.


I had one heck of a time with the confetti though. For some reason I just couldn't fold the strips by hand so I used my crimper after I'd embossed with Forest Branches and inked it a bit. Unfortunately that flattened out most of the Cuttlbug embossing but it was the best I could do. I hand stitched the mouth and eyelashes and added a few embellies and breathed a sigh of relief when it was done. My DT sisters seemed to have a much easier time with this than I did. Check out their fabulous projects HERE and come play along, there's a prize to be had.

Monday, September 14, 2009

BBTB Locker Talk Desk Challenge


This week at BBTB we were to use the desk from Locker Talk. Boy did this bring back memories. What do kids desks look like these days? As usual I made a shaped card using Cricut Design Studio and also welded the apple from Locker Talk to the base design. I thought it would be fun to make it a bit oversized and added it bit of texture with my Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder.
The sentiment is a resized downloadable stamp from The Cutting Cafe. Better yet, it's a .99 special. (Check it out HERE.) I thought it was perfect for the card and so easy to just make it just the size I needed. Regina has full instructions for doing this on the Cafe site HERE. Then I cut it and the scallop with my Nesties. BTW, if you haven't been to The Cutting Cafe recently YOU MUST GO! Regina has been sooo busy and there are a bazillion fun new sets available. In fact, she just finished a new kitchen set that is PERFECT for the new From My Kitchen Cricut cartridge and she has a special running where you get templates for two adorable apron cards FOR FREE when you purchase the In My Kitchen sentiments.
I cut the desk on the regular feature several times and snipped certain parts to give it dimension and did my usual popping with foam. In hindsite I wish I had also embossed the desk but I'd already stuck it all together and although I tried to take it apart it was not in the cards. Had to settle with the little bit of chalking and doodling I'd done. (Why is hindsite always 20/20?) Oh well, kinda plain, but let's just say it was from a simpler time. Love the little ribbon though. Be sure to check out BBTB to see how my fabulously creative Design Team sisters interpreted this challenge and please do come and play along. We'd love to see what you come up with.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Butterfly Flight for Paper Blooms


I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself! I wanted to fit in a quick challenge and of course my head went back to my K&Co. cream and black paper AGAIN! (Yes SandyE, I found you some.) I had these HUGE crystal swirls by Prima and had no idea what I was going to do with them (not being a scrapper and all) and then saw a lone butterfly shadow cut from Indy Art on my table and voila! Unfortunately the element I needed to make it be a part of the challenge was not in scale but I finished the card anyway so I'd have something to post.
The center cream section is embossed with the new Cuttlebug Victoria folder and I used the MS double scallop border punch along the edges. No time to finish the inside, I've got a wedding card inside to finish and then must start on my DT challenge cards. (I'm the worst procrastinator but you gotta go where the mojo flows!)
Well I have to laugh because this card WAS for the Paper Blooms "Bling" challenge but I thought although you needn't necessarily use a Paper Bloom, you did need SOME kind of bloom. Thank goodness Rose set me straight. I had PLANNED on using a Paper Bloom and would have had the size been right. I SOOOO LOVE them!

Friday, September 11, 2009

Special Offer at The Cutting Cafe

Happy Friday everyone! Sorry I'm still recovering from my Anniversary last weekend and with the short week I feel like I'm way behind on everything. No new card to post, but I wanted to let you know that there's a special going on at The Cutting Cafe. Everybody loves cupcakes, right? Well now through midnight PDT Sat. purchase the fabulous "All About Cupcakes" set from The Cutting Cafe and you may choose any other set absolutely FREE! Click HERE for details.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Under the Sea with Cottage Cutz and the WINNER!


Here's a fun little shaker card with an undersea theme using my Cottage Cutz Sadie Seahorse and Coral Garden dies exclusive to the Scrapping Cottage. I made a shaker using the packaging from Terrifically Tacky Tape and the largest circle Nestie was the perfect size to cut a mat for it. WooHoo!
It was fun using the dies with various patterned DCWV patterned papers which made them look especially whimsical. I thought I had some sand, but I ended up using Kitty litter (new, of course) mixed with some beads for additional color in the shaker. I curled the ribbon by winding it around a wooden skewer, spritzing it lightly with spray starch and baking it on 200 degrees for 20 minutes. Be sure to lay the skewers across the rim of a baking pan or something so the ribbon doesn't discolor. I added a couple of small shells and some Raindot "bubbles".
The sentiment is a Cuttlebug die from the Everyday Greetings cardmaking combo (I think). the mat is attached with sticky strips. Now don't forget The Scrapping Cottage is offering a $250 gift certificate to their store when they reach 500 followers on their blog so click HERE to enter.
OOps, I almost forgot to announce the WINNER of The Cutting Cafe Anniversary downloadable stamp set. Chosen by Random DH the winner is #31 Stephann! Congrats Stephann and thank you all for participating. Be sure to check out The Cutting Cafe for all of Regina's brand NEW designs. Tons of goodies! Hugs, D

It's for the Birds!


I'm BAACK! Our little trip was PERFECT! Dinner, our room, the weather, my DH, I couldn't have asked for a better anniversary. I could have kicked myself for forgetting my camera though. The view of the Golden Gate Bridge from our balcony was SPECTACULAR! (See why I never scrap. I never remember the camera.) On Monday we took in the Sausalito Art Festival which is an unbelievably amazing assemblage of talent. And to commemorate 40 years since Woodstock there was quite the lineup from the good old days. Country Joe, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Big Brother and the Holding Company (obviously minus Janis but her stand in was phenomenal), Canned Heat, and Jefferson Starship (formerly Airplane for you youngsters LOL. Unfortunately Grace Slick doesn't sing with them anymore and why not since she lives in SF, but again the stand in sounded great). All in all a FABULOUS time!
And speaking of FABULOUS, the week at The Cuttlebug Spot my Design Team Sister and great friend Margie is sponsoring the challenge by giving away a Home Decor Cricut cartridge! That's right, you could WIN just by joining in with a NEW card featuring a bird. This is one of the few challenges that doesn't require any embossing, (but we'd love it if you did) so get busy and find a fine feathered friend to add to your project.

By now you're probably sick of this black and cream K&Co paper but my fascination with it doesn't seem to be waning (and I bought another pad just last week at M's). It's double sided so the possibilities are virtually ENDLESS. Anyway, I embossed a cream mat with Leafy Branches and cut out a window and frame using Labels Nine Nesties. I then embossed another piece in cream and carefully cut out some of the branches to pop on top. The adorable bird is from Home Decor. All was popped using foam dimensionals and the photo corner accents are an EK Success punch.

For once I actually finished the inside because I'm finding if I don't, they never get sent. Either I'm out of coordinating paper or some such problem. My DT sister Jeannie was the inspiration for this inside because she ALWAYS finishes her insides as beautifully as the fronts so although there is no sentiment it's pretty much ready to go. Be sure to stop by The Cuttlebug Spot for inspiration from my talented DT sisters and you don't want to miss the opportunity to win this fabulous cart so be sure to play along.

Monday, September 7, 2009

BBTB Pooh Present


Happy Labor Day everyone! I'm still in Sausalito celebrating my Anniversary but I'm thinking of you (well, maybe not this minute. LOL). Thank heaven for scheduled posts. This week at Bitten by the Bug Regina chose the present cut from the Pooh and Friends cartridge. It's been a busy week for me so I couldn't get all that creative with this but I did manage to make a shaped card with a bit of dimension.
This cut doesn't have a shadow so I made one myself using Design Studio. I decided it was a Christmas present so I used Basic Grey Toyland from the Figgy Pudding collection. I cut several layers and did some popping, embellished with adhesive beads (big surprise) and added some K&Co dimensional stickers. So now why not bop over to BBTB to see the amazing creations by my DT sisters and why not try a hand at this cut yourself. I'd love to see what YOU come up with.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

I Still Get Butterflies-Thank You Cutting Cafe! (and a chance to WIN!)


Today is our 34th Anniversary (I of course was married at age 5)! I don't know about you guys, but often I spend days on a challenge card only to completely neglect my poor DH on special occasions and I RUN to Long's to pick up a card at the last minute because I just couldn't seem to get it together enough to make one myself. I vowed that today would be different (but I had a back-up just in case). Thank heaven Regina came up with this downloadable printable Anniversary set from The Cutting Cafe! As you can see I'm still in love with that black and cream K&Co. paper and when I saw the perfect sentiment "I Still Get Butterflies!" ('cause I really do!) I knew EXACTLY what to make.
I used my Nesties scalloped hearts to cut my top mat and popped it on the black. I printed my sentiment on cream and used a smaller heart and popped that as well. The butterflies are a mixture of MS punches and my CB butterfly cut and emboss duo. Then just a few adhesive beads and a heart charm and the front was DONE!
Now I debated about revealing the inside for obvious reasons but I decided that although David asked if I was gonna post it I think he actually was kinda hoping I would. LOL Consider it a public service to those think the sparks die for old geezers like us ('cause they certainly don't have to). The inside sentiment was personally generated and cut with my petite scallop Nesties and the little bustier is a Cuttlebug die. (Ooh la la!) AND if you'd like to WIN this Anniversary set from The Cutting Cafe please leave me a comment on this post. There are some other lovely sentiments and a large circle word included in this set as well so pop over HERE and check it out. I will announce the winner Wednesday morning. A list of projects from my Design Team sisters will be posted on Monday with additional chances to win a variety of downloads so be sure and stop back to The Cutting Cafe to see all of the possiblities for FREE sets. Now I must go pack for a romantic dinner and overnight stay in Sausalito at Cavello Point. WooHoo! Hope your weekend is as great as mine!

Saturday, September 5, 2009

A Berry Sweet Couple-.cut file available and BBTB Blog Hop Candy Winner


I was inspired by some chocolate covered strawberries to make this wedding card for a "Berry Sweet Couple". I know you've seen those yummy strawberries that were dipped to look like they're in tuxedos. Well this welded shaped card is a couple, and the bride is dipped in swirled white chocolate. This design is exclusive to Custom Crops and the full instructions and .cut file are available HERE.

I also thought they would make fun individual thank you's or note cards so I've included in the .cut file for that option as well as a non-dipped variety as shown above. These were fun and easy to make so I hope you like them and will try some yourself. As always, comments are always appreciated.

Also the winner of my BBTB Blog Hop candy is 4kids4! Congrats Sharon and thank you all for participating. Hope you all have a fun and safe Labor Day Weekend. xxD



Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Genuine Tough Guy Frame



After doing The Cuttlebug Spot Blog Hop back in July where we used a previous technique and I chose embossing something other than paper I so loved that diamond plate folder using metal that I decided to alter a frame in a similar manner. I've been collecting loads of Tim Holtz products and was anxious to use them again and submitted this project for the Design Team at Custom Crops. The grungeboard letters were embossed with the new Herringbone folder which to me looks like tire tread. All of the products (with the exception of the inexpensive base frame and a few screws (yup, I had DH cutting off the threads again) are available at Custom Crops. To view the article with step by step instructions click HERE. The article also reveals the identity of my "Genuine Tough Guy." Thanks for taking a peek and I'd love it if you could leave a comment on the Custom Crops site as well as here.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Celebrate Education



This week at The Cuttlebug Spot we are celebrating education with all sorts of school related projects. I was determined to use The new Journaling Card Cuttlebug folder and thought it would combine perfectly with a printable stamp from The Cutting Cafe School Days set. I actually embossed the "report card" first and then used sort af a masking technique and ran the card through my printer several times to get the parts of the stamp where I wanted them. Cool, huh? Just like a physical stamp but way more easy to store. LOL I made the folder with some Coredinations card stock and the Numbers Cuttlebug folder and after sanding decided I needed a bit more color so I used my copics on some of the numbers. It does bleed through a bit, but in this case it really didn't matter. I also used my EK Success border punch for the first time. I'm really trying hard to actually USE some of the stuff I have such a great time collecting. LOL

Then I just tied a little bow and added a cute apple button (although I couldn't find the School buttons I wanted to use and I swear I'd just come across them days before and thought I put them where I could find them easily for this project...NOT! They're probably still on my table somewhere. anyway, my DT sisters ROCKED this challenge so be sure to go and take a look HERE and if you play along you may be the lucky winner of a $20 gift certificate from Custom Crops. Also be sure to check out all of the new stuff at The Cutting Cafe. Regina has been so busy creating away and there's sooo much new to see.