Made By My Husband!

Did you read the title of this post? Yes, you read correctly! My husband is the most amazing man ever and he created this card for me for our 2 year wedding anniversary in May. After long days at work, we try to spend as much time as we can together. Which means he's chilling with me in the craft room and either helping me out, giving me feedback, or just reading magazines and books or on the laptop. But either way, we are together! He's learned quite a bit being in the craft room with me, he observes what I do and tries things out.  

Here's a list of supplies he used (from what I can figure out...because he didn't really pay attention to what he used!):

Cricut Everyday Pop Up Cards cartridge

Cricut Walk In My Garden cartridge

Sizzix 3-D Flower Die

Embossing Powder

My Pink Stamper "Happiest Moments" stamp set

My Pink Stamper "Love-alicious" stamp set

As you can see from the picture above, embossed the sentiment, distressed the card and vase using Tim Holtz distress ink and he even thought to emboss the vase! Brilliant!

He busted out my Sizzix Big Shot and used my 3-D flower die.

He chalked the heart then embossed the sentiment. He loves a challenge and really wanted to use my new Cricut Everyday Pop Up Cards cartridge. I love this heart with the keyhole...supercute!

Here's the back of the pop-up heart.

My husband rocks...words can't really describe what an amazing man he is. I'm one lucky, happy girl, though!

Come back soon, you'll see the card I made him!

Episode #7 Canada and/or Independence Day Candy Rocket Favours

For a super fun tutorial on how to make these super cute Canada Day (or Independence Day) rocket favours, click below to watch my tutorial on YouTube!

Supplies:
Cricut Imagine Buccaneer cartridge
Cricut Destinations cartridge
Martha Stewart Baker Twine
White Tissue Paper
Red cardstock
American Craft Textured White cardstock

Mr. & Mrs. Wedding Card

I love this cut that comes from the Cricut Sweethearts cartridge. Keeping the card black and white makes it simple, yet elegant. To bling it up, I used tulle and added a beautiful pearl brad and glittered the "Mr. & Mrs."

I love the way the tulle looks on this card.

I used my 5" Xyron to glitter the cut.

Hope you enjoyed and thank you for looking!

Laundry Washing Instructions Tag

Since my handmade t-shirt has sensitive materials, it was important that I attach a tag with the washing instructions so that it wouldn't get destroyed when being washed.  So I created this super adorable tag to attach to the t-shirt.

The tag is from Cricut Sentimentals and the image is from Cricut Country Life.

This was my first time using a Viva Decor Pearl Pen. It's super easy and I love the effect that it has.

Supplies:
Dark and Light Brown cardstock, Pink, Dark and Light Blue cardstock
Cricut Country Life cartridge
Cricut Sentimentals cartridge
Viva Decor Pearl Pen in Ice White
Stampin Up! Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon
White Gelly Roll Pen

I love my Stampin Up! Grosgrain striped ribbon!

Here is a shot of all the gifts together. I couldn't resist adding a magical wand from the Making Memories Bravissimo line!

Episode #6 Cutting Fabric With Your Cricut ~ Ballet Recital Handmade Gift - Ballet T-Shirt

For the grand finale of ballet-themed handmade gifts, I made my very first t-shirt and I did it with my Cricut. I even got gutsy and layered the image! With the right settings and tools, it can be a very easy project.

I love this shirt and had so much fun making it that I went and purchased more fabric and more Tulip sparkle sheets!

Here's a list of what you will need:

Cricut Circle Shall We Dance cartridge
Heat n' Bond Ultra Hold
Plain White cotton t-shirt
Pink Cotton (I used Polyester)
Tulip Sparkle Sheets
Imaginisce I-Rock and gems
Iron and Ironing Board
Tim Holtz Tonic Scissors

For the tutorial, settings and complete details, be sure to watch my video:

It's so amazing that my cricut actually cut through these materials. And look at how cute this shirt is up close! Adding the Imaginisce bling to the shirt was the icing on the cake! The perfect finishing touch!

If any of you have any questions, feel free to comment and ask away!

CHeck back shortly for my final post in this ballerina series.

Happy Announcement + Giveaway!

I am honoured to say that I am on the design team for A Jillian Vance Design!  Jillian is one talented individual and has her own line of sentiments, background and image stamps. I just love the fonts, sayings, quotes, themes and images on her stamps. I especially love the fact that a lot of her sets are Christian based.

In honour of Jillian's new design team, she is doing a giveaway.  When her Facebook page hits 300 "likes", she will be giving away her stamp set "Birthday Blessings"!!!  She's only 67 likes away! So show me and her some support by clicking here and "liking" her page. Be sure to let her know that I sent you!

And if you want to check out Jillian's stamp sets, you can click here.  If you want to check out her blog, you can do so by clicking here and follow her blog to show some love!

I can't wait to show you all my creations with Jillian's stamps! Stay tuned!

Ballet Recital Handmade Gift #3 Jewellery Box

Next up for my homemade gifts is this super cute handmade jewellery box. I purchased hair clips and bracelet accessories as part of my niece’s “Congratulations on Your First Recital” gift set, but really wanted to make a cute presentation for the set.  This box can be used over and over again to store the jewellery since there is a flap that opens and closes. No need to tear the box open. In the front of the box, I used recycled plastic to place over the open window so that nothing would fall out of the box. And I secured the bracelet and hair clips by adding a piece of tape to the inside back of the box, that way it doesn’t move around and stays exactly where I placed it. Looks much neater this way!

The gift box is from Cricut Wild Cards cartridge and it's a frequently used cut in my craft room! I love this box. Make sure you have a Scor Board handy because this box has loads of scor marks.

*My favourite plastic to re-use for these kinds of projects are the Cricut cartridge plastic containers. I open them with a scissors along the seam and store them in my stash*

I went with the same cardstock I used for the cards I made my niece so that all the colours would tie in together. 

When assembling this gift box and when using plastic, I recommend using Terrifically Tacky Tape by Provo Craft. The bond is amazing!  A strong hold is needed and this stuff does the job perfectly.

Supplies:
Cricut Wild Card cartridge (for the gift box)
Scrappy Mom Stamps - Happily Ever After
Recycled Plastic (my favourite plastic to re-use is the Cricut cartridge plastic!)
Terrifically Tacky Tape
Colorbox Chalk Ink
Martha Stewart Scor Board

Father's Day Wallet Card

It's Father's Day! Happy Father's Day to all the daddies, grandfathers, etc., out there!  This year I decided to make one of these cute wallet-look alikes, but it's an actual card!  There are tons of tutorials on how to make these on YouTube, so if you are curious, just do a search and you'll find them.  the cook thing about these is that not only are they good for Father's Day, but they would make great birthday cards!

Supplies:
Brown, Kraft and Black cardstock
Paper Trimmer
Scor Board
Studio G Stamps
Tsukinek Momento Ink
ColorBox Chalk Ink
Sewing Machine
Sizzix - Tim Holtz Texture Fades
Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Walnut
My Creative Time - Your My  Best Buddy stamp set
YourStory Laminating Machine

To get the "letterpress" look, run an ink pad across your embossing folder...what a great, realistic effect it has.

Inside the card, I printed out some wedding photos and ran them through my YourStory machine to laminate them, that way they will never get destroyed. What is a wallet without pictures, right?

With all those extra wallet slots, you can insert some lottery tickets, gift cards and even money!

I made a quick notecard to write a personal message.

Ballet Recital Handmade GIft #2 Princess Headband

Next up in my handmade gift set is a matching headband!  All the materials used are the same as with the flip flops except this time I'm using it on a basic sparkled pink headband!

I used my Imaginisce I-Bond to adhere the gem to the bow, and the bow to the headband.

I love the gem and bow, but especially those soft pearls!

Ballet Recital Handmade Gift #1 - Princess Flip Flops!

The first of many handmade gifts I made my niece was princess flip flops for the summer! When I went to Michael's, there was a huge bin of these sandals for a really good price so I picked up a pair, knowing that I had all the supplies at home to make matching accessories.

Here are the supplies I used:

Creatology Flip Flops

Imaginisce I-Bond

Pink Satin Wired Ribbon

Pink Gems

Pearls

The sandals before the magical princess transformation:

My handmade bows using pink satin wired ribbon, pearls and a heart gem.

These were fun and fast to create, best of all they are pink!

Ballet Recital Card #2

This is the card I made for my mom to give to my neice to celebrate her first year in ballet classes and her very first recital.  I used the Cricut Circle Shall We Dance cartridge and lots and lots of Imaginisce bling!

Recipe:

Cricut Shall We Dance cartridge

Recollections Shimmer cardstock

Pink and Yellow satin ribbon

Scrappy Mom Stamps - Happily Ever After

Martha Stewart Glitter

DCWV Pattern Paper

Imaginisce I-Rock coloured gems and heart gems (love these!)

Colorbox Chalk Ink

Recollections Foam Squares

Simple inside card detail. Used a scrap piece of the matching cardstock and placed it on the inside.

Stampin Daisies Sentiment Challenge!

Stampin Daisies is hosting a sentiment challenge!

All you have to do is:

-Comment on the Stampin Daisies blog stating your favorite sentiments
- Bring your friends on over and tell them to comment as well

Not to hard right?
As soon as Stampin Daisies gets 100 sentiments, she will announce a winner from random.org.  Head to www.stampindaisies.com

Prize?
You win an upcoming stamp set!

First Ballet Recital Card

Hi Everyone! I've got so much to show you all! I've been working away in my craft room like a busy little elf in Santa's Toy Shop! hehe! My niece had her very first ballet recital and we were honoured when my brother got us 2 tickets to come watch her! So I set out to make her lots of homemade ballet/princess goodies and I'm going to share them all with you over the next week. One of these items is my very first T-Shirt made with my Cricut machine. Yes! I actually ventured out and cut fabric with my Cricut, I had the best time ever doing it and I made you guys a video to share it all with you!

First I'm going to share the card I made my niece.  I've used my Cricut Lite Twinkle Toes cartridge before so this time I really wanted to get use out of my Cricut Circle Shall We Dance cartridge.  This was also my first time using Peachy Keen stamps!

If you are wondering "hey! how did she get that bow so poofy?" I used wired ribbon (which you can find at all craft stores) and I just manipulate the ribbon and the wires bend any way you want them to!

I love paying attention to the inside of my cards, here's a view of what the inside looks like:

Recipe:
Cricut Circle Shall We Dance cartridge
SEI Paper
Pink Satin Wired Ribbon
Kaisercraft bling
Peachy Keen Stamps Princess Face Assortment
Scrappy Mom Stamps - Happily Ever After
White Gelly Roll Pen (for faux stitching)
Sewing Machine
Martha Stewart Glitter in Kunzite

Episode #5: Imaginisce I-Rock {Tips}

Do you {heart} your I-Rock as much as I do? It's one of my most frequently used crafty tools.  I've tried looking up videos, tutorials and any kind of info on the internet and the information that I was looking for did not yield the results I was looking for.  So I just did my own experimenting and research and want to share it all with you. When I couldn't find any info on it, I figure this has to be helpful to some people!

You are not limited to using i-Rock crystals by Imaginisce with your I-Rock tool .  Here are some of your options with pro's and con's:

Tulip:  Tulip is a brand that is used mostly for fabrics such as t-shirts, bags., etc.  But this brand puts glue on the back of their crystals too. And that means it can be used with paper! I found Tulip gems at Michaels and Wal-mart.

Pro:  A wide variety of colours that Imaginisce does not have.

Con: The case only comes with 300 crystals whereas Imaginisce comes with 800 crystals and they both cost the same price.  I managed to pick up a couple of packages of purple gems only for $3.00 on sale at Wal-mart.  I've only seen one size of gems whereas Imaginisce and Jolee's have various sizes.

Jolee's Swarovski Crystals:  Must say "Hot Fix" on the package, otherwise there will be no glue, and without glue, there is no possible way to have affix these jewels with your i-Rock tool.

Pro: These gems shine and sparkle like no other!  Plus there is a wide variety of colours and sizes.

Con: These crystals are expensive. I suggest stocking up on these when they go on sale and using them for your very best projects. I would not use them for everyday cards.

For more info, watch my video below!

School's Out For Summer Blog Hop!

Welcome to the School's Out For Summer Blog Hop!  If you came here from Anita's blog, you are in the right place. If you are just hanging around my blog but want to participate in this blog hop, you can do so by clicking here.

When summer comes around, I most look forward to beautiful sunny weather and participating in  tons of outdoor activities.  That is why I put together this coupon book.  I made this to give as a gift to a little girl or boy who has finally finished their school year! It's full of coupons that allow them to redeem one a week, but the catch is that everytime they redeem a coupon, they have to journal about the experience.  That way at the end of their summer, the kids have a memory book to look back on and can share with their friends at the start of the new school year.

A little coupon disclaimer on the inside cover!

I got the handy little coupon image from the Cricut Mother's Day seasonal cartridge. This image is adorable! It even has a perforated edge to tear away the coupon!

Recipe:
Cricut Seasonal Mother's Day cartridge (for the coupons)
Cricut Imagine Enjoy the Seasons cartridge
Cricut Imagine Kate's Kitchen cartridge
Cricut Imagine Imagine More Cards cartridge (for the notebook lined paper)
YourStory Photo book binding machine
YourStory 4x6 cover
My Creative Time stamps
I-Rock
Foam Squares
Color Box Chalk Ink
Brown Satin Ribbon
Font used on computer: Batik Regular
Divine Twine, various colours
Pink Paislee Soiree and Daily Junque Twine

Your next stop is my talented friend Jenny!

Here's the full lineup to help you navigate your way through!

Jessica- http://thecreativestamperspot.blogspot.com/
Nancy-http://blog.fancywithnancy.com/
Wendy- http://wleitel.blogspot.com/
Anita-http://www.anitaandbugs.blogspot.com/
Nadia http://www.nadiasbeautifulmess.blogspot.com/  ---> YOU ARE HERE!
Jenny http://www.papercutcreations.blogspot.com/       ---> YOUR NEXT STOP!
Sarah http://www.simplyshaddock.blogspot.com/
DoBea http://www.dobeaalberts.blogspot.com/
Kristin http://scrappingmamahen.blogspot.com/
Jen R http://www.memorieswithjen.blogspot.com/
Julie Ranae http://juliesopenwindow.blogspot.com/
Brynn- http://www.flairandfrillscreativity.blogspot.com/
Jess- http://scrappyjess.blogspot.com/
Linn - http://linnsscrapshack.blogspot.com/