Imaginisce Apple Cider cards

I am a fan of Imaginisce and when I got some of the Apple Cider collection I was so excited! I have been wanting to play with the goodies for sometime but was just recently able to get use them. The line has some great accented paper, chipboard shapes, rubons, ribbon, stickers and stamps!

Supplies Used:
Imaginisce Apple Cider Collection
Making Memories cardstock
EK Success punches, circle, scallop circle, leaves
3/8" Grosgrain ribbon
Janome Sew-Mini
Hot fix studs

I used the same layout but different elements to make 3 different cards.

I think this one is my favorite. I like the leaves punched and placed below the ribbon. The brown leaves are actually punched from the packaging that the chipboard shapes came in. I thought it just looked too good to waste! The chipboard sentiment has a bit of a glossy look to it so it didn't' need any extra embellishing. I did pop dot it on the card though.






Some of the collection includes some really cool clear stickers. I put it on some green paper so it would show up better and then pop dotted to give a bit of a corner decoration to the sentiment chipboard shape.








On this one I applied a rub-on to some beige cardstock and then punched it out. I then punched two different size scallop circles to mat the image on. The larger scallop circle is punched out of the packaging like the two of the leaves were. Remember I always say...waste not want not!

I am wanting to use some of this line to make a few layouts. The colors are just so wonderful and the embellishments they have available are top notch and will make doing a layout a breeze. Heck I won't even have to use *okie leans in and whispers softly*...my Cricut!

I want to say THANK YOU!! I am going on a cruise!

I just wanted to post THANK YOU to all of those who signed up for the Cricut Circle through my referral. As most of you probably know by now I was one of the top two members in the referral program and I won a ticket for THE CRICUT CRUISE!!!

I just can't even begin to say how excited I am and how appreciative I am to all of those who signed up. I honestly had no idea that I would win! I thought I might get some extra rewards points out of the deal and if I was real lucky I might get a years free membership. BUT WOW WOW WOW!! I only wish I could take everyone with me! I have never been on a cruise before so I am as nervous as I am excited!

I do apologize for the late delay in this thank you post but I left Friday afternoon before the email went out in the Circle Round up for a quick weekend trip to Harvard Illinois and I am just now settling back in at home after spending a total of about 28 hours in a car this weekend.

So once again THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!

Cuttlebug Butterfly

I forget about having this Cuttlebug butterfly set and I am not sure why since I really like it. I was looking for something to make and I came across it in my Cuttlebug drawer and then went to looking in one of my CARDS magazines for some inspiration.

I found this layout and decided it would work with the butterfly. In the picture in the magazine it had a large bird about where I placed the butterfly. I think it was the tag that got me interested in using this layout. I like tags on cards but I never know how to incorporate them and make them look good.



Supplies Used:
Cuttlebug Butterfly Embossing set, Polka Dot
Cardstock -Little Yellow Bicycle, Stampin Up
Karen Foster Floss
Prima flowers
Studio G rhinestones
Martha Stewart double arch border punch
Spareparts brads
Plastic Clamshell from Cricut Cartridge
Button
Stampin Up! sentiment



I cut the butterfly and embossed it from some word print cardstock and then did the same with the plastic clamshell from a Cricut Cartridge. I did have to add a chipboard shim to get it to cut through the plastic. I inked the edges and used Walnut stain on the print. Three brads were used to keep the butterflies together.

I followed the layout pretty much how it was in the magazine with just a few variations on the embellishments. This was a pretty simple card to make and went together pretty fast. I think it could be used for a variety of occasions. I made the tag by simply cutting the corners at a 45 degree angle. I did add an eyelet at the top that you can't see so I wouldn't tear the paper when tying the button on.

If you guys have a Cuttlebug and don't have this set it might be one you consider getting. I really do love it!

Weekend Road Trip!

I will be taking a bit of a weekend road trip Friday - Sunday and I am not sure I will have anything new to post while I am gone. Since I will be on the highway I likely won't be able to approve comments if I do but I will approve them as soon as I get back.

My cousin called me earlier this week and asked if I wanted to ride up to Illinois with her. We are going up to get her son and his girlfriend. We will be making a mad dash from Oklahoma to up around Chicago and then back home again. Good thing my cousin and I get along well! LOL

Sometimes things are worth repeating...Tri-Shutter card

A little over a year ago I decided I wanted to make a Tri-Shutter card since I thought they were just so beautiful. But you guys know I am lazy and I don't want to make a bunch of cuts since I have a Cricut so I made cut files for the card. I made one with George and one with Plantin Schoolbook.

Recently a wonderful woman named Cathy emailed me about using the tri-shutter .cut file and included the picture of the Tri-Shutter card she made using my cut file.

This is part of Cathy's email to me:
"Thanks again for the file. I really do use it all the time. It is my favorite go to for a special occasion. Just thought you might like to see one of the finished products of your files."

I just love the Sesame Street characters she made to go on the card and I am sure it will be a card that will be treasured for years to come!

It's always so glad to know people use the files I have made. Thank you so much Cathy for sharing your wonderful creation and allowing me to post it!

If you guys haven't seen the Tri-Shutter card .cut file or instructions you can see it ---> HERE! If you have been wanting to make one and have thought it was too much work believe me with the cut file it is so simple to make and the instructions do have pictures and are very easy to follow.

A Woman is like a tea bag....

You guys may get tired of seeing cards with this Stampin Up set because I really like it! Besides I want to make sure to get my money's worth. But I have to tell ya the new clear stamps are a few bucks cheaper and so much easier to store!

Supplies used:
Cricut - George and Straight From The Nest cartridges
DCWV At Home glitter and cardstock stacks
Stampin Up! - Morning Cup and Favorite Thoughts stamp sets, inks, blender pen, Ticket Punch
Martha Stewart pearl strips
K & Co pearl brad
Prima flowers
Grosgrain Ribbon



I used the adjustable scallop oval .cut file that I designed sometime ago for the scallop oval. I actually have a circle, rectangle, square and heart .cut files that are scalloped and adjustable if you would like to download those. They are all made with George and can be copy and pasted if you want to cut more than one at a time.

I adjusted a plain oval to be 1/4" bigger than the punched image and then layered the ovals. I did ink the edges of all the layers.

I cut the rectangle mats at 2.25 x 3" and then 2.5 x 3.25" and used the Ticket Punch on the corners.

Oh yes and then the rectangles are pop dotted. Yeah yeah I know BIG SURPRISE! *okie rolls her eyes at her smart aleck readers* I guess I a pretty predictable sometimes.



Straight From The Nest was used for the border along the bottom. For the larger border I used two images and nudged and welded them together so the borders would have a layered effect. I tought about adding some small pearls to the points on the border but then I forgot *okie shrugs and wonders if she is suppose to remember everything*.

I layered two of the Primas and then added the pearl brad to the center and then added the pearl strip on top of the ribbon.




I used a Versamark pad to stamp teabags around the sentiment. I wanted to add a little embellishment without taking away from the sentiment and I think this method just helped enhance the sentiment and card theme. You might need to click the picture to see the teabags in the background.

I think this card could be used for a birthday, thinking of you or a congrats card. I guess that is why I like this sentiment so well, it is just pretty dog gone versatile!

Winner? What winner?

Winner of what? Diva's? *okie knits eyebrows together like she is thinking hard* OH THAT IS RIGHT!! The contest ended last night at midnight and I said I would announcer the winner!

Well according to Random.org the winning comment for the Diva Va Voom re-giveaway was #131!!

Which was....

Scrappydoo2 said...

You are so generous with your beautiful cards. I love seeing all of them. Maybe I will be the lucky one to win them!!!! One can hope.

Debbie

(email removed from this post by okie)
September 19, 2010 10:30 PM

Congrats Debbie! I will be contacting you soon for mailing information!

My "Tea"rific Friend!

When I saw the Morning Cup stamp set in the Stampin Up catalog I knew I would be getting it! I did indeed get it at the last SU party I went to but just now got time to use it *okie isn't sure where her time goes but thinks her time has a habit of running away*. There are several really cute stamps in the set but for this card I am going with the tea kettle and the tea bag. There is a sentiment stamp in the set that does say "tea"rific and that is where I got the idea for the inside sentiment.

I did have a hard time thinking of how to make a cute layout for the card and then I gave up and just used this one.

There is actually a lot of work in this card even though it may not look like it. I am not even sure where to start. Okay let us start here...

Supplies used:
DCWV At Home glitter and cardstock stack
Stampin Up - stamps, inks, markers, punches (Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" Circle, Modern Label, Word Window)
EK Success punches - 2 3/8" scallop circle, 1", 1.25", 1.5", 1.75" circles
Janome Sew-Mini
Grosgrain Ribbon
Walnut Ink
Spareparts brads
Cat Eye chalk ink
Cuttlebug and Textile folder


I ran the purple cardstock through the Cuttlebug and then left it on the folder to sand. This method keeps the embossed image from getting smashed while sanding. I then used the walnut ink to go over the paper to give it an aged look. I worked quickly and soon as I had it all covered I used a paper towel to dab off the excess. I think it added a nice background and didn't look as stark as just the white core would have.

Notice the thin circle around the tea bag image. I did that by first punching with a 1.25" punch and then using a 1 3/8" punch and lining up the hole left from the 1.25" punch.

I used the Word Window punch for the happy birthday sentiment and then put it on top of some cardstock I had punched with the Modern Label punch. I added some brads for a little extra embellishment. I used mounting foam to then attach to the card.

The inside sentiment was completed using the Hallmark Studio program. I used the walnut ink around the edges to give it a tea stain look *okie sighs and once again thinks she is such a genius*. I was on the phone with my friend Linda, aka LGuild, when I printed the inside of the card and guess what...I PRINTED IT THE WRONG WAY! So I had to print again *okie thinks there were her genius status down the drain...once again*.

I added a picture of the ink because I figured you guys would be hassling me and asking me what it was and what it looked like. So now you know...and don't be hasslin me! *okie tries to give a mean serious look but cracks up laughin instead*. I bought this bottle a few years ago and a little goes a long long way. I think it was $4.99 when I got it.

Dang that was a lot of directions or something because this post seems awful long! *okie yawns and thinks she will go to bed and is thankful for post options of being able to schedule posts*

PPsstt.......wanna share a giveway with you....

Ya'll don't tell anyone but I found a really great giveaway on the Cricut MB tonight! You guys know how I love my ATG gun and how I rave about it all the time and how much money it saves me, right? Well guess what! *okie cups hand behind her ear to hear what people are guessing* Okay did everyone get their guess in?

Well no...I am not giving way my ATG *okie thinks sometimes her readers are totally nuts for what they think*! I mean that would just be silly of me! BUT...Tracy at JEDISCRAPBOOKING is giving away a brand new Pink ATG gun with two rolls of tape! But if you want to win you better hurry because the giveaway closes tomorrow! Or that might be today depending on your time zone. Just scroll down past the disgusting wonderful fall layout *okie so hates talented people* and cute card Tracy made for her mom and you will find the giveaway post.

GOOD LUCK!!

Taking the day off...

I am taking the day off from posting projects today. Spending some time with my daughter and getting some things done around the house. I hope to have something up tomorrow!!

Janome Sew-Mini On Sale!

I promised that I would let you guys know when this wonderful little machine went on sale again! And guess what! It is on sale right now at Hancock's for $39.99!! Just click below to go to the webpage!

JANOME SEW-MINI


Jude was nice enough to share that the code: HKFEMAILSIGNUP will save you shipping! THANKS JUDE!

Super Simple Birthday Card!

I saw this card layout in my CARDS magazine and thought it would be easy to make. Man was it ever! The best thing is that it can use up your scraps of paper since there is really nothing to the card!

You could crank out a lot of these cards quickly and I think you could even use them for guys if you changed the colors *okie has such a hard time with manly cards*. I will probably make some more of these since I am not caring for the colors to well but I just wanted to try it out and grabbed scraps and in person the colors do match a bit better than they are showing in the photo.

I cut 2 squares at 1.5 x 1.5 inches and then one rectangle by 1.5 x 3 inches for the gifts. I used a hole punch to punch two holes at the top and tie the ribbon through each one. I choose to use a variety of ribbon but you can do what ever. The paper strip at the bottom is cut at 5.5x.75 inches.

The sentiment inside was computer generated and I tried to match the font as closely as I could to the stamp on the front. I found the sentiment in a search on the internet and I thought it went well with the front of the card.

I did have some difficulty with the ribbon since it was not double sided and I wanted the printed side facing up but I was able to get it done with a little finagling *okie is shocked that finagling is a word and knows it has to be a word because it showed up in her spell checker*. The metal accents at the bottom are some that were picked up at Hobby Lobby, I believe ScrapperDelighted sent them to me. I was thrilled when I realized they were heat set! I used my IRock to attach them to the strip.

I don't like plain backgrounds. I just can't seem to like a bunch of empty space so I used a Versamark ink pad and a Rhonna Farrer flourish stamp on the card base. The "Celebrate" is from an Inkadinko cupcake set and I used Stampin Up Whisper White craft ink for that.

Okay so I finally posted a project on my blog after a few days. Now maybe my friend Linda, aka LGuild will get off my azz about posting something she can steal! *okie cracks up laughin*

Cricut Messageboard Exciting News!!

The time has finally come for the merging of the boards! I am beyond thrilled, I can't even begin to say what I feel right now! I have so missed being able to post on the Cricut MB and while I enjoy the Circle it just isn't the same without all my friends!

Now it maybe a bit before everyone can access and there are some changes you will need to get use to. It took me a bit to get use to the new platform, and I am resistant to change, but I do like how the board is laid out now that I got use to it.

It is all ProvoCraft Community and the Cricut Circle forums are on top. You will need to be a Circle member to access those forums. For the Cricut messageboard you will need to scroll down and then you will see Cricut Community and that is the Cricut messageboard. The forums for that are broke down like they have been. I bet admin will be busy moving things for awhile so let us please be patient with them.

OMG YA'LL I AM JUST SHAKING I AM SO EXCITED!!

If you haven't found the new board yet just click here ----> PROVOCRAFT COMMUNITY

Here it is folks! The Diva re-giveaway!

Since I never heard from the winner from the original giveaway I am putting the Diva set back up for giveaway. You guys know the dealio...just leave a comment on this post to be entered. I do have to approve comments so it may take awhile for your comment to post so please be patient and enter only once.

You have from now until Sunday midnight to enter!

Make sure you leave contact information so if you are the winner I can contact you. I will be posting the winner on here sometime Monday.

GOOD LUCK!!

You have to check this out! CricutSearch

I was guided to this site from Facebook and a comment on my blog and let me tell you ladies...It seems like a really great site! I haven't gotten to test it out completely but what little I did I was quite pleased with the results!

Do you ever have a hard time finding where to find the images you are wanting to use? Well this site seems to not only tell you what cart, it also shows you the page in the handbook! HOW FABULOUS IS THAT???

If you want to check it out yourself please go to

CricutSearch for their website

and to find them on facebook you can find them HERE

Cricut Circle membership

Has been extended until Friday, September 17th! So if you are interested in joining please contact me.

There are some exciting things coming up for the Circle. There are at least 3 meetups planned over the next few months in various locations! Sadly, Oklahoma is not one of them...but keeping fingers crossed there will be one here soon!

I will be honest though, so far the carts have NOT thrilled me. I do love the messageboard at the Circle and hope they get the regular MB running faster soon. I haven't gotten to take advantage of any of the great deals such as meet ups, gala's and etc because of my location and not wanting to pay airfare too attend such things.

So I guess what I am saying is that if you want the referral I will send it. But please don't hold it against me if you join and do not like it.

Sorry folks...Nothing new to post today

I was ill yesterday and didn't get anything ready to post. I guess I had a bit of a stomach virus or something and I shall spare you the ugly details. I did take some Phenegren, which knocks me on my hiney and I slept most of the day and therefore didn't get anything done.

But I would like to share something from the past with you that some of you may not have seen before....

If you ever wonder what to do with the clamshells from the Cricut cartridges you can always try your hand at painting on the acetate!

I need your help! Diva Giveaway

I posted a giveaway back on August 11th with a set of my Diva Va Voom cards. I announced the winner but I never heard from her so the cards are in their box sitting on a shelf in my craft room.

Here was my comment about who won...

Comment 146!!

Neesey wrote:
Never heard of this line of stamps but they look so cute! Would love to win a set. Thanks for a chace.
August 11, 2010 10:53 PM

Congrats Neesey! I will need you to contact me with your mailing information so I can get your prize in the mail to you!

I believe there is some kinda finders keepers law about if the owner doesn't claim it becomes your property *okie doesn't think it applies to this really but it sounds good* but in this case I already have a set of Diva Va Voom cards and I would really like to give this one away.

So here is the deal my dear blog readers...if the original winner does not contact me in 3 days to claim this prize I will redo the giveaway. Unless you guys would rather I didn't, and in that case I will just donate them to charity.

Grapic 45 Larger cards

There were a few images that were too large to make an A2 card with so I had to make a bit of a larger card, I can't remember if they would be classified as an A7 or an A9. I am sure my friend Carol, aka Carol with two hearts, would know since she says she prefers to make the larger cards.

Since the images were so large there wasn't a lot of room for embellishment but I don't think they needed a whole lot. Just a little ribbon and some flowers made them look just fine.

The background paper is a piece of double sided and I chose it because I had a scrap to use and I thought the colors worked with the images.

The flowers on the Root Beer card are little Prima's with Paper Studio flatback pearls added for the centers. I tried to match up the flowers to the ones on the image but I didn't have the exact color. I cut a piece of chipboard, by hand I might add, in the shape of a crescent moon to add the flowers to so I could pop dot them. The leaves are actually some ribbon that I cut apart and added on the edges of the chipboard and then placed one behind a flower.

I did add brads to the corners of the cards. I think I am addicted to having something in the corners, if there isn't something on the corners of my cards it just looks a little plain to me.

On the ladies I added Diamond Stickles to any flowers that were light colored or to the centers that were light colored. I know it is hard to see in the picture but it did make it really POP. Of course Stickles make everything POP! *okie thinks she will become a one woman campaign for Stickles and won't stop until every household in America has at least 3 bottles nestled in a corner ready to use*. I know I have mentioned it before but I shall mention it again, the reason I like Diamond so much is that it seems to pick up the colors around it. Stardust is similar but it has a bit of a green tint that shows through more.

This will be my last day of the Graphic45 cards since I am ready to get moving on to something else.

Graphic 45 Vintage ladies

I loved the ladies on these two images and decided to keep the embellishment simple so it didn't distract from them too much. I used a Martha Stewart photo corner punch to help frame them. And I did on yesterday's cards also...I just forgot to tell you! *okie thinks her friend Helen, aka DCDoll is totally correct in saying that okie suffers from CRS*

The scrip paper is K & Company and is the same I used on the Ribbon Flower card earlier in the week. I inked the edges, then crumpled the paper up and smoothed it out a bit before sewing it onto the card matte. I think the lighter color did make the image pop a little bit better.

The flowers are Prima's and the centers are actually buttons. They were post buttons and I used pliers to remove the post on the back. I think they worked really well to keep the vintage look. I had gotten the buttons at the little sewing store here in town before it shut down. Man I sure miss that place! I use to go in and sit on the floor going through the boxes of buttons! What? What do you mean you never sit in the floor and shop?! I do it all the time! My friend Linda, aka LGuild, laughs at me but she sure makes me dig to let her see! Even my friend Helen, aka DCDoll, has seen me do this when she and I went to a Big Lots in Phoenix a few years ago.

I am not out of these images yet so yep, tomorrow's post will be more Graphic45 cards!!

Graphic 45 cards using Doilies

I am pleased with how the Graphic45 cards for today turned out. I just think the little doily made the card look even more vintage looking.

I got the doilies years ago at a bargain store. They were marked 10 cents a piece but they were on sale for like 90% off because the store was moving, so I got them for a steal! When I was thinking about how to embellish these cards I thought "OMG! THE LITTLE DOILIES" and I ran off to the guest room to get them out of the drawer they were in. I only used one and cut it in half to use on the two cards.

I think I do like being able to use the same papers on the cards so far and giving them a different look by how the green strip is on there and with the different embellishments.

Here you can see a close up of the doily. I used my ATG tape to run across where I cut it in half to keep it from fraying and then just attached it to the back of the image. I also added a few spots of ATG tape to keep it held down on the card and then used powder to get rid of the sticky where it was showing through the doily. I did this to keep any dirt or stray crap *okie thinks she should probably find a different word than crap to use....but decides not to get out the thesauruses and look and sticks with crap* from sticking to the card.

Aw yes, and you can see the stitching. I received a few messages on here and on facebook from people telling me thank you for letting them know about the Janome Sew-Mini being on sale....well it was my pleasure! *okie knows that everyone knows how much she loves hers* And those of you that missed out and are wanting one, well never fear, it does seem to go on sale ever so often and as soon as I know about it again I will post to let you know!

As most of you know I am in love with brads, Brad Pitt comes to mind, but in this case I am talking about those every so versatile little metal prong type brads! It always amazes me how just a few of these little metal delights can really make something look so much better! Sometimes it's just the tiniest details in things that make you go "OH!! THAT IS NICE!" *okie thinks she would say that for realz if Brad Pitt was giving her a massage*

Well that is all for today! Come back tomorrow for another set of Graphic45 cards!

Graphic 45 with Cricut Pears

Yep, I used the Cricut for these! The pear cuts are from Joys Of The Season and I think they really set off the images nicely.

I went with some K & Company Wild Saffron paper for the cards. *okie uses a very sad voice* I think I have almost used up the last of that pack, actually I had bought two of the packs a few years ago. I even bought a third to do a giveaway on my blog long ago.

I used borders from my border stash and inked the them with some Chestnut Roan.

On the vintage label for this one I went over part of the lettering with Diamond Stickles. I like how it makes the lettering stand out more. I double matted the labels. I used the Perfect Layers 1/8" edge to make the mats. OMG! I SO LOVE PERFECT LAYERS!!

You can also see where I did do the faux stitching on the pear and leaf. I wasn't going to use the shadow cut but after trying it on the card I thought it made the pear stand out more.

This label was a little larger and I do like the pears on there, but they are more the color of oranges to me. On some of the lettering on this label I used a Sakura Stardust Glitter clear pen. If you haven't tried some of these you really should! They come in a pack of two and I think they are only maybe about $2.

These Graphic 45 cards are super simple guys, so if you have a chance to pick up a sheet of this paper I highly recommend it!

Comments...well this is embarrassing!

My friend Linda, aka LGuild, has set up a blog and had asked a me a few questions and I went into my last post and I guess I clicked no comments or something! So sorry about that folks. If you tried to leave a comment on the vintage cards and it wouldn't accept the comment it was totally my own stupidity!! It will now accept comments.

And here I thought no one liked my card because I didn't even have one comment!! *okie gives herself a V-8 smack on the forehead*

Easy cards with Graphic 45

The other day I posted about having Stamp Club at the scrapbook store and that I would be posting some cards I have made with some paper I got that night. Well this is the paper. It is made by Graphic 45 and I am so lovin the vintage look!! This particular sheet is Farmer's Market out of the Domestic Goddess collection. When I saw it I knew it would make some wonderful cards!! The back is black and ivory checkers which I just love but I can't bring myself to cut up the images to use it! *okie sometimes doesn't like double sided paper when it is like this sheet* I usually don't have any problem using the other side but this time.....I JUST CAN'T DO IT!

Here are the first two cards I made with the images. I wanted a design that would feature the images and not over power them and I think I got it right with the layout I used. It was nice being able to use the same layout for both but still being able to add a little spin to make them look different.

I can't remember what the polka dot paper is but I got it the same night too. The green strip is just a piece of scrap I had. The black border is the Fiskars Apron punch. I used twine to tie around the card and to put through the buttons.

I wanted to show a close up of the green paper. I used a stamp to add the swirls to the paper because it just seemed too plain. I think the swirls added a nice touch.

You can see where I did faux stitching also. I thought about using the sewing machine but I didn't want the card to be over embellished.

Oh you can also see I matted the images. I did add some chipboard on the back cut smaller than the matte so it would hold up to being pop dotted on the card. OH JUST HUSH! YOU KNEW THERE WOULD BE POP DOTS SOMEWHERE! *okie shakes head and just wonders when people will learn that pop dots and Stickles are a staple in any scraproom*

On this one I used a hole punch to punch the holes in the green strip and then loop the twine through the holes. It did give this card a little different look than the other one but yet I was still able to use the same cuts and materials.

I will be posting more cards this week using some of the other images so be sure to check back!!

Simple Ribbon card

I was on the phone with my friend Linda, aka LGuild, the other night and she got to talking about the card on the front of of this month's Cards magazine and how simple it would be to make. Well she and I both decided to try it out! It was very simple to make and was fast too!

I knew I had some wide ribbon that I could use for this, but the problem was trying to find ribbon and flowers that matched. I didn't have enough of the exact same flowers to complete 4 cards but I still think the ones I used worked out nicely.

The patterned paper is K & Company and is cut at about 3.5 inches I think. The ribbon is 1.5" wide grosgrain, and are tied to scrunch it underneath the flower. I didn't wrap the ribbon around the whole card, instead I tucked it under the patterned paper *okie thinks she might be just too darn cheap sometimes*.

The flowers are Petaloo's. I used a white Signo gel pen for the faux stitching *that reminds okie that she needs to order a box of pens since she and Linda, aka Lguild, are both running low on the pens*. The sentiment is computer generated on Microsoft Word. I cut the sentiment strip at 3.75" x .75" and then added a two Queen and Company pearls to give the illusion that is what is holding the sentiment on there.

Here you can see a little more close up of the cards. On these two I used buttons for the flower centers. One was a hole button and I tied twine in the center. The other was a post button and I broke the post off with a pair of pliers so it wouldn't stand up and would adhere a little better. I use this method quite a bit because there are some great post buttons but the posts get in the way. I just used Glue Dots to adhere the buttons to the centers.

These cards went together really quick once I found what supplies I wanted to use. I could have cut flowers using the Cricut but since I had these I thought they would look nice.

Oh and I would just like to mention that when Linda, aka LGuild, came to my house she took some of my wide ribbon! SHE IS A THIEF!! *okie puts on a helmet because she knows Linda, aka LGuild is gonna bonk her on the head for that one* Okay okay I will tell the truth. Actually I told her to go through my ribbon box and take what she wanted and just to send back what she didn't use. She didn't want to take it but she did pick some out. I can't wait to see what she makes with it!

*****************UPDATE*****************************

GUESS WHAT! LINDA, AKA LGUILD, HAS A BLOG NOW!! She started her own blog so she can post what she makes. Go check her out at Nothin' Fancy! She has her Ribbon Flower cards.

Phew....this card stinks!

We usually have stamp club at the library but last week we had to have it at the scrapbook store, which is always dangerous! I think I spent too much time shopping instead of stamping! I only got one card done, well two actually, but they are just alike.

This card doesn't stink because of the image or sentiment, it stinks because the image is too big for the card! *okie sighs and shakes her head at her terrible card* When I got done browsing the scrapbook store Linda, aka LGuild, had stamped off a bunch of skunks and I thought her cards were cute and thought I would try one. Well her cards turned out a lot cuter than mine did!

I do like the image and the sentiment together and I think it might be a card I actually send out to someone.

I didn't like all the white space in the top left hand corner so I added 3 brads to kinda help make it not look so stark. Maybe I should have colored a little bit too. But like I said....I was browsing way to much in the store. But to my defense I did have a $10 shopping card to use and that seemed a bit more interesting at the time *okie cracks up laughin*.

Later this week I will be posting some cards with some paper I got the night of stamp club. I do like those cards a whole lot better than this one!

Walmart matching Menard's ad!

Someone was kind enough to post that they had taken a Menard's ad to Walmart and were able to get Cricut Lite cartridges for $22.50! I don't have a Menard's here but thought I would pass on the information. Here is the link to the ad, MENARDS AD, but you will probably have to have the original ad in order to get the price match! The ad runs from 9/5 to 9/12.


Good luck, and happy shopping my Cricut friends!!

Janome Sew-Mini on sale now!!

Hancocks Fabrics has the Janome Sew-Mini on sale right now for $39.99! That is $20 off the regular price! The sale ends today, it is part of a two day Labor Day sale. I just found out about the sale this evening on the Cricut Circle message board.

This is the little sewing machine I used in a video not long ago. I absolutely love mine!

They are having free shipping on orders over $60. But if you are a first time customer you can receive free shipping by using this code: HKFEMAILSIGNUP.

Mine has definitely been worth the price. It comes with a plastic bobbin but I have been able to use my regular bobbins in it just fine. It is so simple to use. Just make sure you pay attention to how the bobbin goes in and how it is threaded.

Raven in a Tree

I have no idea what this Cricut cut is called but it looks like a Raven in a tree so that is what I am calling it *okie figures it's her card and she can call it what ever in the heck she wishes to call it and there is nothing anyone can do about it*. I think I might be feeling a little saucy!*okie cracks up laughin* And no.....I have not been drinking, well Diet Coke but that's it. However I told my friend Linda, aka Lguild, that I thought about getting drunk and making a video of some sort and calling it "The Drunken Scrapper". She kinda liked the idea, but she would since it would surely make an azz out of me.

Oh yes back to the Raven In A Tree card. The cut is from Celebrate With Flourish and will be the last from this cart for a little while. Again I don't know what the paper is that I used for the matting of the card, maybe Cosmo Cricket...and maybe not.

I do think the bats look better on this card than they did on yesterday's card. That raven looks like he is gonna eat one!

I have to tell you that the tree is a pain in the b-u-double T to layer! The little branches kept moving on me and it wasn't even windy! I would suggest gluing the moon down first and then doing the top layer of the tree so your branches line up right in the moon.

What do you mean you see Stickles? WELL DUH! OF COURSE YOU SEE STICKLES! *okie rolls her eyes and sighs deeply* You know I love Stickles and will use them on anything I possibly can! And for those of you who don't like Stickles...I think you are seriously disturbed! Again with the Stardust this time and then I used Black Diamond on the raven. I inked the edges of the moon with some orange ink.

I also used some more of those stickers for the sentiment on this card. They have a slight embossed feel to them but they are not as heavily embossed as if you used one of those old fashion label maker things.

This is the last Halloween card for now. I think I am done with making series of cards for a bit and I am not sure what I will be posting next...guess you will just have to stay tuned to find out! *okie sure hopes she can think of something but right now her brain feels fried and can't think of a thing to make*. Maybe I will take tomorrow off crafting since it is Labor Day.....but I doubt it!

Since this is the last for this cart for right now I will tell you how I got the cart so cheap...EBAY BABY!! OH YEAH! There was an auction for Celebrate with Flourish and Lovely Florals. I won the auction and paid $52 for the both carts and that included shipping.

Jack O' Lantern

I think this card was cuter in my head than it turned out on paper. But since it is cut and put together it will just have to do. Besides who cares since it will go in my card box never to be seen again! This is also from Celebrate with Flourish.

I really can't remember what the background mat paper is and I think I got it probably over 2 years ago. I thought it would look good because of the bats but I think I needed to cut the Jack O' Lantern smaller...but too late now!

The words "Jack" and "O Lantern" are actually some stickers I had. I might have gotten them during the "send okie ugly stickers" campaign or I might have gotten them at the LSS that had went out of business. *okie shrugs* Either way I think they worked good for this card.

Yep you see Stickles! Yellow and Stardust were used to try and liven up the Cricut cut. I inked the edges using Pumpkin Pie Stampin Up ink and used the same color marker to do the lines on the pumpkin. Old Olive was used for the leaf and swirl.

Looking at the pictures just now I think I do like this card, but this might be one of those occasions where the picture is better than the real thing!

Tomorrow I will be posting one more Halloween card and then it is on to something else!

Flying Witch

I just loved this cut when I saw it on the Celebrate With Flourish booklet! I thought I would use patterned papers on the witch and moon to give the cut a more whimsical look. And of course I love polka dots so that is the paper which I chose to use on the witch *okie laughs at her nerdiness*.

The paper for the mat is Making Memories. I got this little 6x6 stack almost two years ago when I was in Phoenix. I found it at a Tuesday morning for $1.99 and I had never used any of the paper in there. I thought it gave a good background for the Cricut image. I used a very light gray as a second mat and inked the edges with Lime Pastel.

This gives you a little different look on the pattern of the paper. It is the same from yesterday, Little Yellow Bicycle.

I added Stickles to the green flourishes. Do you know which Stickles I used?? *okie puts her hand behind her ear as if trying to hear* WRONG!! It's not Diamond! It's Stardust! See I am not totally predictable!

Linda, aka LGuild, said she thought this one had too many layers also but she did say she liked the flying witch. Hmm...come to think of it it does look a bit like Linda! *okie falls out chair laughing and knows she is gonna be in big trouble for that one*.

Trick Or Treat

I recently got Celebrate with Flourish *okie wonders if she should tell them that she only had to pay $26 for the cartridge, and then decides she will keep it a secret* and I thought I would make a few Halloween cards with it. Now why I wanted to make Halloween cards I just have no idea since I never send them out. I gave my friend Linda, aka LGuild, the Halloween cards I have made over the last two years so she could send in her box of cards for the Cards For Soldiers program.

This was the first card I made with the cartridge. I loved the layers on it. My friend Linda, aka Lguild, was over this past weekend and when she saw it she said there was too much work involved for her tastes. But....what does she know? *okie cracks up laughing knowing Linda is gonna comment on that one*. Since I couldn't do inking on the tiny letters I did add some Stickles to the green letters and then faux stitching on the orange. I used purple thread to stitch around the mat of the card. I think I do prefer the zig zag stitch over a straight stitch most of the time.

The printed paper is Little Yellow Bicycle, I don't know the line it is from and I am too lazy to go over to the other side of the room and pull some out to see *okie wonders if anyone admires her honesty*. On the yellow cardstock at the top I used the Forrest Branches Cuttlebug folder and then inked over it.

I pop dotted the cut off the card and I know you guys are totally shocked by that *okie can just see the eye rolls with that statement*.

The ribbon is some that I ordered from Ribbons and Bows Oh My!. I hope you guys did get some ribbon from there while they were running their free shipping special! I tell ya the prices are awesome even when you do have to pay for shipping.

I will be posting three more Halloween cards from Celebrate With Flourish so be sure to check back!

Hello Kitty Balloon

I found this layout in one of my CARDS magazine's and thought it would be good for the Hello Kitty balloon cut. I do like this one better than yesterday's card, but it is still not on my "love's it" list.

I do like the sentiment for this one and it reads "The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age. ~Lucille Ball". I just thought it was a fun sentiment for this card. I did the sentiment in Hallmark Studio so I was able to add an orange balloon behind the sentiment to tie it to the front of the card. I was on the phone with my friend Carol, aka Carol with two hearts, when I found this sentiment and she said she loved it also...of course that meant I had to use it!

The patterned paper is a sheet of Little Yellow Bicycle double sided Zinnia. I got it at the Great American Scrapbook convention when I went to Arlington Texas in June. I was able to get a pizza box full of paper for $20. My only regret is that I didn't get another box full! My friend Linda, aka LGuild..aka my partner in crime, are looking forward to going back next year!

I did a straight stitch down the purple strip and then curled the edges up slightly. The border punch is a Martha Stewart punch.

I will tell you that I hand snipped some of the tiny pieces on the bow because it pretty much just put a hole in the paper because the cut was so small. Oh and for her nose I used Liquid Pearls, which was much easier than trying to use the nose that it cut.

Again the cut was pop dotted because you know how I love dimension! I actually do like the colors on this one and I think the patterns of the paper give it a sophisticated look but yet the balloon adds some whimsy.

Here are the files for yesterday and today's cards. It might be necessary to go in do "hide contour" on some of the cuts if they are overlapping. Sometimes the hide contour saves for me and sometimes it doesn't. So be sure to check and see if there are overlapping cuts.

HELLO KITTY BEAR BALLOON CUT FILE

HELLO KITTY BEAR BALLOON GYPSY FILE

Well this wraps up the Hello Kitty series! Tomorrow I will be starting a very short series of cards featuring.....oh come on guys!! You know I am not going to tell you!!!! *okie falls out chair laughing*