Monday, June 30, 2008

My first blog challenge!!

I had made this PLANTER BOX WINDOW CARD for a MB member's birthday but also used it with my DS class because I was able to show most features of DS with it.

SOOO....I am posting the file (using George of course) and this will be a challenge. Here's the deal. When you have your card complete email me (okie_ladybug@swbell.net) a picture of your card. Be sure to include supplies and techniques used on your card. I will not be the one judging. I will have judges but they will not know whose cards are whose, to make it fair. I only have screenshot, which I think is good in this case because it will allow you to use your own creativity. The mats are labeled and the card does have score lines included.

Since it is the holiday coming up I will set the deadline for midnight Monday, July 7th and the winner will be announced a few days afterwards.

Sponsor for this challenge is Paper Patch Crafts. She has some great items in her store so please check it out!!

Here is the prize for the blog challenge!
It includes the following:
1 Making Memories Acrylic Frame
1 Dream Street 6x6 Square Chipboard Album
27 6x6 Sheets of printed KandCo paper
9 Prima Martini Silk Flowers Retired
2 Packages of Kaiser Pearls
5 Summer Themed Charms

Thursday, June 26, 2008

THE SOUP!! Zuppa Toscana

Yeah I really mean soup....like ya eat! Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana! This is my favorite soup! And might be yours also! I have posted this recipe on the MB before but someone asked for the recipe.....sooo, thought I would post it on my blog!! I usually make some bread sticks to go with this.

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana

1 lb Italian Sauaage
1 1/2 t. crushed red pepper
1 large diced white onion
4 T. bacon pieces
2 t. garlic puree
10 cups water
5 cubes Chicken Bullion
1 c. heavy cream
5-6 diced potatoes
1/4 bunch of kale

1. Saute' Italian sausage and crushed pepper in pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.
2. In same pan, saute' bacon, onions and garlic for approx 15 minutes or until onions are soft
3. Mix together the chicken bullion and water, then add it to the onions, bacon and garlic. Cook until boiling
4. Add potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.
5. Add heavy cream and cook until thoroughly heated.
6. Stir in sausage. Add Kale just before serving.

Slider Push Pull Card

Okay guys I am so cheating on this one! I know I usually post instructions and had intended to do so today BUT! My electricity got cut off today! I know I really should pay my bill instead of buy scrapping supplies! *okie gives a huge giggle*

Actually the electrician came today and put in a new breaker box.....with MORE AMPS!! WOOHOO!! I was so tired of having to remember that in the summer time the dryer can't be running while the dishwasher is running, if the bedroom ac's are on then don't use the microwave and all that jazz! So now I have 125 Amps instead of 100 and hopefully I can be cool and still wear dry clothes and have clean dishes!

Anyway I am posting the file for the SLIDER CARD/PUSH PULL CARD. If you want to see directions you can go to this link: SPLITCOAST STAMPERS and follow the directions from there until I am able to post some. I will try to do directions and pictures later, as I found these a little confusing at one point, but I was able to figure it out. The mats are labeled for reference. I have a play date with LGuild tomorrow so not sure if I will get to the directions then or not. She is coming to my house to try out stamping. But we are going to hit the LSS first, OF COURSE!! I mean after all paper is on sale.......and we NEVER have enough paper do we?? *just agree with okie here please*.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Birthday Bouquet

My friend Andrea turned 40 today. She thinks she looks good for being 40, but I look better being 42....but don't tell her that! HA HA HA *okie hoping Andrea has lost the link to okie's blog!*

So for her birthday I decided to try and make a BIRTHDAY BOUQUET. I wanted to use more black since it was for her 40th birthday but.....somehow I ended up with a lot of white. But I still think it turned out pretty good.......SHE WAS THRILLED WITH IT!!

I used Celebrations for most of it. The words "the big" are done with printing press. I thought I would save the file in case I want to make another one and then I won't have to figure out sizes and such! The mats on the file are labeled but you can always make new mats and copy and paste the objects to different ones when you want to have more than just two colors.

Friday, June 20, 2008

IT'S OVER!! Dream Wedding Contest

The voting ended at 12 noon eastern time. It was a long road to the end and I learned just how compassionate, sharing, caring and CRAZY my fellow Cricut MB sisters can be!!

Many of us had timers to keep our votes on track. We had a day crew, evening crew and night crew going from all over the world - SERIOUSLY!!! I think there were some new friendships made during the whole Dream Wedding Contest, and some that even might last a life time!

There were other MB's that got into the groove too! I know for one that Splitcoast Stampers had members voting.

We started out behind and quickly took second place. Then we went to first! Then we went back to second....oh the excitement and determination!!

Soon many many people joined in to all the voting frenzy on the Cricut MB! We pulled ahead again! We surpassed the other couples quickly and while we did have to fight to stay in first place for awhile we were able to surge past the other couples.

The finally vote tally for Norma Anne and Henry was 71,156. The couple closest was at 39, 275 votes.

WE DID IT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! We got Norma Anne and Henry their dream wedding!!

The official announcement won't happen until Monday the 23rd. So do stay tuned to the website for that!

But I can officially announce the winner of the blogger contest!!

And the winning blog in the contest is..........
http://www.prettyinprima.blogspot.com/

CONGRATS!!

Monday, June 16, 2008

BLOGGERS UNITE! *CONTEST*

If you are a blogger and make a standing post where viewers of your blog can vote for Norma Anne and Henry in the DREAM WEDDING CONTEST I will enter your name in a drawing for a prize!! I will go tomorrow and see what kind of prize I can find!!

Post your blog link in a comment showing where you have made the post linking to the voting and I will put all bloggers names in a hat and draw a winner at the end of the Dream Wedding contest!

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Sure I can make a purse.......WTF?? A COACH IS WHAT YOU WANT??

My BFF asked if I could make a purse for her coworker. She said her coworker had bought a purse for her DD and when BFF showed the lady her purse I had made her she wanted to know if she could have one made. Well of course that is easy.

BUT NNOO!! BFF says I can make one like the one she bought her daughter.....what was the purse she bought?? A COACH! Now how am I suppose to make a Coach bag? Then BFF says "it is tan, it has zebra stripes and light green stripes, it is called a sling something". So at this point I am thinking "WTF YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT??"

Well I get on the internet look at some Coach bags. I found one on TBBM that I think I can alter.....okay that should be okay. But then I thought "uhhh.......how is it going to be a Coach without all the C's!!". Well BFF wanted to put "some of that stickler stuff on it and just write C's". YEAH RIGHT! That ain't happening!

Well after some photo finagling *yes that is a word....I looked it up in the dictionary* I was able to come up with something!!

And this is the result!!!!





OH THE THINGS I DO FOR MY FRIENDS!!







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


What has my BFF started?? OMG I am going to have a ton of these little bags sitting around my house! Do I need them?? NOOO!! Will I use them?? Probably not! So why am I making them? BECAUSE I AM OBSESSED WITH THEM NOW! I just have to see if I can do it, have to make more.....need to make more........
Oh and this one is my ~RAZZI BAG~ in order of ~Scraparazzi~ who is a serious Coach lover, a Cricut MB member and one Fantabulous card maker!! OH yeah.......and she looks like a freaking super model!! *sometimes okie doesn't like Razzi for this, but it is only jealousy*


okay going to bed now.......but will get up tomorrow and make more.....

Saturday, June 14, 2008

I think scrapbooking is down the drain.....

AT LEAST FOR NOW! I am having so much fun with the cards that my LO's are suffering! *hangs head in shame*. A MB member....SusanW...had posted a cut file for a card back in February and I just fell in love with the design. I have made a few of these and thought I needed to put them on my blog!

This first one was ones I did for a card swap. I had forgotten I entered the swap until AMTRAMMELL pm'd me about it! ACCKKK!! Well I was able to quickly whip up a few of these cards for the swap! I liked the denim look that I got with this one. I used Zig pens to doodle. The sentiment is a Studio G stamp. I did emboss the edges of the flowers with an embossing tool for some extra dimension.




This card I made last night. I actually was playing with some alcohol inks. I had seen some butterflies that A.Go from the MB did and I loved them! I used some photo paper I had laying around and started mixing the inks on a felt pad. I think I used stream, butterscotch and either cranberry or wild plum. BTW....does anyone know how to get the ink off your fingers? I don't have one of those application things so.....well you can guess the tips of my fingers are stained quite nicely! HA HA HA *shrugs shoulders* I guess it will wear off eventually. The Mat paper on this one was some I got at a scrapbook garage sale. It kinda looks like tile and the paper even had a bit of rubbery feel to it. I wanted muted colors so the flower would be the attention of the card. Again the stamping is with Studio G's...OMG DON'T YA LOVE EM!!

Right now the cricut MB won't come up for me so I can't post a link to the original post that Susan W. did but I will post it late once the MB lets me on. *okie wonders if she forgot to pay homage to the cricut gods*

Oh it must have heard me talking about it because it let me on right after I posted this!! Anyway if you would like the TABBED FLOWER CARD you can get it from the link provided, the file is in the first post of the thread. And if ya do get it why not drop SusanW a thank you for creating such a wonderful card!!

Friday, June 13, 2008

Cherry Hello!

I didn't have to work today so thought I would make some cards. Well I got two made HA HA HA, but the day ain't over yet!

I made these two little CHERRY Hello cards. Thought they would be good for my card stash. I had gotten some cherry ribbon and that is what inspired the cards......but then I didn't use it! Do you ever do that? LOL

I justed used some circles, ovals and J's off of George to make the cherry base, welded those together. Then I copy and pasted the leaf part and then the cherry party onto other mats.

The scalloped oval I made with George also.

I did use the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder on the top card to emboss the lower half of the card.

I think the turned out kinda cute!

WHEW! now I need a nap! I love naps! But Lucy is in my nappin chair! THAT SILLY FURBABY!

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Celebrate Father's Day!

By giving poor ol' dad another shirt! HA HA HA

A MB member was having difficulty with putting together the MAN'S SHIRT CARD. I realized I did that file before I started doing detailed instructions so I told her I would take pictures and include instructions.

On the mats there is one that says "base trial" that is for reference only.....don't cut it, it is just so you can see where pieces should be placed.
You will want to cut the following mats:
~Base
~Collar
~Tie

These are the cuts you end up with, well minus the pocket, not sure where that little bugger ran off to when it was photo time! It must have been camera shy!! The arrows show where the score lines are, if you have problems seeing them in this photo click the photo and it will enlarge and you can see them better.


After you score then you will fold in, like so.









Next you will want to line up your collars on the front of the shirt. They do not get attached to the back of the shirt. However you line them up with the angle on the back collar.

When you adhere them down make sure you do not apply the adhesive to where the collar is lifted up, this is where the tie will go. I just added adhesive to the bottom pointed part of the collar. I didn't like the white collar in the back so I just cut a piece of card stock for the back of the collar and glued it to the inside of the card.

Apply adhesive to the back of the tie. It will be the right hand side on the WRONG side of the time. ONLY APPLY TO HALF, click on the picture if you need to see more detail.

Line up the tie under the collar, the bottom point should be on the line of the shirt front.





Here we have the pocket and handkerchief. See I did find that pocket! He was hiding under the mat.....ornery little pocket!!

Sorry this next pic is bad, my camera messes up sometimes.

Anyway apply adhesive to the bottom of the handkerchief *yes I know it is a heart.......but it gets the job done! HA HA HA*

After you get the tie and pocket in place you should have something like this picture. DO NOT APPLY ADHESIVE TO THE RIGHT COLLAR END.


The tie tucks under that part of the collar as seen in this picture.





Once all put together you should have a shirt! I did add some stitching lines and also a mini brad to work as the tie tack.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

I am on a roll!!!

As long as I don't roll down a hill I will be okay!! *okie thinks to self...I have a few rolls but I don't think I want to talk about that*. Oh yes.....anyway I got another card made today. Well actually I did the cut file last night but cut the card today.

This one is a BUCKLE CARD, and yeah I cheated again, I got the idea from Splitcoast Stampers *okies begins to wonder if she even has an original idea in her head*. I liked the look of it and when I got to looking I thought "OMG SOMEONE SENT ME A CARD LIKE THIS!" and I even remember who!! It was Renee in Virginia *okie still hopes Renee is wartless....okie cracks up laughin at the old joke that some might even remember*.

Oh yeah bet ya'll want to see it huh!! HA HA HA

Okay these are the cuts.
And this is the band. I stamped on the inner band, but ya can do what ya want of course. I won't be bossy and say ya have to stamp it. Although it does look nice stamped.....



Next you will want to line up the belt to where the end will slide into the hole. I used a little of removable adhesive on the inner part to keep it steady while I lined it up.

Check sure that the belt will fit in there correctly, there should be a little bit of room at the top and bottom.




I ran a line of adhesive on the side of the inside mat opposite of where the belt is attached. I did this because it made it easy for me to keep it in place while I positioned the belt.


Then I just attached the belt in place with some adhesive and then taped the rest of the inside mat and pressed down.



And this is what you end up with!!

Everyone loves a good love story!!

My friend ScrappinBee from the Cricut Message board posted about her BFF getting married and having a chance to win the wedding of her dreams!

I love their love story of how they were sweethearts as kids, lost contact and then were reunited after 27 years!

Please read Norma's story here: DREAM WEDDING So if you are downloading one of my cut files and have the time please vote for Norma and Henry!

You can vote as often as every 2 hours! So please check back on the site and vote when ya can! I would love to help ScrappinBee's friend win the wedding of her dreams!! WOULDN'T YOU??

FLAP FOLD CARD!

I saw this FLAP FOLD CARD on Splitcoast Stampers so ya know me! Of course I had to do it with DS!! HA HA HA So tell me who is surprised?? *looks for a show of hands....* Anyone? Anyone? HA HA HA. I did also make an envie that fits the card. It is included in the file.

This first picture is the cuts you end up with. I used K & Company Wild Saffron for this card. I just love K & Company!!

Second picture is the score lines, which are included in the cut, no measuring *okie does not like to measure*.




Showing how it should look folded up.
Next you adhere the printed paper to the front of the card. I inked my edges before adhering the pieces together. I LOVE INKED EDGES!!





Next you adhere the plain card stock to the inside of the card. This is where you can write your note.

The circle is big enough for most Autumn Leaves stamps! WOOHOO!! If you are worried about it just choose your stamp and see if it will fit. If not.......then get a different stamp!! *cracking up laughin*

Next adhere your circle to the flap of the card. Kind of line up your circle with the flap to see where it looks good and where you need to put your adhesive. In the picture you can see where I added a velcro dot to help keep the card closed. You will need something like this in order for the card to stay closed.

Next we have the envie. No score lines, just score from corner to corner! If you don't want to make the envie the card will fit into a small (smaller than A2) envie!







Then add your adhesive and fold the bottom up.
And the final product! TADA!! Very nice little card!!

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Triangle Trifold Card

Okay so I am totally addicted to card making now!! I bet you couldn't tell could you? HA HA HA
I like the trifold but I wanted a different version. This one I call the TRIANGLE TRIFOLD CARD. There is a little bit of difference between this and the other version. They basically go together the same. I am including pictures and instructions.

These are the basic cuts you end up with. I do have a stamp from Basecamp on the file that fits well with this card. The first mat is for reference only so if you want to make some type of medallion you can size it easy enough.

I generally do my inking before I start putting a card together, if I remember! *so sometimes I forget until later then have to try and get the paper to come apart after I have taped it.....UGH*.
Next you will want to score the pieces seen in the photo. I did not make score lines since it is easy to tell where you need to score. I drew arrows and dash lines on the picture so you can see where to score.






Next attach the bottom flap to the bottom of the large piece centering between your score lines. I usually fold it up and line it up with the bottom.



I forgot to take a picture of how it is folded so I am showing this picture. The bottom flap folds up first and then the triangles get folded over. I think it gives it more of an envelope look!!





Next attach the inner mat to the outer mat.

This is what you should have at this point. I did use the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder for the scalloped band. I think it gives it a nice look!






Next you will attach the scallop band. Then you will attach the smaller band. On a side note if you would like to use this band with the other trifold card it should fit just fine! The scalloped circle from the other card should fit on this one just fine also. Don't you just love my interchangeable confusing files! HA HA HA


I just attached a flower on this version. I used a brad and put on the smaller flower then the larger flower and then poked it through the inner band. I also dotted some Stickles along the inner band.





This is another one I made. It uses the stamp cut that is included in the file.


Hope you guys like the card files I am making! I love sharing them with you guys!!