Swarming is fun!!

Oh my goodness I had a blast at the Swarm today! Robin did a great job of hosting and she had the best door prizes!! I got two sets of stamps *okie just remembers she forgot to take a picture of them* as a door prize. Everyone also got a little chipboard album and word as goodies.

I was able to get some pictures but while going through them to post on here I realized I didn't get one of Robin and she sat straight across from me! *okie frowns at her incompetence and hopes someone has one to share*.

I did get a video done but I am too pooped to upload, edit and post tonight.

But I do want to share some pictures with you guys!!

Here is a picture of Robyn, aka Pink Stamper, and I. We didn't think Robyn was going to be able to make it since she and her kids have been sick for most of the week but luckily she has recovered! She and one of her son's stopped in for a little while. She brought her DVD for a door prize and the winners were super excited!! Linda took the picture and had fun taking one picture that showed my big fat belly really well *okie reaches over, grabs her Christmas card list and marks Linda's name off...remembers that Linda's husband Fred gave okie some of his famous smoked cheese when we got home and then pencils in Fred's name on the Christmas card list*.

I know you guys remember me posting about my friend Linda all the time...well yep, this is the one and only LGuild from the Cricut message board. Linda said she got twenty something cards done. I don't know how since she was busy all morning harping on me about working on the same layout for half the day! But remember she is a card maker and not a scrapbooker so she just does NOT get it! *okie cracks up laughin*. Oh yes...and it was HER fault we were late! I got to her house and she was still in bed! She thought the Swarm started at 10...I told her it started at 9!! But I have to admit she did get ready really really fast and we were only a little late.....fashionably late really.

This is Shelby, she was my Secret Sister! She got me some Basic Grey Boxer paper, some bling and cut the cutest little card with ladybugs on it, which will go on my wall in craft room! *okie wonders if Shelby has a hidden camera in her craft room to know that okie didn't have any of the Boxer line but has been looking at it*. Shelby's mom was working on a "learning to drive" layout during the video and I don't think Shelby was too excited about it since it was about her LOL.


Here is Melissa B doing a little shopping. She and I talked about her coming and spending a weekend with me to get away and scrap. I think we also might have mentioned something about the swimming pool, fajita's and margarita's....but I could be mistaken *but okie clearly remembers Melissa does NOT like wine.....but okie isn't a wine drinker either*. So hopefully some weekend soon I will be having a guest and we can just stay in our PJ's and scrap all weekend!

Here is Phyllis and Debbie. They drove in from Arkansas and got there really late *okie won't mention it was due to okie saying go west off I-35 and them getting lost and hitting a dead end* but they had a blast! They were some fun gals, let me tell ya! Debbie is happilyscrappin1 on the Cricut message board. Phyllis just joined and I can't remember what they told me her name is...something about a Daisy I think, but I could be wrong.






Here is another group of friendly ladies. And since I am noddin off sitting right here my mind and went all muddly *okie doesn't think muddly is a word since it is showing misspelled and decides it should be a word and just leaves it*. I do remember the name on the right hand sides name. On the Cricut MB she goes by kimmer. The one in the middle is SoonerMT on the Cricut MB and she is Shelby's mom. She was doing the cutest learning to drive layout!

Well that is all I have to post right now. I will try to get the video done tomorrow and post it!!

OOHHH! And I was able to get 2 two page layouts done and 1 1 page, so big improvement on my part. I will post pictures of those later also.

Secret Sister Gift for the Swarm

I am not here right now because I am at a Swarm in Norman Oklahoma*okie just loves the post options on blogger*. This post is set to go live at the exact time the Swarm starts. I didn't want to post this last night in case there are people who are attending the Swarm check my blog before going. But, I wanted to share the Secret Sister gift set I made for my Secret Sis. Although it isn't much of a secret since I got the hostess! LOL Our limit was $10 and I did go over a little, but I also was able to take some things from my stash.

The printed paper is double sided from Got Moxxie and is Crop til you drop. I thought it was perfect for the occasion. I just hope my Secret Sister, who isn't really a secret hopes so also! I only used two sheets for all the projects you see. I used scraps I had for the deep red, white and black.


The box is a cigar box that my friend Linda gave me. I put some scrappy items in the box, hence the name on the tag on the front of the box. I just used some paper filler to make it look more festive.

You can click on the picture if you want to see more detail. I added some Prima bling swirls for a little texture. The tag is from Tags, Bags, Boxes and More. The wording is from Printing Press. I really love that cart and I think it is often overlooked.

I added a ribbon loop to the lid so it would be easy to open. As you know sometimes cigar box lids have a tendency to fall "in" the box *okie wonders if people do know that or if she was just assuming people know....and then remembers what assuming does and giggles at herself*. I used the Fiskars Threading Water punch for the eyelet look at the end of the tag.







I used Graphically Speaking for the "FRIEND" on the card. I like the jumbled words on that cartridge and don't use them often enough! The brads are from Basic Grey Wassail collection. The ribbon is just some I got at a sewing store here in town, which has since closed down.

I used a Stampin Up marker for the faux stitching on the card and also the dots on the word friend. The inking is done with a Cat Eye Fluid Ink Chalk Pad - Charcoal. It is just a simple card and probably not one of my best works, but I still think it fits the occasion.




The bag is covered completely with paper I had left over from the box and card. I did use a versamark pad and stamp to add a little something to the deep red paper. It just looked to plain otherwise. I can't remember who made the stamp, but I know I ordered it from Joann's quite awhile ago.

The scallop circle is a 2 inch punch by EK Success.

I was way too lazy to dig into my gift wrapping cabinet and get some tissue paper so I used a large paper bag and tore the edges. The bow is made with raffia.

Well hope you enjoyed peeking at the gift set! I am hoping she likes it! I will be sure to take pictures and post on here later. I do have my Flip with me also so I might do a little video so you guys can see everyone *okie wonders if she needs to have everyone sign a disclosure of some type* if they are willing to be on camera! LOL

Stampout Online Giveaway!

Most of you guys know how I adore Lisa over at Stampout Online. I think her products and customer service is hard to beat. Well Lisa and Alli have joined the blogging world now and to celebrate they are doing a giveaway contest.

In order to win all you have to do is the following:

"Simply sign up to follow our blog at STAMPOUT ONLINE BLOG AND make a comment on this post with your FUNNIEST quote to be made into a stamp. If you are the winner, you will receive your choice of a wood mounted or self-inking stamp with your VERY OWN funny quote on it. Use your imagination and have fun...we can't wait to hear what you come up with.
(We reserve the right to use all quotes submitted to create and sell stamps and/or stationery)
Contest ends at 12 noon on Sunday, January 17, 2010"

Now I gotta go think of something funny!! *okie isn't sure if she even can think of a funny quote but is gonna try*

AND THE WINNER IS....

Whew am I bushed! I finished cooking supper. Waynie and I ate and watched an episode of Bones. I cleaned up the kitchen and then took my bath. I even shaved my legs which is something I don't do often. Being blessed with Native American genes my legs aren't really very hairy, and what hair is there is quite soft *okie sometimes shares way too much information*.

I am trying a new shampoo. It is a generic version of Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Shampoo. It really made my head tingle but my hair feels soft and fluffy *okie isnt' sure if she just described her hair or her cat*. I did use the conditioner also.

*okie wonders if anyone is reading this babbling or just skimming and seeing if they won the DVD*

I need to get busy on my Secret Sister gift for the Swarm on Saturday. I was hoping to get a few more page kits done, but it doesn't look like it is going to happen. Do you know how hard it is to get a nice little Secret Sister gift together for under $10? Well it is impossible I tell you.......JUST IMPOSSIBLE. Then you always wonder if your secret sister will like your gift. I bet if my secret's sister name was Lori she would like it. But my gift isn't a DVD. I am still not sure what I will do for the gift...*okie thinks for a minute*....Hempel, I better think about it quick because the Swarm is closing in fast!!









OOHHH YEESSS.....ya'll want to know the winner!!! Well the winner's name is buried in my post, and NO it is NOT Paul Mitchell!!

It is 6pm Monday night so ya know what that means!

I will be announcing the winner of the DVD here shortly. I have to finish fixin supper for me and Waynie and then eat supper and then maybe take a bubble bath before I go to random.org and generate a winner. I have closed the comments now.

Check back in a bit to see who wins the fantastic DVD!!

Don't you hate it when...

You want to make something, you have something you need to work on, but you just don't want to do it? That was me tonight! I needed to work on a project and I did but then I got to a point where I was stumped so then I decided to make a card or something. But I couldn't decide what kinda card. I played around in Design Studio for about an hour trying to figure out a card I wanted to make. But no luck!

Then finally.......FINALLY! I opened Home Accents in Design Studio and started playing with it. I have been wanting to do a wall quote for my craft room for awhile and I finally did!! I will be doing more but at least I got a start!

And here is the wall quote I did! I am including the cut file of LIVE LAUGH LOVE if anyone wants to cut one for themselves. My door way measured approximately 40 inches, so it is larger than a regular doorway. You will need to use Home Accents for this file. It took 2 sheets of 12x12 vinyl.

Look what I have to GIVEAWAY!

As many of you know I am friends with The Pink Stamper, who recently released a fantastic DVD on how to use your Cricut. Robyn contacted me recently to ask if I would like to do a giveaway of one of her DVD's. I thought about it for about a millisecond *okie thinks really fast sometimes* and told her "OF COURSE!"

Here is a picture of the DVD you can win.

And don't forget to check out Robyn's Pink Pajama Party on Friday January 22nd at 9pm! She will be doing a LIVE broadcast from her hotel room with lots of cool giveaways. You can also chat with others and Robyn during the LIVE broadcast! It is a lot of fun to participate!

So here's the dealio...just leave a comment on this post and you will be entered to win! I will draw for a winner on Monday night!

Please enter only once. I have to approve comments so it might take a little while for your comment to appear.

Oh and my dear international friends....I will ship over seas!! *okie grins big*

IT SOLD!

I had several people interested in buying my E and the lady who ended up buying it...get this...works like 3 blocks from where I live! She checks my blog and saw where I was selling it and her Mother In Law was wanting one. We were finally able to meet today and she bought it! I plugged it up and showed her it worked and all.

But the best thing is...I now have someone local that likes to Cricut!! *okie likes making new friends...well okay not really, but this one seems okay...ha ha ha*

Thank you to all of you that were interested in the E, and thank you Wendi for buying it!

Lollipop holder and Card featuring Doodlecharms

Hey everyone! I am so excited to announce my first project as a Design Team member for Sweet Treat Thursday on Cuttlebug Challenge featuring the Cricut. The prizes on the Cuttlebug Challenge for the month of January are Everyday Paper Dolls and Sweet Treats cartridges for your Cricut! Make sure visit Cuttlebug Challenge and leave a comment so you can be entered to win!

For our premiere were were asked to use Doodlecharms. This cartridge has so many neat cuts that it is hard to decide, but luckily Maggie was sweet enough to narrow it down to a Valentine's Day theme so it did make it easier *okie loves easy*. I decided to make a lollipop holder and matching card for this weeks projects. Both have cut files furnished for you if you would like to make these fun projects!



Supplies for projects are as follows:
Cricut Expressions
Cricut cartridges - Doodlecharms, Plantin Schoolbook
Daisy D's Maybe Baby Collection 12x12 patterned cardstock
Cardstock in the following colors - Red, White, Pink
Printed SOMEBUNNY LOVES YOU from home computer
1/4" grosgrain ribbon, banana
Cuttlebug
Cuttlebug folder D'Vine Swirls
ATG gun and 1/4" adhesive
Signo UM 153 White gel pen
Eyelets

The first project is a 4x5 card. I used a card base that came in a set of 25 with envelopes to make my card. I do have the cut file for the SOMEBUNNY CARD and it requires the Doodlecharms cartridge and is set to cut 4 at a time. I also have the file for the SOMEBUNNY LOVES YOU! PRINTED PAPER that you can print out on MS Word if you would like to use it. One printed sheet will be enough for both projects. For the envelope I used one from the set and decorated the front and the flap to match the card.


Card instructions:
Card base 8 x 5" scored at 4 inches and folded, or cheater method of 4" x 5" to adhere to card base
Card mat cut at 3.5" x 4.5"
Stamp edge strip - cut at 2.75"
Envelope hearts - 2.75"
Heart (layers)- 2.5"
Bunny - 2.5"
See pictures for assembling pieces.

If you have Design Studio you can download the LOLLIPOP HOLDER and it is set to cut 4 at a time. For you baby bug users I do have a LOLLIPOP HOLDER GEO file that you can download. It is the basic holder and doesn’t have the specific cuts for this project but you can download both and then just use the Doodlecharms cuts from the file using the Plantin as the base.

If you need to make cuts without Design Studio, use following guidelines:

Lollipop Holder -
For base:
Cut a 6.5" x 3" rectangle from double sided cardstock
Score at 2 3/4" and 3 1/4" and fold on score lines
Using small home punch, punch hole in center between score lines
Using a slit punch (made by Stampin UP) punch in center on tall side, making sure front will slide under the punched flap.
For mats:
Large mat - cut pink cardstock at 2 3/8" x 2 1/2"
Smaller mat - cut printed word cardstock at 2 1/8" x 2 1/4"
Bunny - cut at 1 3/8"
Heart - Cut at 1 7/8"

See pictures for assembly.

I hope you guys have enjoyed my projects as much as I enjoyed bringing them to you! Again don't forget to visit Cuttlebug Challenge and leave a comment for your chance to win Everyday Paper Dolls or Sweet Treats!

I have a bit of a little announcement!

Be sure to tune in tomorrow for the news! *okie so much loves being a tease*

I will be selling my E!!

I know I know it is sad that my poor E must go. But I have to make room for.....MY NEW RED EXPRESSIONS! I couldn't resist. I tried to resist. But I just couldn't. Now I have to sell my beloved E to cover the cost of the red E. I am thinking of black flourishes cut out of vinyl to deck out the new red E.

If you guys know of anyone who wants to buy an E tell them to give me a holler! It will include the following:
Cricut Expressions in original box
New blade
New Mat
Plantin Schoolbook never used
Accent Essentials never used
Tear Drop, used twice
none of the carts have been linked to a Gypsy.

Oh yes the price! $150 + shipping (actually shipping charges to be determined).

My new E comes in on Friday, barring any weather catastrophes, and once I get it hooked up and make sure it works the other E will be ready to go out the door.

J-Krafty, The Original Crafta

Deleted after complaints about inappropriate content.....however I still thought it was a funny video!

How To: Print on cardstock shape

My friend Tracy showed me how to print on cardstock when I had a certain area to work with. Actually what I was working on at the time was a recipe swap and I wanted to print the recipe on a denim pocket I had cut with the Cricut. I didn't know if everyone knew of this little trick so I thought I would make a video tutorial.

Layout Kits...video tutorial

I am planning to attend a Swarm January 16th in Norman Oklahoma. The last one that Linda and I went to I didn't get a thing done! I was just sitting and looking at my stuff and wondering where to start. I was also really nosy on what others were doing, which kept me from working on my pile of "crap" on the table. This time I am determined to get something done! I have prepared a total of 3 two page layout kits and 4 one page layout kits to work on. I am hoping to get some more done before the Swarm so I have plenty to work on.

I made a short little video tutorial on how I put my kits together in case anyone is wondering how I do it.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Just wanting to wish all of you a Very Merry Christmas!

We are snowed in here in Ada, Oklahoma *okie still can't believe she was able to type that*. Not that we have that much snow but in Oklahoma anything over a few inches shuts the state down. There are places with lots of snow in Oklahoma right now. I hope everyone is safe and sound and staying warm.

Here are some pictures I took this evening. For once I will have a white Christmas!

Sour Cream Containers.....Video Tutorial

I finally got on the stick and made the video tutorial for the sour cream containers. They are super simple and fast to make. I am trying to get the hang of making videos and having problems staying within the area so you have to forgive the chopped off top parts of the video LOL.






Here is the video tutorial....

Sour Cream Containers.......HOW EASY!

I decided to make these for the kids at the school where I work of the morning time. I have been wanting to try some of these ever since my friend Amy aka Scraparazzi posted some she made on the Cricut message board.

I can't believe how easy they were to make! I made about 40 in about two hours...of course Gibbs *okie wonders if people will know she means NCIS* kept interrupting me. And man oh man...who doesn't want to be interrupted by Gibbs! *okie drifts on in a dream land and smiles slightly*

Painting on Acetate

I posted a card sometime ago where I had stamped and painted on acetate. Today someone on the Cricut MB asked what to do with acetate and I posted pictures of the card. I then thought it might make a good video tutorial.








Here are some close ups of the cards I did in the video. I know pictures are easier to see sometimes than videos. Click on the pictures if you want to see the details better.















Sorry the video is a little blurry. Not sure why that happened.

Snowflake card Video

I decided to try some different papers with the Cuttlebug Ice Crystal cut and emboss set. My friend Karen liked the bronze Mica with the opal snowflake, but I thought I would try a pink snowflake since there was some shades of ink in the Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses paper.

I took a picture so you can see the detail better. Sometimes the detail doesn't show up on video too well. You can click the picture to make it bigger if you want to see it more close up.

I really think this one turned out nice. It will be one that I will be sending to Karen! LOL *okie hopes Karen doesn't read this post*




Here is the video.

Coloring with Cat Eye Inks

I had a few requests to do a tutorial on how to color with the Cat Eye Inks after I posted my Christmas cards of the Lace Tree Cuttlebug folder earlier in the week. It is very simple to do and can really jazz things up!

I believe in Santa Claus.....

And I got the pictures to prove it! There is something about the spirit of Santa Claus that just brings the warm fuzzies to me. I know Christmas is about the birth of Christ but I also believe that Santa Claus helps bring the spirit of giving to others. I can't imagine anyone not loving Santa!

I started collecting Santa's a few years back. My friends think I have enough Santa Claus's. I think they are just jealous because they don't have any! LOL

Here are some pictures of my living room decorated.

Snowflake Card

I used the Cuttlebug cut and emboss Snowflake set for these cards. They were super simple and fast to make! This was another one where I was showing my friend Karen how something worked, the snowflake, and she made me make a card. But I am glad she did since I made a few of them because they were so simple.

I cut my mat at 4x5.25 inches and embossed using the Cuttlebug Joy & Cheer folder and then cut a 3x3 inch mat for the snowflake. The one on the left has some simple small silver brads and the one on the right has a rhinestone brad. I did used opal Mica cardstock for the snowflakes.

Look what I scored!!

The sewing store here in town is closing down due to the new owner doubling the rent. I stopped in to see what she had and I saw this pegboard spinner and asked her if she or her husband made it thinking I could make one. She asked me if I needed it and told me to name my price. I told her I had no idea how much and she said "just give me a price". When I didn't give her one she said "how about 3 dollars". I was thrilled!!!

It has the pegboard on all four sides and spins. It does catch on one corner but my friend said he would sand that down for me. The lady even threw in a ton of hooks!!

I think I will really like this because I won't have to dig through drawers to find my things. I do need to organize a bit better but for now it will do.

Lace Christmas Tree

I am so lovin this folder!! A wonderful Cricut MB member sent it to me when I was unable to find it here *okie smiles and knows that person knows who they are*. There really are a lot of ways you can embellish this lovely tree! I made several versions to see what I liked. Of course the one I liked the most was the most work and there won't be many of those made *okie cracks up laughin*.

I used Cat Eye chalk inks to color the ones that are colored. The one on the left has Stickles added to some of the areas. I did cut the tree and then pop dot it for dimension. The one on the right also has been colored with Cat Eye chalk ink. I added some Stampedous holograpic stickers to a few areas for some bling. The middle card is an A6 size. I wanted to mat the tree with more printed paper showing so I went with the larger card. I think the dark colors contrast the tree nicely. I added some holly Stickles to the circles on the tree since it looked a little too plain on there.

Easy Christmas Wreath

This card was so simple to make! I used the Cuttlebug cut and emboss wreath that came out last year. I was actually showing my friend Karen how it worked and she made me make a card. I only made one but I am going to be making a few more of these!

The stamp is from Stampin Up. The mat is mica cardstock. I added a few stickles to the berries and ribbon on the wreath. The brads are some that I flocked *okie remembers she needs to flock some more since her stash is getting a little low*. I did pop dot the wreath for some dimension.

I think next time I might use the Script Cuttlebug folder on the mat. OH OH OH! And I just thought also...I could use my Stampin Up tag punch and a Christmas sentiment on the tag to "hang" from the bow on the ribbon! *okie thinks she needs to head to her scrap table right now!*

Stay tuned for more cards! LOL

Merry Christmas Cardinal

My BFF Karen *okie knows she has mentioned Karen several times before* was here for my Christmas party. After all the guests were gone and we got things settled down around the house she wanted to make her grandmother a nice Christmas card. She said her grandmother loves cardinals and I immediately thought of the one on the Winter Woodland cart. We came up with the MERRY CHRISTMAS CARDINAL A2 card. Karen thinks her grandmother will really love the card. We used Winter Woodland for the cardinal and branch and the Merry Christmas is from Wild Cards. You can change the sentiment to whatever you like. The cut file is set to cut 4 at a time.

I used the snowflakes Cuttlebug folder on the mat and then spritzed with pearl Glimmer Mist. The cardinal is with Mica cardstock, the branch is Prism and the Merry Christmas is with silver DCWV metallic. I also added some frosted stickles on the branch, leaves and top of the pine cone.

Altered Dollar Tree Dome Tins

This size tin holds at least 10 heavy embellished A2 cards. They don't lay completely flat but they will fit *okie grins and nods*. I know some people did get these tins and once again...why cut by hand with what can be cut with the Cricut!

I have the file for the baby bug DOME TIN GEO and for the Expression DOME TIN PS. I don't have a video or picture tutorial for these since I am rushing around getting ready for my Christmas party this weekend *okie feels a sense of panic come over her* and I am running out of time!!

But I do have some pictures. The tins were painted with a cheap flat white spray paint and then I used Cat Eye Chalk inks to do the edges. I used dark brown on some and then olive pastel on others. Of course you can use what ever suits your fancy...just thought I would let ya know what I used. I didn't decorate them very much due to time constraints and needing to get them wrapped.

I used K & Company paper packs for all 4 of the tins. I don't remember the names off hand but I LOVE THEM! Maybe not as much as Basic Grey...but pretty close. All the sentiments on the tins are punch outs from the packs.














Here are some that are a little more bright in color. I took a picture of one of them showing the bottom since I do have cuts for the bottom also. Not sure why I thought it had to be covered since it likely won't even be seen....but the cut is there none the less.
















Here you can see how the cards fit in the tins. I hope my guests like them! My cohost this year is my friend Andrea and she picked out cards for the sets. She said she couldn't decided on which cards because she liked them all. She didn't seem upset about not being able to win a prize of these, but then again why would she be when she can go through my card stash anytime she wants! HA HA HA....but seriously.........SHE DOES!

Don't forget to click the pictures if you want to see more detail. I hope you guys can use the files!

Mini Lunchbox Alteration

I am finally getting around to posting the cut files for the Dollar Tree mini lunch boxes! I have the cut file for LUNCHBOX PS, which is set on the 12x12 mat and THE LUNCHBOX GEO, which is set on the 12x6 mat. The mats are labeled according to the cut. You will easily be able to cover a lunch box with one sheet of double sided paper. I wouldn't advise trying to move the cuts around for the rims or sides since it kept giving me the dreaded red X of death! *okie wishes Design Studio would stop that #@%$!*.

What took me so long to post the cut files is that I wanted to do a video tutorial so you guys can see how easy it is to alter these. I really gotta learn to talk faster or work faster one, not sure which. I keep having to edit like 4-5 minutes out of my videos *okie thinks she will just blame it on the director*. Anyway, I hope you guys can use the cut file! It really does make it easier.

WINTER WOODLAND WINNER!!

I told my friend to pick a number between 1-219 and he chose 58! So the person who was the 58th person to post is the winner of the Winter Woodland Cartridge.....and some extra little goodies!!

That person is.......

Helen said...

Okie you are too funy!! I love to see all your creations and read your posts!

Thanks for sharing--I would love to own Winter Woodlands.

November 15, 2009 12:06 PM

Helen, please email me at ****** so I can get your information!

Mini Lunch box tins...who got some

Did any of you guys get the mini lunch box tins from Dollar Tree? I got a few *okie laughs at saying a few* and started altering last night. I did a cut file for covering the tin that I need to tweak just a bit. If any of you got the tin let me know and I will post the cut file tonight. It includes cuts for the top, bottom, side and lid side. The cuts are there for where the latch is, which is a pain in the hiney when trying to cut by hand.

Uhh...it's over

*okie peeks around the corner with a puzzled look on her face and scratches her head* What? You guys are still here? Look at the time folks it is 2:15 am Sunday morning. It's over! Go away now there is nothing else to see! *okie shoos away the readers looking* Now go away and let me sleep....*okie starts to walk off, looks over her shoulders* My guest designer spot is over, and now it is Susan and Jeannie's turn. Go now.....go on.....*okie shakes head and sighs deeply*

*okie starts to walk down the hall and looks back* SERIOUSLY FOLKS! GO AWAY NOW!

*okie walks a few more steps and stops suddenly* OOHH MMYY GGOOSSSHHH!! I know why ya'll are still here! *okie starts to grin* It's about the giveaway huh!!

*okie walks back to the screen* Okay here's the dealeo folks. I am giving away a Winter Woodland cartridge. Yep...absolutely free I tell you. Oh yes and if the lucky winner lives over seas, guess what...I will ship international! Also I will be throwing in a few little surprise goodies! All you have to do is comment on THIS POST to be eligible. The drawing will close on Tuesday at noon central time *seems appropriate since it is okie's time*.

Oh and I will not be posting this on the Cricut messageboard. I want my regular readers to have a better shot at winning, plus I want to see who is paying attention *okie cracks up laughin*! Thanks so much to all of you for the wonderful comments this last week on my projects!

Please enter only once. I have to approve comments before they are posted so it may take awhile for your comment to be visible.

Crafty Gift - My final Christmas With The Cricut project

It's Crafty Gift Saturday and this is my final time posting for Christmas With The Cricut. I have enjoyed being a guest designer with Barb aka Snowmanlover and have loved all the projects she has made this week! Make sure you check out her projects also at Snowmanlovers Paperie. I would like to thank the ladies over at CWTC for believing I was talented enough to be a guest designer for their blog.

For my crafty gift I decided to do an altered tin. Ya'll know I love me some altered tins!! This particular one is a Stampin Up skinny tin *okie wonders if anyone else sees a tin and automatically starts thinking of how they can decorate it*.

You will need to click on the picture to see the details better.

The theme I used was Christmas candy recipes and I decided to put "Oh Sweet Christmas" on the outside of the tin. I made a set of 12 recipe cards that go inside the tin.

I once again used the Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses paper line *okie wonders if anyone noticed the theme all week and then laughs at her silly self*.


To cover the tin I cut the paper slightly larger than the measurement of the tin. I then went along as close as I could with my Cutterbee scissors and then followed up with my Basic Grey file kit to sand the paper down to the edge. The font for "Oh Sweet Christmas" is Winter Woodland, as are the snowflakes and branch. I added light blue rhinestones and doodled with a SU marker on the snowflakes. For the branch I used Kaiser flat back pearls for the berries. The dots on the title are done with the Signo UM-153 white gel pen. The inked edges are done with Cat Eye Dark Brown Chalk Ink.



I will be using this as a prize at my Christmas party *okie knew she better keep the recipes simple since she figures only 2 of her guests own candy thermometers*. I found some of my favorite candy recipes and printed them on MS word *okie wonders if anyone is interested in doing this project since she saved the recipes in MS Word* and trimmed to 1/8" from the wording. I used Mini Monograms for the card bases and mats. I used Winter Woodland for the decorative cuts. I didn't get to pop dot as much as I generally do since the tin is not quite 1" thick.

I did get to pop dot on the front though and thank goodness *okie wipes hand across brown*, I sure don't want to go through pop dot withdrawl! I heard it ain't pleasant at all!! You can see the detailing a bit better in this picture also. Don't ya'll just love Kaiser Pearls!?! *okie grins nodding head up and down like an idiot*. I think some maroon pearls might have looked better but I since I didn't have maroon I had to go with what I had, which was the opal color.

There are so many things I can think of to do with these cute little tins!



I want to thank all of you for your support and wonderful comment this week. It has been a joy reading each and every one of them! I was nervous about the video but with all the positive comments I got I think I will probably be making more in the future.

******************UPDATE - FILES AVAILABLE*********************************

I didn't include the .cut file or recipe file at first because I wasn't sure anyone would want to make one of these since I did it specifically for my recipes that I printed and cut. But after some of the comments I received I thought I would make the files available along with a few instructions.

CANDY RECIPE TIN - click to download the .cut file. It uses Winter Woodland and Mini Monograms. The first 2 mats are for reference only for placement ideas. Since the recipes measure differently I made each cut for that specific recipe card. Of course feel free to play with it however you wish. All the other mats are labeled according to what they are. The abbreviations are for the recipes themselves and are follows:

1st mat (do not cut)- Christmas Peppermint Candy, Butterscotch Haystacks, Rocky Road Fudge, White Chocolate Party Mix

2nd mat (do not cut) - Eskimo Snowballs, Easy Oreo Truffles, Rum Balls, No-Cook Divinity

3rd mat - cut 1, it's scallop mats for the card base for the following recipes...Ho Ho Snowballs, Peanut Butter Balls, Coconut BonBons, Kahlua Cocoa Balls

Card base - cut 3
Card mat - cut 2 (the scallop mat finishes out the card mats)

All other mats are labeled by color. Of course you don't have to follow the design with the colors or the specific cuts. Just remember not to make your cuts too big.

Also you won't be able to popdot or embellish too heavy since the tin isn't quite an inch thick. I did minimal decoration on several of the cards to keep the overall thickness down.

EASY CHRISTMAS CANDY RECIPES - click to download the recipes. There are 3 sheets for a count of 12 recipes. You will want to trim the recipes 1/8" from the wording. I used a quilting ruler to do mine.

I hope you guys enjoy making this project! I know it sounds like it might be complicated but it really isn't. HAVE FUN!

Need help!!! downloading files

Evidently there are some download issues with some of my files right now. If you have been able to download please leave a comment and let me know. If you have tried to download but haven't been able to please leave a comment and let me know which file you were trying to download. I will try and get this straightened out this afternoon. Thanks so much!