Welcome Penguin Cottage Box

Happy Monday and Welcome to Penguin Cottage!  Today I am sharing my Welcome project for my new neighbor, which just also happens to be this week’s Bitten by the Bug 2 project… Two birds (penguins!!); one stone!  This week’s challenge cut was the Penguin from Jolly Holidays, but I do not have that cartridge so I used the penguin from Joys of the Season. 

I used three cartridges to create the completed box - Joys of the Season for the Penguin, Sweet Tooth Boxes for the box, and Cindy Loo for the word "Welcome".  I cut the house box so that it filled the 12 x 12 mat.  The house was much easier to assemble than many of the previous Cricut building that I have assembled.  Also, the house actually has many details that I omitted (flowers and flower boxes).   And like always, assembly instructions are available in the back of your manual!

I made it so that my penguin is actually a card which opens while still attached to the side of the house – a built in To:/From: card.   I welded two of the penguin shadow cut together to serve as the base card.  I used a light blue damask cardstock to cut the base layer of the penguin and I used a Swiss dot textured cardstock to cut the “coat”.  I covered the black cardstock with black Stickles.

I cut the word “Welcome” from Cindy Loo.  The word was cut to fit across the roof top.  The roof was cut in the same textured Swiss Dot cardstock as the penguin coat and was hand doodled in silver gel pen (my favorite white gel pen died just when I really needed it)!

I finished my Sweet Tooth box by attaching the penguin to the side and tying a fun green polka dot ribbon around the box. All I have left to do is fill the box with brownies and deliver it to my new neighbors!!

I will be at the lake this week with my scrappy girlfriends which means I will be “borrowing” Internet signal from the neighbors at the lake house. I will have several new projects to share, including an unusual bridal shower card. Hopefully everything will post.

Blessings Card with Ornamental Iron & Cindy Loo

I have been spending my days at home lately so I have no reason to feel like "Thank Goodness It's Friday" (TGIF), but I do!  This has just been one of those weeks where no less than three mornings I was convinced it was Saturday... Then I fully woke up!  Seriously. 

I made this Blessings card back on Monday, but I am just now getting it posted.  I used three cartridges - Just Because Cards, Cindy Loo (for the word Blessings) and Ornamental Iron (the frame).  I had intended this to be a sympathy card, but I realized given my color choices it would be a wonderful first communion card, Christening card, etc. 

I wanted to give you a close up of the Ornamental Iron frame.  This is just one layer of a multi-layer cut, but it works so well well as a decorative frame.  I used a muted color printed cardstock behind the frame and matted both on lime green cardstock. 

I used three different flowers and a brad to create the floral embellishment.

I ran the ribbon under the lime green layer, around the top layer of the card and tied the ends into a simple square knot.  I thought my edges were too small for a bow - though I usually prefer a bow!

I stamped a simple phrase inside the card using my Theresa Collins phrase stamps.  The phase is stamped on white cardstock, matted on a pink print and adhered to the inside of the card. 

I will be back tomorrow with a new project to share - it will be the third Saturday of the month and that means it is my day on Everyday Cricut (love Joy and Melanie and their site)!!

Cricut Birthday Bash - Third and Final Layout

Wow, was yesterday a fun day, or what?  Are all of you as tired as I am?  I am going to confess to taking a late afternoon half hour nap to get through the evening! 

I was super exited to have won an Expression II first thing yesterday morning!  I could not believe that I went to bed after 2:00 am and got up at 6:00 am to watch more HSN and interact with Provo Craft on FB.  Imagine my shock when they posted the 6:20 am winner and it was me?  I was on the phone with MFK (my friend Kathy), who I had just awakened.  She had been up until 3:00 am watching HSN!  I felt horrid for waking her - she is almost always up very early - but she says it was okay since she was talking to me when I won.  What a good sport and GREAT friend!!

Today's layout is the third of the three I entered into the Birthday Contest.  This design took a design from my data disc DVD set and incorporated a few changes to come up with the Cricut Birthday layout.  (So is anyone like me and wondering WHAT PC plans to do with almost 500 birthday layouts?).   I used Imaginesce Birthday Bash cardstock along with Bazzill and glitter cardstock to create this layout. 

The decorative background piece was created in Design Studio using a cut from Cindy Loo, welded together multiple times to form a square.  I used medium weight glitter cardstock and multi-cut the page two times.

Similar to my Cricut birthday layout, I had fun with a birthday hat.  I thought the number 5 needed a birthday hat topper.

I finished the layout with a few gemstones, doodles, ribbons, and Imaginesce birthday candles and chipboard circle.  I cut a flower and mounted the circle on top.  I used a thick line of zip-dry glue to hold the candles on the corners. 

Thanks for stopping by today and thank you for all of the kind wishes from yesterday!!  I will be back tomorrow with a new - NON-birthday project! 

I read yesterday now that the Expression II release is over we all have to move on to the Royal Wedding (both being historic events and all!!).  Well, more on this later in the week but.... MFK is having the girls over on Friday morning (arriving at her home between 4-6 am) for a royal wedding bash!  I'll keep you posted......

Cricut Circle Crop - Atlanta

Hello everyone.  I am here in Atlanta getting ready for the first ever Atlanta Cricut Circle Crop!!!  Can you say EXCITED???  Thursday night I met 18 other women who are also victims of this horridly addictive disease we call CRICUT!  Yes, every one of them is totally and completely Cricut addicted!!

Susan in SC, from the Cricut Message board, and I joined a large group for dinner at Carrabas and then a smaller group for dessert at the cheesecake factory.  (Little side note:  how does one remember the difference between desert and dessert?  Dessert has two S's and you know you always want more dessert than you want desert.  Okay that was our lesson for the night).   I am stuffed and I suspect I will have to live on water, fruits and veggies next week as all of my weight watchers points have been spent!

Back the the Circle Crop.... The last I heard there are 44 or so of us attending.  Theresa Collins will be popping in to share her latest kit with us and walk us through assembly.  Provo Craft has promised great door prizes and loads of fun. 

Two FABULOUS women from the MB arranged the group dinners (yes, I said dinnerS - there is another Friday night) and a couple of swaps.  There are two swaps - a goodie bag swap and a ribbon swap.  I brought 25 one yard lengths of Stampin' Up ribbon to trade in the ribbon swap.  And I made (with the much appreciated and enjoyed help of MFK and her sister Kimberly) 50 3.3 inch boxes to hold the circle trading cards.  Since everyone is supposed to bring 3x3 cards I thought they could use boxes in which to store their cards.  The boxes are my contribution to the goodie bag exchange. 

The boxes were a quick cut on the 12 x 12 mat using George and Basic Shapes, some quick pre-marked scoring, a Cricut Circle logo on the front and my signature stamp watermarked onto the bottom of the box.

Best of all, I designed the box so that it only needs two lines of glue to hold it together!!

My 3 x 3 Circle Trading Cards were created using my computer and printer, as well as the Cindy Loo cartridge.  I don't know WHAT I would have done without Kathy's and Kimberly's assistance on assembling the cards.  The Cindy Loo cut was a challenge to cut this small.  After Kathy and Kimberly left I finished the cards by adding gems using my I-Rock gem setter and color on the bird and some leaves with Copic markers.    The back side of the card has my name and Busy with the Cricky information.

I will keep you posted on  how the Cricut Crop developes..... I am so ready for all of the fun!!!  I must dash off now as I do not want to miss a thing!!!