Jenn's Scrapbook Nook

Layout for October Afternoon Sketchy Thursday

2012-01-22T14:46:00.000-06:00

I decided to participate in this week's sketch challenge from the October Afternoon blog. Here is a video with my take on the sketch:

Thanks for stopping by today!!

Scrapping with Cell Phone Photos!

2012-01-17T13:56:00.000-06:00

A video to share a few layouts made with cell phone photos to hopefully inspire you to get those iphone photos printed and into your albums!

Scrap-Mart.com Holiday Blog Hop!

2011-12-10T09:27:00.001-06:00

Hello Crafting Friends! In case you weren't aware Scrap-Mart is hosting a holiday blog hop with FANTASTIC prizes, including an Autographed Vagabond machine, a $500 Spellbinders bundle, and a Boss Kut Gazelle!! Check out Scrap-Mart.com blog for all the details!!

Here are a couple of peeks of one of my projects for the hop - visit the Scrap-Mart.com Blog for all the details (click image to enlarge)!

Be sure to check out the hop and enter to win the fabulous prizes!! Thanks for stopping by today and Happy Crafting!

Preparing for Adventure!

2011-11-11T21:05:00.003-06:00

Happy Friday everyone! Just a quick post to share a layout I completed this evening using my Sizzix eClips machine, Tim Hotlz die and October Afternoon papers...

[click image to enlarge - excuse the shadows from my scanner!]

The "adventure" title was cut from the Sizzix eClips Vacation cartridge and the yellow and green borders were cut with the Sizzix eClips Edges cartridge (hello my new favorite cartridge!). The kraft tab and tags are all from the Tim Holtz for Sizzix Tiny Tabs & Tags die. The stamping on the tags was done with The Stamps of Life Lines2Journal (fits perfectly) and Minis4Circles sets. The stickers are October Afternoon. Thanks for stopping by tonight and Happy Crafting!!

Birds of a Feather....

2011-11-08T20:33:00.001-06:00

Ok, prepare to say Awwww..... Just a quick post to share a simple layout showcasing our new siberian husky puppies, Luke and Lexi - aren't they cute?!?

[click image to enlarge]

The papers and stickers are all from the Amy Tangerine line from American Crafts. The feathers and photo corners are Quickutz die cuts. Thanks so much for stopping by today and Happy Crafting!

Updates!!

2011-10-23T20:40:00.005-05:00

Well Hello Hello Crafting friends - it's about time for a post now, don't you think?!? I just returned from the Creating Keepsakes Convention in Kansas City where I got to help out in the Scrap-Mart.com booth and had a fantastic time! I am so inspired to get some scrapbook pages done now - I just need to clean out the ole nook and get some pages done!
I have been creating though, and shot a couple of videos over the last month that I uploaded on youtube but haven't posted here yet. I kept meaning to take photos but that hasn't happened yet, so here are the videos...the first is a layout using a sketch from the Shmielle.com website:

Just Keep Swimming Layout & Video

2011-09-12T12:06:00.001-05:00

Hello crafting friends - today I have a double page scrapbook layout to share with you.

[click image to enlarge]

I created this layout with Bo Bunny paper, the Cricut Lite Four Legged Friends cartridge and the Creative Memories border punch system. Here is a video showing how the page came together:

Thanks for stopping by today and happy crafting!!

Inspired by Amy Tangerine...

2011-09-08T10:46:00.003-05:00

Ever since I signed up for Amy Tan's online class, I've been hoarding the Amy Tangerine supplies I purchased. But I couldn't wait to use them, so I put together a fun and whimsical layout this evening. Here is a video showing the details:

And here is the page [click image to enlarge]:

As usual, my scanner cut off about 1/4 of an inch on the bottom - I promise that I really do make my borders even LOL! Someday I will get a true 12" scanner. Thanks so much for stopping by today and Happy Crafting!!

A Peek Into My Nook!!

2011-08-31T22:12:00.003-05:00

Here is a quick video I made to show my friend Katie how I store paper in my Ikea Expedit shelves and I gave a quick overview of my Nook (excuse the current mess!).

Thanks for watching!!

A Simple Scrapbook Layout

2011-08-23T21:47:00.006-05:00

Hi cyber crafting friends!! I have a quick layout and video (gasp - yes I said video - I know it's been forever!) to share with you today.

And here is the completed layout - can you believe I didn't use a single die cut on this page?!?

[click image to enlarge]

Thanks so much for stopping by today and Happy Crafting!!

It's been awhile...

2011-08-14T22:36:00.004-05:00

...since I have updated my blog. Summer craziness took over and now that we are headed into the new school year I hope to have more time to craft. Emma's Throwback Thursday challenge was the perfect way to get my mojo flowing. The challenge was to use a "retired" Cricut cartridge on a project. So here is my layout:

I actually used 3 retired cartridges on this page: Camp Out (trees); Pooh Font (title); and Soccer (sunshine). I cut the background shape with my new Creative Memories wavy square template - I love that template design. The paper is from American Crafts. The scan cut off a bit of the bottom, so the border is even all around, but you get the idea. Thanks so much for the inspiration Emma and thanks to all who stop by!! Happy Crafting!!

Family Layered Layout

2011-06-27T21:16:00.002-05:00

Hi Crafting Friends!! Just popping in to share a simple layout with you today. Don't you just love when you get a great family photo?! I like to use one picture from the year on the cover page of my family scrapbooks (yes, I keep annual scrapbooks - I am an orderly person and just have to go in order - lol!).

[click image to enlarge]

I wish I could say this is how we always look, but let's just say there is a reason it is going on the front page of the album - haha.

For this layout, I used the Sizzix Big Shot Pro Ribbon Square die for the background. The title was cut on my Silhouette, and the sub-title is a Quickutz 4x8 font called Rollerskate (it is mounted on the Tim Holtz for Sizzix Hanging Sign die tucked under the title and photo). The patterned paper is Marrakech by Basic Grey.

Thanks so much for stopping by today and Happy Crafting!!

In a Pinch? Try some Pre-Designed Paper!

2011-05-18T08:30:00.003-05:00

Wow - it's been a crazy month and my poor blog has been neglected - so sorry!! When I'm short on time for scrapping, I love to grab some pre-designed background paper to serve as a foundation for my layout. It's like adding a layer of dimension for free...lol. It's like Soup Starter for scrapbook pages (what ever happened to Soup Starter anyway?...)

For this layout, I started with the postage stamp paper from the For the Record collection. I trimmed down the green graph paper and punched the edge with a Stampin' Up notebook punch. I added another layer of patterned paper as a 'belly band' and mounted my photo so part of it would stick out of the green graph paper. The arrangement of papers and photos adds visual interest (at least I think so!). The fonts here are Quickutz Banana Split and Diesel.

[click image to enlarge]

For my next layout (of my precious pup Tabitha!) I started with a Bo Bunny bracket shape background and mounted it on top of a coordinating patterned paper. All I needed to add to finish the page was a few swirly flourishes from the recent Quicktuz Yearbook release - love those swirls) and a bold title cut from a retired Quickutz font called Stardust. Waterfall Stickles added some sparkle too! My scanner is not a full 12" and the image was off a bit from the scan, so the edges are a bit cropped off, but you get the idea - lol!

[click image to enlarge]

Thanks so much for stopping by today and Happy Crafting!!

Spring Has Sprung!

2011-04-01T16:23:00.009-05:00

Well April marks my last month serving on the Club Ruby Design Team. I will stick around as an occasional guest designer there, but I hope to spend more time catching up on my personal pages. Here is a double page layout I created with the fabulous April kit - the papers are so happy!

[click image to enlarge]

I can't put all the details here but you can check them out at Club Ruby.

I also had The Posh Box give my blog a bit of a makeover to convert to a 2 column style instead of a 3 column - this will allow me to post larger photos and videos so they are easier to see. Thanks for stopping by today and Happy Crafting!!

Just a Quick One-Pager...

2011-03-28T08:12:00.006-05:00

...to share with you on this Monday morning!

[click image to enlarge]

The papers and stickers are from Basic Grey's Lime Ricky collection - one of my favorites! The green is Bo Bunny double dot. I cut the title using Quickutz Chick-a-Dee font and my Silhouette using the font from the Jingle portfolio. Hope your week is off to a great start!!

Color Challenge Layout

2011-03-22T14:09:00.007-05:00

If you are in the mood for a challenge, check out the color challenge on the Club Ruby blog today. Here is my take on it...

[click image to enlarge]

The title is from a Sizzix Christmas Decorative Strip die. The little mice are from the Cricut Winter Frolic cartridge. They are just too cute but took several tries before I could get them to cut clean.

I used patterned papers I had left over from the December Club Ruby kit. Thanks for stopping by today and Happy Crafting!!

Bird's Eye View Layout

2011-02-27T15:31:00.007-06:00

Ok, as promised - here is the double-page layout I mentioned in my last post and a video of how I put it together. Enjoy!!

And here is a photo of the final layout...

[click image to enlarge]

Thanks for stopping by today and Happy Crafting!!

Bring Back Double Page Layouts!

2011-02-25T14:06:00.005-06:00

Just as I was complaining to myself of only seeing single page scrapbook layouts on my nightly blog hopping routine, I realized my own blog has been guilty of this very offense {gasp}. Don't get me wrong, I love single page layouts, but the majority of my scrapbooks are filled with double page spreads, so I want to make sure my blog reflects my actual scrapbooking. SO....
I started working on a two page layout last night and then decided I would video the process. A typical page for me - lots of photos, some memorabilia, and just a couple of die cut embellishments to accent the memory. Not too complex. Baseball theme (no surprise there...hehe). Hopefully I'll finish the spread and video to post sometime over the weekend. So stay tuned double page layout friends!

Jack-A-Razzi Layout!

2011-02-19T09:30:00.006-06:00

I love this photo of my son - I changed it to black & white to avoid cluttering the image. For my layout, I used the new Spellbinders Sprokets dies to add movement along the page. The Tim Holtz for Sizzix Filmstrip and Chip Block dies added the perfect accents to my layout. You could use the Sizzix Tim Holtz gears for this as well.

[click image to enlarge]

My brother-in-law snapped this photo of my son Jack during my niece Claire's baptism (see last layout post). I gave Jack my camera to get some photos and boy did he take the job to heart!! I plan to add my journaling about the day on the film strip openings. The paper here is from October Afternoon's Thrift Shop line. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Crafting!

Godparents Again!

2011-02-12T11:45:00.002-06:00

Happy Saturday everyone! Ok, here is another baptism layout, but this time for my niece and now Godchild, Claire. Isn't she darling!? I used the February Club Ruby Kit for this layout - the papers and embellies in the kit are fabulous!

[click image to enlarge]

I can only post a pic here, so check out Club Ruby for all the details! Thanks for stopping by today and Happy Crafting!

Helllooooo......

2011-01-26T15:59:00.008-06:00

I hope you are all doing better on your resolutions than I am!! Wow - January is passing quicker than I can keep up!! My first baby turned 11 (gasp!), I had a fabulous vacation with my family at Universal Studios (look for Harry Potter layouts soon - lol) and the Steelers are headed to the Super Bowl (again)! Life is good. Here are a couple of projects I've been working on lately:

[click to enlarge]

This is my niece and now god-daughter, Brooke - isn't she precious?! I worked off of this sketch and changed it up a bit. The patterned paper is Pink Paisley and the solid/washed look paper is Basic Grey. I used my Sizzix Eclips Special Occasions cartridge for the 'Baptism' title, and Quickutz Banana Split font for 'Brooke's'. The curly border is a Sizzix Sizzlet decorative strip and the cross is from Spellbinders. I added stickles to border and cross for a bit of dazzle.

Next up is a cute Valentine's Day card (look at me working ahead!!) - I am not a big card maker so I am always tickled when I love how a card turns out.

[click image to enlarge]

The base of the card was made using Spellbinders Scalloped Hearts and regular Hearts nestabilities. I cut the larger scalloped heart 'on the fold' to convert it to a card. The layered plain heart helps to hide the seam. The tiny cupid and arrow are from the Quickutz Cookie Cutter Love Shapes set. I glued on a sprinkling of mica flakes and inked the edges for effect. The stamp is a Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous ticket stamp that first perfectly onto the Spellbinders fancy label! Thanks for stopping by today and happy crafting!!

New Year, New Resolutions!

2011-01-05T16:40:00.004-06:00

So raise your hand if one of your New Year's resolutions is to post on your blog more frequently - can you see mine held up high and waving? LOL! Ok, so along with that goal, I am also hoping to include more sketches. There is something thereaputic about putting together a sketch for me, and I sketch out just about every layout either before I put it together (now sometimes it turns out to look nothing like the sketch but that is where I start from), or after if I like how a layout turned out and want to use it for future reference. That is what I did in this case. So here is a page I completed for this month's Club Ruby kit - which is totally awesome by the way! Check out Club Ruby for all the details of how I put this together.

[click image to enlarge]

And here is the sketch I am adding to my file (notice I changed the karate theme to soccer so I won't be stuck thinking of the sketch specific to the page I created and added a 'belly band' across the pages to better tie them together)...

So what are your crafty resolutions? In addition to posting on my blog more frequently and adding more sketches, I intend to improve my photography skills. Oftentimes when I see a layout that "wow's me", it is the photos that catch my attention first. I got a Nikon D7000 for my birthday a few months ago and a nifty Crumpler camera bag for Christmas so I have no excuses - lol!!
Thanks for stopping by today and happy crafting!!

Sweet Little Peppermints

2010-12-11T08:32:00.004-06:00

The papers in December's Club Ruby kit are delicious!! Here is a peek of one of my projects, check out Club Ruby for the details!

Check out Club Ruby for the details. The icon in the left column will link you to my gallery page over there too. Happy Crafting!!

Drum Roll Please...........

2010-12-10T07:39:00.004-06:00

All of the winners for the fantastic prizes from the Scrap-Mart Holiday Blog Hop are announced today over on the Scrap-Mart Blog!!! The winners of the prizes offered on my blog are: (1) haasken who wins the Seasonal Cartridge and Tool kit and she said..."Great pages. I am so thankful to see that I am note the only one with a die cut machine fetish. Thank you." and (2) Krissynae who wins the All Occasions Cartridge and she said..."That is soooo adorable. The little moose is so cute." Congrats ladies and Everyone check out the Scrap-Mart blog for all the winners and details!! Thanks to all who left a comment on my post, I was overwhelmed by the number and kind words!!

Holiday Blog Hop!!

2010-12-03T07:47:00.010-06:00

WELCOME blog-hoppers to my stop on the Scrap-Mart Holiday Blog Hop!! My projects today use the cutest-ever Reindeer from the Sizzix ECLIPS Holiday Cartridge - how can you not be jolly when you look at her?? I used a few other Eclips cartridges as well: Christmas & Traditions for "Merry Christmas"; Starter & Rockin' Janie for the scallop frames; & Seasonal for "Be Jolly". For the snow curve, I used the Quickutz Clothesline die.

[click image to enlarge]

The patterned paper is from October Afternoon. I accented my reindeer with my Copic Warm Gray #2 marker, and added gems and stickles to the bows (after all, you can't have a holiday project without Stickles!) Here are a couple of close-ups...

[click image to enlarge]

I love the crisp, clean cuts I get with the Eclips - precision cutting every time! I am pleased to announce that SIZZIX is one of the blog hop sponsors and they have donated the following PRIZES today: (1) Sizzix Eclips Seasonal Cartridge with Tool Kit; and (2) Sizzix Eclips All Occasions Cartridge!! Leave a comment on my blog below by Sunday to be eligible to win one of these prizes. Don't forget to comment on every blog in the hop to be considered for grand prizes too! We will announce the lucky winners next Friday! Thanks so much for stopping by - Now hop on over to the next stop - the SIZZIX BLOG to check out what inspiration they have in store for you today!!

Sizzix Eclips Layouts

2010-11-28T19:52:00.005-06:00

I've been able to get a little scrapping in this weekend, in between shopping episodes (lol) and have a couple of Eclips layouts to share. I'm a fairly simple scrapper, and I love how quickly my pages come together with the Eclips. All cuts are from the Boy and Girl Cartridge (one of my favorites!).

[click image to enlarge]

The white colors in the scan are distorted, they really do match better IRL - the backgound on this one was a scallop background Sizzix Bigz Pro die cut on my Big Shot Pro machine - love that machine! Thanks for stopping by today and Happy Crafting!

Fall Layouts for Club Ruby!

2010-11-22T21:26:00.008-06:00

The November Club Ruby kit uses Imaginesce papers which I just adore. Here are my latest layouts:

See all the details by visiting Club Ruby! Happy Crafting!

Imagine JT Coolness

2010-11-05T12:50:00.003-05:00

Ok, so how cool is the Cricut Imagine JT Cartridge??? Way cool if you ask James - he helped make the dragon cut and design this karate page.

[click image to enlarge]

I made this for Emma and Sarah's Imagine-Nation blog challenge and the only rule was to use polka-dots. First, I had printed the entire background page in the red dot pattern from the JT cartridge (love that I can print a whole sheet of paper now with the latest Imagine update), but that was just too polka-dotty for James. I have to admit the page looked a whole lot better with just a strip of dots and the black background. The orange paper is Basic Grey which coordinated perfectly. The Kanji character tags were cut from the Cricut Pagoda cartridge and mean 'strength' which I thought was appropriate here.
ETA: My finished Double Page Layout (click to enlarge):

Thanks for stopping by today and Happy Crafting!!

Look - More Halloween!!

2010-11-05T11:06:00.001-05:00

I'm on a roll with my Halloween photos - still loving the red wood paper from October Afternoon Seaside!

[click image to enlarge]

I found this cool tree on the Sizzix Eclips Holiday Cartridge and it worked perfectly here to showcase my new favorite Owl cut with the Sizzix Medium Owl die. I cut him in white cardstock (except for the feet and nose) and colored him with my Copic markers to achive a 'feathered' look. I used my Silhouette to design and cut the title, using a true type font called "Harry P". If you look closely at the photos, you can see that I also used my Silhouette and that font to decorate my son's trick-or-treat bag with his name. Thanks so much for stopping by today and Happy Crafting!!

Halloween Parade Layout

2010-11-01T20:50:00.001-05:00

Wow - this may be a record - I've already started scrapping my Halloween photos - and yes, the ones from this year!!

[click image to enlarge]

This page went together so quickly - the title was cut on my Sizzix Eclips machine using the Starter cartridge. The papers are from October Afternoon (red wood background from Seaside, and stripe from Weathervane). The mini market letter stickers are also October Afternoon. I have used a variation of this simple page arrangement many times - it is one of my 'go-to' sketches. I hope everyone had a great Halloween! Thanks so much for stopping by today and Happy Scrapping!!

It's Almost Halloween!!!

2010-10-26T08:09:00.009-05:00

It's Almost Halloween!! Are you ready?? Here is a cute treat bag I made for the Scrap-Mart blog today. When I saw Sizzix release this cute little Owl die, I knew I had to have it!! So many "owl" designs on the market today are 'cutesy' and this struck me as totally different - perfect for fall, Halloween, Legend of the Guardians or Harry Potter projects!! I decorated him up with my Copic Spica glitter markers and set him atop a cut from the Quickutz Starry Night border die. To finish off the treat bag, I cut a ticket from the Tim Holtz for Sizzix Ticket decorative strip and stamped my sentiment with a coordinating Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous stamp. Cute little treat bags like this go together in a flash - and because the Owl die is a Sizzix original die, you can cut multiple sheets of paper at one time.

Thanks for stopping by today and Happy Crafting everyone!!

Cricut Imagine Gift Box

2010-10-24T21:06:00.006-05:00

Wow - I've completed 2 of Emma's challenges in one week!! This one was for the first ever Imagine-Nation Monday event sponsored by Emma (www.CreativeTimeForMe.com) and Sarah (www.PinkCricut.com) - I hope to join in on these challenges as much as I can to get more comfortable with this machine. Although I have to say the Imagine is very easy to use. The challenge was to create anything with your Imagine and incorporate a stamped image. Here is my creation (click image to enlarge):

The patterns were already incorporated into this design as one of the bonus features on the 'Imagine More Cards' Cartridge, so I just had my Imagine print and cut, then I put the box together. I added a prima flower and jewel to the closure, incorporated a stamped sentiment from My Pink Stamper's Simply Sweet Occasions set, and finished it off with some lavender ribbon. This went together oh-so-quickly and will be great for those last minute hostess or teacher gifts!! Thanks for stopping by today and Happy Crafting!!

Cricut Tennis Layout

2010-10-22T10:02:00.008-05:00

I've intended to participate in one of Emma's Throwback Thursday challenges for months now (www.CreativeTimeForMe.com), but never seemed to have a good idea in time for the deadline. Well this week's challenge was all about sports - use the Cricut Sports Mania cartridge on a project. Hello! That is right up my alley living in this locker room! So here is what I created (note that my scanner cuts off a bit of the bottom edge and adds a shadow because it is not a full 12", but you get the idea!):

[click image to enlarge]

Of course I couldn't participate in one of Emma's challenges without using my Gypsy, so I used it to create and weld the title and border. The Tennis Racquet and Tennis Ball border are from the Sports Mania Cartridge and the font is from Plantin Schoolbook. The background paper is Jillibean Soup and the yellow is Bo Bunny Double Dot in buttercup. Thanks to Emma for the inspiration and challenge! Happy Crafting Everyone!

Club Ruby Projects!

2010-10-17T18:38:00.017-05:00

If you haven't checked out Club Ruby yet, what are you waiting for? Club Ruby offers a monthly kit, fabulous inspiration, and a wonderful community of crafters. I can't post the details of projects I've designed for the club here, but I can post sample photos. Visit Club Ruby for all the details.

If you like what you see, check out Club Ruby today!!

Double Page Baseball Layout

2010-10-08T07:27:00.006-05:00

Every now and then I create a layout that I am just so happy with how it turned out - it is a great feeling. This layout is one of those for me...

[click image to enlarge]

The patterned papers are from Pink Paislee - Starlight and an older Christmas collection. The scalloped circle provided a great background and if you look closely, you can see the definition right above the far left pic is for "tourney" which is exactly where these photos were taken! For my embellishments, I used the original Sizzix Star Die and several Sizzix Decorative Strips. The Tim Holtz ticket die and Stampers Anonymous coordinating stamps made great journal spots. The pinking trim is from the Sizzix Decorative Strip Circles and Triangles die. The red letters in the title were cut with the Tim Holtz Vintage Marketplace decorative strip die. The 'Royale' word was welded and cut with my Silhouette using a true-type font called Ballpark.

At some point, I am going to add a 'baseball' label to my posts - my blog gets a lot of hits from people searching for baseball layouts. If you have a son that plays baseball, you are probably like me and always on the lookout for new layout ideas so that your pages don't always look the same! Thanks so much for stopping by today and Happy Scrapping!!

Simple Cricut Imagine Layout

2010-10-07T12:59:00.006-05:00

So I got the new Cricut Imagine machine and I'm on the fence as to whether or not I am going to keep it. I love the concept of the machine, but I'm not sure if it is worth the price. Here is a simple layout using the Imagine More cartridge along with the old Stamping Solutions and George cartridges.

[click to enlarge]

Everything was printed and cut on the Imagine, except the background paper which is Bo Bunny double dot. The bottom border is from the Imagine More cartridge, cut as one piece, then I cut the music border layer separately and adhered it to the border with foam tape. Next, I used patterned 'paper' from that cartridge to 'flood fill' the title and guitar shapes from Stamping Solutions as well as a rectangle from George and Basic Shapes. The end result was a simple and FAST page to put together. I'm all for scrapping efficiency!

I'm not a big fan of the artwork that comes on the Imagine cartridges that have been released to date, so I'm thinking I would use the patterns with my existing cartridges more often. I find the machine itself easy to work with - the screen is SO easy to navigate through - I sure wish my Gypsy worked like the on-board screen (wishful thinking for a Gypsy upgrade perhaps?). My one overarching concern is with the ink - it is not good with moisture - I got a drop of water on one image I cut out and the piece was ruined - with good old offset printed patterned paper you buy it would just dry back to normal. So I'm still thinking about the machine and figured I'd share my thoughts. Happy scrapping!!

Another Cub Scout Layout

2010-10-01T21:18:00.003-05:00

Just enjoying my Friday evening in the Nook. We were supposed to be in Kansas City for a soccer tourney this weekend, but Jack broke his hand so we are staying put and I am taking advantage of some unexpected free time! I'm still working on last year's Cub Scout scrapbook layouts. Here is one I just completed.

[click photo to enlarge]

For this layout, I used my Cricut Old West cartridge for the font and Blackletter cartridge for the fleur-de-lis. Papers are by Pink Paislee (woodgrain); Rusty Pickle (stripe) and Basic Grey (background). Simple layout, as so many of mine seem lately, but I like how it turned out. Thanks for stopping by!

Well go figure....

2010-09-30T12:09:00.004-05:00

Two layout ideas - one imagined as fabulous, the other as 'just getting it done'. Once completed, I was disappointed in the one I thought would be fabulous, and was surprisingly pleased with the one I was just going to get done. Go figure! Here is the one I really liked...

[click photo to enlarge]

The patterned paper is by Rusty Pickle (Under the Stars) and the background is Bo Bunny double-dot in olive. I used my Sizzix Eclips machine and the Vacation cartridge for the title and moose cuts - isn't that the cutest moose in the world? Here are some close-ups...

Next is the layout I was a bit disappointed with - I'm ok with it, however, I was hoping it would be fabulous. Maybe someday I will re-do it, but here it is for now...

[click photo to enlarge]

ETA: Ok, I re-did the title just by adding a bit of net/mesh behind it using a Sizzix Rub-On. The title seemed to be 'floating' to me so this gave it some foundation.

The paper is Rusty Pickle again and Basic Grey for the background. The boy fishing silhouette is from the Cricut A Child's Year cartridge, and the bass fish is from the Cricut Camp Out cartridge. The title was cut with the retired Sizzix Wet Paint alphabet.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Have a crafty day!!

Halloween Treat Box!

2010-09-23T14:33:00.002-05:00

It's almost October so that means Halloween is right around the corner. Here is video showing how I put together a cute treat box using the Sizzix Big Shot Pro Milk Carton die, the Sizzix Tulip Garden Decorative Strip die and of course my Sizzix Eclips machine!

And here is the finished project:

I just love the cute Halloween Border shapes available on the Eclips Holiday cartridge! Thanks for stopping by today and Happy Crafting!!

Sizzix Eclips Emerald Cup Layout

2010-09-02T20:26:00.001-05:00

Still loving the Sizzix Eclips machine. Here I used three cartridges: Starter & Rockin' Janie for the title; All Occasions for the trophy; Holiday for the shamrock vines. The black ric-rack was cut with the Sizzix Hello Kitty Ribbons Decorative Strip die. I really love how this page came together.

[click photo to enlarge]

The patterned papers are by October Afternoon (Thrift Shop and Road Trip lines), and the green paper is from the DCWV Shimmer stack. You can't tell too well in the scan, but it has a subtle shimmer/gleen to it and it is lovely IRL. That shimmer paper also cuts like buttah in the Eclips!! Thanks for stopping by today and Happy Crafting!!

Quick Eclips Baseball Layout

2010-08-27T09:46:00.001-05:00

The Sizzix Eclips machine makes cutting embellishments so quick and easy. Here is a simple baseball layout using some Scenic Route papers from my stash (and a blue star paper that I have no idea where it came from..haha). All of the cuts are from the Sizzix Eclips School & Sports cartridge, available at www.Scrap-Mart.com of course!

[click photo to enlarge]

My scanner is not a full 12", so the border is a bit cut off at the bottom - it is even IRL!! Thanks for stopping by today and Happy Scrapping!!

Navy Pier Layout

2010-08-23T08:30:00.004-05:00

Wow - two posts in one day - how about that?!?! I spent some time in my Nook this weekend - mainly organizing but also managed to create a few things.

[click to enlarge]

The pelican element and title are from the Cricut Life's A Beach cartridge, and I welded the title using my Gypsy. A wiggly eye and some stickles for the wing dressed up the pelican:

The Carousel is from the Cricut Lite Carousel cartridge and was a bit of a nightmare to clean up, but in the end it turned out lovely. I'm not sure what I would do without my Basic Grey paper file set!!

The blue patterned paper is from My Mind's Eye Twinkle Twinkle Little Boy, and I found the Wood-Boardwalk patterned paper at Archiver's but I don't remember the brand (it has sharks swimming in water on the back if that helps anyone locate it). Have a crafty day!!

Block Matting

2010-08-23T08:08:00.005-05:00

Block matting is an easy way to get several photos onto one page. Here I simply added larger mats to frame the page, offsetting the photo mat just slightly for interest and to balance out the weight of the page (due to the large end of the bat). I cut the bat on my Sizzix Eclips machine from the School and Sports Cartridge and had my son sign it.

[click to enlarge]

The patterned kraft paper is from the Basic Grey basics collection and the tiny black letter stickers are made by Making Memories.

Here is a quick non-scrap project. My sons attend Catholic School and my oldest's teacher wanted them to put book covers on their Religion books. He said "Mom, that's your department" so I promised to keep it simple and boyish, but I couldn't help but add a touch of glitter!! I used the Sizzix Bigz Ornate Cross and cut the font on my Cricut with the Blackletter Cartridge. The Glitter paper is made my American Crafts - I used a color called "Charcoal" - it is nice and thick and sparkly.

Thanks for stopping by today and Happy Crafting!!

Sizzix Eclips Layout: 1st Day of School

2010-08-15T19:42:00.003-05:00

Ok, are you ready for another Sizzix Eclips video?? Here is a quick scrapbook page I put together using the Eclips this afternoon.

And for the final page, I added a border strip at the bottom and a journaling strip to mark the year at the top.

[click photo to enlarge]

Here is a closeup of the book:

And a closeup of the title:

The papers and border sticker are from an old Becky Higgins School collection I had in my stash. I just love the happy colors! Thanks for stopping by and Happy Crafting!!

Water Balloon Blast!!

2010-08-10T11:54:00.001-05:00

I love these action shots of my boys engaged in a water balloon battle - I wanted to keep the page simple so as not to take away from the photos.

[click photo to enlarge]

The title was cut with the Sizzix Hello Kitty Fluffy font decorative strip, and 'Summer Fun' was cut with the Sizzix decorative strip called Forcast: Hot Summer Fun. I added some white gel pen stiching to both for effect. I also used the Quickutz Water Flourish die and added Stickles for some sparkle. The paper is Creative Memories. Here are a couple of close-ups:

[click photo to enlarge]

Thanks for stopping by today and Happy Crafting!!

Back to School Layout

2010-08-06T08:32:00.001-05:00

I figured since the new school year is almost upon us that I better get last year's photos scrapped!! Here is my little guy, all ready for 1st grade. I can't believe he'll be starting 2nd grade this year. Where has the time gone??

[click photo to enlarge]

The papers are from an old Becky Higgins School collection - if you look closely you will see 'First Grade' appearing above the bottom border. I love the colors in these papers. The title was cut from the Cricut Lite Celebrate with Flourish cartridge - I truly just can't get enough of these layered titles!!! I've used a few of them in my upcoming Club Ruby projects too. Here is a close-up:

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!!

Ok, so I'm not a big card-marker...

2010-08-05T10:45:00.003-05:00

I know, gasp! I do make cards but simple ones. If I have a lot of time to spend on a crafting project, it is usually a scrapbook page! But I've been putting together a few cards lately to showcase some of the products Scrap-Mart.com carries, so I thought I would share them with you. For this card, the die cut Happy Birthday sentiment was done with a Sizzix sizzlit die and I mounted it on cuts from Spellbinders Nesting Lables Three. The polka dot paper is from American Crafts Heat Wave line (love that paper!). I added a few primas and jewels and voila instant birthday card. Oh, the base of the card is a Bazzil die cut paper folded in half that I had in my stash. [click any photo to enlarge]

The base of this next card was cut with the Sizzix Bigz XL Card fronts die - love, love, love this die. The paper is from October Afternoon as is the piggy sticker which I mounted again on Spellbinders Labels Three. The Thanks sentiment was die cut with an old Quickutz phrase cookie cutter set.

Finally, I used the Tim Holtz for Sizzix Woodgrain embossing folder as a background for this card, rubbing it with some chalk for effect. The stamp is from the Unity Stamps Sports Squares collection and I colored it with my Copic markers. Super simple, but this will make a great thank you card for my son to send to his Baseball Coach now that the season has ended.

Thanks so much for checking in today and Happy Crafting!!

Eclips News!!! Have you heard???

2010-07-27T15:24:00.007-05:00

Version 2.0 of the software is soon to be released, as a FREE download, and it contains the following updates (excerpt from News item today found on Sizzix.com):
"Leading off, the eclips Electronic Shape-Cutting Machine undergoes its first exciting update thanks to a FREE software download for existing users this fall at Sizzix.com. Some of the more notable enhancements include:*Scoring: Allows eclips designs to be cut with easy scoring lines for simple folds when using the Albums, Bags & Boxes and Cards & Envelopes cartridges.*Drawing with any pen: With the additional purchase of the eclips Pen Holder, crafters can use virtually any felt tip or ballpoint pen in their eclips Machine to draw a shape. The Pen Holder also accommodates glue pens for drawing shapes in glue, allowing crafters to sprinkle on glitter for a truly dazzling look.*Rotate Designs: Rotates shapes for optimal placement on the material to be cut. Changes in orientation can be made in increments of 1 degree all the way to 360 degrees. This feature dramatically saves paper.*Double Cut: In case the shape wasn’t cut all the way through, the eclips will pass the blade over the cut lines again and re-cut the area to ensure easy removal of the shape.*Adjust Height or Width: Customizes the height or width of a design. Especially useful for cutting phrases or images that demand proportionate precision.*Print2Cut: With the purchase of additional software, crafters can use their home computer and printer to design and print any eclips shape and then load it into the eclips Machine for easy laser locating, positioning and cutting.*In addition, ten more cartridges (sold separately) for the eclips Machine will start shipping to retailers this fall. With new cartridges designed by such prominent industry names as Scrappy Cat, Dena Designs and BasicGrey, crafters will be treated to a diverse offering of cutting-edge choices sure to fire up their creative arsenal."
I am so excited to see these updates in action!!

Catch A Wave!

2010-07-26T10:46:00.000-05:00

Ok, this is one of those layouts that didn't come together as I had envisioned, but I'm happy with it nonetheless. It is bright and cheerful, just as I remember that day...

[click photo to enlarge]

I cut the title in a retired Quickutz font (Venus) in white and used my Copic markers to mimic the colors in the actual ride sign (behind my boys in the photo on the right). The rollercoaster was cut on my Silhouette.

[click photo to enlarge]

The Sun is a combination of a retired Sizzix die layered on top of a Spellbinders Pinking Circle with some dimensional adhesive. I added stickles to the Sun and Ride for effect as well.

[click photo to enlarge]

The colorful patterned paper is from the American Crafts Heat Wave line (love that collection) and the water paper was old Imaginesce from my stash. I used my Creative Memories wavy trimmer to cut the edge of the water paper and also for the journaling strips on the lower right. Thanks so much for checking in today and have a crafty week!!

Crabulous! Layout

2010-07-22T19:16:00.001-05:00

Wow - I can't believe it has been several weeks since I have posted anything here! Life has been busy and I've been working on some projects for Club Ruby that I can't post here (I will be able to post teaser pics once the Club is up and running so watch for those). Anyhow, I just completed a quick and cute and uh, crabulous, layout...

[click photo to enlarge]

I love the bright colors and glittery patterns in the American Crafts Heat Wave paper line - they were perfect for my photo. The oh so cute crab is from the Sizzix Sizzlit Sea Animals set and the font is from the Quickutz Relax Gift Set released last spring. You can't really tell in the photo, but I use DCWV glitter paper for the title. Thanks for checking in today and Happy Crafting!!

Christmas in July

2010-07-05T16:34:00.001-05:00

Well, Christmas scrapbooking in July, that is. Catching up on some layouts and just finished this one, but now that I am looking at the photo, I think I am going to add a couple of rooftop reindeer to the upper right hand side. Here's the layout (sorry about the flash):

[click photo to enlarge]

The patterned paper is by Basic Grey. The journal block was cut from my Tim Holtz Sizzix Edge die (love that die - so many uses for it!). I used my Cricut Christmas Cheer Cartridge for the "Christmas" title and added "Eve" from the Storybook cartridge font. A few dabs of Stickles Glitter Glue finished it off.

I thought this house matched the Basic Grey patterned paper perfectly. It was cut from the Winter Wonderland Cartridge and I embossed the rooftops with a Cuttlebug Embossing folder. More stickles for snow, and I was done.

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a crafty week!

Croquet Anyone??

2010-06-18T13:01:00.005-05:00

At home scrapping on a Friday. My little guy James is home sick today with Strep Throat so I am taking care of him and catching up on some scrapping and blogging.....Here is a simple layout I put together with a variety of supplies

[click photo to enlarge]

and a close up of the title (I just love the BossKut Whoa Nelly font):

I used Jillibean Soup paper for the striped background and layered a Making Memories die cut flower shape from the Flutter collection on top. I inked the outside of the flower with Quick Quotes Mango Mai Tai chalking ink first. The label stickers came from various October Afternoon collections. The title was cut with Bosskut Whoa Nelly font (available at Scrap-Mart of course) and I added a bit of white gel pen for effect. Thanks for stopping by today and happy scrapping!

ETA Sketch for those who like to work from sketches:

Thanks for stopping by and have a crafty day!!

Sizzix Eclips Video #8 Easter Layout

2010-06-17T08:01:00.004-05:00

Ok, here is the last video I was able to make using the Sizzix Eclips demo machine before I had to send it back to Scrap-Mart. I hope to have my own machine next week!

Here are some photos of the almost completed page (still need to add journaling or another element to the lower right corner):

[click photo to enlarge]

I love the Jillibean Soup paper - too cute. Thanks for stopping by today. Happy Scrapping,

The Eclips is near!!! Sizzix Eclips Update!

2010-06-16T12:22:00.007-05:00

I just got word that the Sizzix Eclips machine will be shipping to Scrap-Mart this week!! I am so excited to get my hands on the Eclips - I have been missing it ever since I had to send the store demo machine back a few weeks ago.
There are a lot of questions out on the web about this machine, so I am reposting some of my original thoughts on the Eclips for those who missed that post (I updated a few of them as well). I've got several videos showing the Eclips in action under the VIDEO tab on this blog.
Ok, so here are my top 10 thoughts on the Sizzix Eclips machine:
(1)  The Eclips machine is extremely user friendly. I was up and cutting within minutes of unpacking the box. The remote control is very intuitive and easily became second nature to use. I was worried it may take a while to get used to but that was not the case at all. It is amazing to me that the machine has so much capability but is so easy to use - typically a machine with this many features would have a steep learning curve, but Sizzix has done a great job in making it very user-friendly.
(2) The screen resolution on the remote is great - very clear images but easy on the eyes. Very fast navigation as well - no long delay after you hit a button. No guesswork whatsoever and that saves time. I'm all for crafting efficiency!
(3) The images on the cartridge samples are not an exhaustive list of shapes on each cart - they are just the base images, but each one has various creative features, many of which include other shapes. I love that many of the images offer a traditional steel-rule die cut design with dotted lines for detail, but also offer layers ('pieces') so you can choose to make a layered design or a traditional looking cut. You can get multiple looks with one image. Fabulous!! And more cartridges are coming!!
(4) When a shape offers embellishment pieces you can choose whether to cut one piece or all of the pieces - so no need to cut three times if you want three different colors of paper. I did not expect that option and it is so convenient to have!! Cricut users will especially appreciate this feature as there is no need to modify the image with software to 'hide contour' for the pieces you don't want to cut. Rock on!
(5) Almost every shape has a shadow feature which is fantastic in my book! I'm a shadow girl - this is a big bonus for me.
(6) The creative features are applied on a shape by shape basis, not on a cartridge by cartridge basis. In other words, on any given cartridge you may have one shape that has a border feature, while another shape has an embellishment feature. Sizzix looked at each image to determine which creative features were appropriate for that shape. Awesome!!
(7) Because the remote allows you to navigate through your images quickly and store them in the cutting que, you are not tied to your handbook. I didn't even have handbooks for the demo cartridges and I was able to scroll through the designs quickly and with ease to determine what I wanted to cut. No more forgetting what images are on the cartridges!
(8) The laser preview feature is a great way to see exactly where you are cutting.   If you are trying to use up a paper scrap, or center a cut over a pattern in your paper or on a photo, this feature is awesome! No guesswork or approximations!
(9) The designs can cut to a full 12 inches. Borders also have a 24 inch option if you have the larger mat (sold seperately).
and last but certainly not least....
(10) The cutting capability of the Eclips machine is by far the best I have used - and I have used many different brands of cutting machines. Ultra clean cuts each time - even through chipboard! No wasted paper due to tears and snags. No rough edges to sand down or uncut pieces to snip.   Seriously accurate and clean cuts.   The feel of the machine and the cutting mechanism is very solid and sturdy. It definitely has a high-end feel to it and it even sounds cool (according to my 7 year old!).
So there you have it - my first-hand personal opinion of this machine! If you are a machine collector like I am, make room in your crafting area for an Eclips - you won't be sorry.

Father's Day Is Almost Here!

2010-06-11T07:48:00.001-05:00

When the Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations dies were released, the Regal Crest caught my eye. Here I paired it with the Sizzix Argyle Embossing folder to make a great card for that Number 1 Dad.

[click image to enlarge]

I colored the die cuts with my Copic markers and added some chalk to the embossed background to bring out the detail. The #1 was cut with two retired Sizzix/Ellison fonts (Script and Circus) and "Dad" was cut with Quickutz Moonlight font. The paper is old, old Basic Grey from my stash. TFL!!

Cricut Lite Cartridges!!

2010-06-10T07:45:00.001-05:00

Ok here is a video showing the inserts for 5 of the new Cricut Lite Cartridges that I was fortunate enought to get my hands on yesterday. I hope to do some projects with these soon!

Spring Layout

2010-05-26T22:07:00.004-05:00

My Cricut has been feeling neglected ever since the Eclips moved in so I thought I would work with it tonight. But I'm thinking I should have photographed this LO instead of scanning, because it is much prettier IRL, but you get the idea...haha. If I get a chance to take a pic in the daylight I will replace this photo. In the mean time, here it is (dark shadows are caused by the scanner):

[click to enlarge]

ETA: Ok, and here is the photo - I'm not sure which is better...

[click to enlarge]

And a few close-ups...

[click to enlarge]

I just love these pictures of my parents with my boys (and me in the one with my Mom). I used the Cricut Easter Cartridge for all of the cuts on this layout (Spring title, Zig Zag borders and Flower element). The paper is by Making Memories from the Flutter collection. The lower left space is where I will add journaling. Thanks so much for stopping by tonight!
Happy Scrapping,

All Cuts Great and Small, the Sizzix Eclips Makes Them All!

2010-05-21T22:22:00.003-05:00

Here is my latest Eclips creation....from the big Road Sign, to the tiny Compass Arrow, the Eclips cuts it all. The Road Sign and 'Are We There Yet' Title are from the Eclips Vacation Cartridge, and the Compass Arrow is from the Eclips Holiday Cartridge. Do you recognize the Compass? It is from the Sizzix Tim Holtz Gears Die! Patterned papers, tickets and tags are October Afternoon and the kraft background is Basic Grey Basics. [click to enlarge]

Don't forget to pre-order your Sizzix Eclips from Scrap-Mart! Thanks for stopping by today!! Have a great weekend!

Sizzix Eclips Holiday Cartridge Pinwheel Fun!

2010-05-19T19:05:00.000-05:00

Another happy day with the Eclips machine. Here is my take on an idea I found out on the Sizzix.com blog:

And the finished products...

Thanks for stopping by today!!

Time for some Layouts, don't you think??

2010-05-16T17:43:00.005-05:00

I cleaned up my Nook yesterday and came to the realization that I am a paper hoarder - Ok maybe I already knew that but the problem has now reached new highs (or lows depending on your perspective...hehe). So I was determined to put some of my stash papers to use - have to make room for all the new stuff I have purchased lately!! Anyway, here is the first of two layouts I completed yesterday......

[click photo to enlarge]

This is actually a layout I made for upcoming Scrap-Mart.com blog challenge - my day to issue the challenge is Friday so check the Scrap-Mart.com blog that day and join in. I won't tell you the theme yet - you'll have to check it out on Friday! For this layout I used some old Creative Memories papers, the new Sizzix Gears die by Tim Holtz, and the title was cut on the Sizzix Eclips using the Rockin' Janie alphabet that comes on the starter cartridge. The Tim Holtz gears are fabulous! I used a combination of Copic markers and fluid chalk to get the grunged out effect here then lifted them up a bit with pop dots...

I love the 'graffiti' look of the Rockin' Janie font...

Next up is a clean and simple layout with lots of photos using Scenic Route Liberty papers and an old Ellison Thin Cuts font called 'Preppie' - my son requested that I use this particular font for the layout...

[click photo to enlarge]

Thanks so much for checking in today - I hope everyone had a great and crafty weekend!!

Sizzix Eclips Video #6

2010-05-15T22:38:00.000-05:00

I fogot to post another Eclips video I made recently for Scrap-Mart. I'm really addicted to this machine! Just finished a layout tonight that I hope to photograph in the daylight tomorrow and post. Enjoy!

Winners!!

2010-05-14T13:29:00.001-05:00

Ok, I had enough supplies to pick 2 winners for the zip bags and pink cardstock! Here they are: R/Rhondah and Laurie/IdeaQueen! Congrats! I will be contacting you both shortly to get your mailing information! Thanks for playing along everyone! Oh, and if anyone wants the MS Word file I used to make the labels I would be happy to pass it along to you. Just email me at diecutjunkie at gmail dot com and I will send it out!

Cricut Cartridge Organization and Give-away!!

2010-05-12T20:12:00.000-05:00

Thanks to HappyHappyJoyJoy and Greenbean on the Cricut Message Board for this fabulous Cricut Cartridge Storage Idea!! I was one who never wanted to part with the boxes, but they were getting out of control in my Nook! Ordered some 5x8 bags, a Clip-It-Up system, some pink cardstock and VOILA - my cartridges are organized!!

[click photo to enlarge]

I LOVE this system - I can easily spin it around to see what carts I have. The titles are labeled on both sides so I can see them whether I am spinning to the left or right. If you like seeing the images on the back of the boxes, you can print them out from the Cricut site on 4x7 cardstock and stick it in each bag - I have most of them printed out in a 3-ring reference binder but may end up doing that eventually.

Ok, so here is the deal - I had to buy way too many bags and paper so I have lots left over. These are thick 4mm bags so they won't rip. Just become a follower of my blog and leave a comment below for a chance to win enough bags and pink cardstock to hold 100 cartridges (give away does not include the Clip-it-up system, just the bags and pink cardstock). Thanks for playing along and happy crafting!!

Sizzix Eclips Video #5

2010-05-05T12:04:00.004-05:00

Enjoy!

Island Paradise

2010-04-30T20:42:00.002-05:00

It is a great evening to scrapbook - we have thunderstorms here so I'm hiding out in my nook tonight. I just finished this layout - had to dig up some old honeymoon photos so I could use the fabulous "Island Paradise" design from the Sizzix Eclips Vacation cartridge. My honeymoon scrapbook is still not done, so this was a great chance to get a page done. I can't believe it has been almost 12 years....sigh....

[click to enlarge]

The hibiscus and tropical leaves were cut with the retired Sizzlit Hawaiian Flowers set. The yellow center is really not that bright IRL - my scanner always makes yellows super bright. The paper is Basic Grey from the dinosaur collection (sorry I forget the name). These pics were from Dunn's River Falls in Jamaica (I fixed the typo after scanning in case you noticed...hehe) so the pattern really got my attention when I was looking through my stash for this page. Thanks for stopping by tonight. Hope everyone is set for a great National Scrapbook Day weekend!

Two New Sizzix Eclips Videos!

2010-04-26T21:10:00.001-05:00

Here are two more videos to show you the Sizzix Eclips machine in action! Enjoy!

I still have the Eclips to play with for a few more days so let me know if you have any questions or want to see something in particular! Thanks for stopping by!

Sizzix Eclips Video #2 and Project

2010-04-18T16:31:00.002-05:00

Ok, I am having so much fun with the Eclips! Here is a layout I created using the Eclips and the new October Afternoon Fly A Kite paper collection (scroll down to see the video). The background paper is Coordinations Embossed Cardstock that goes with the Jillibean Soup papers. Both are available at Scrap-Mart, of course.

[click to enlarge]

Here are a few close-ups of the elements:

Love this ice cream cone:

Here is a video I shot putting the finishing touches onto the layout using the Sizzix Eclips Machine:

Don't forget to pre-order your Eclips from Scrap-Mart! Thanks for stopping by today!!

Sizzix Eclips Machine Video from the CK Convention Floor!!

2010-04-17T07:59:00.006-05:00

Did you know that the Sizzix Eclips can cut chipboard!?! Here is a quick video I took of the Eclips from the Scrap-Mart booth at the CK Convention last weekend. Prepare to be impressed by this amazing machine!

Here are a few more sample cuts I made to show at the Scrap-Mart booth at the convention (see my last post for others).
Baby Milestones Cartridge:

A few samples from the All Occasions Cartridge:

A few samples from the Special Occasions Cartridge:

Be sure to be one of the first crafterst to get this machine - you can pre-order the Sizzix Eclips from www.Scrap-Mart.com.
I will be posting more videos and projects using cuts from the Eclips soon, so keep checking back!

THE SIZZIX ECLIPS MACHINE ROCKS!!

2010-04-07T08:57:00.001-05:00

Pinch me, please!! I am SO excited to tell you that I have had the great fortune of having the Scrap-Mart store demo Sizzix Eclips machine in my house this week!! We are gearing up for the Creating Keepsakes convention in St. Louis this weekend (April 9-10). I will be demonstrating the Eclips machine during the show, so Scrap-Mart sent it to me to check it out in advance and to cut some samples for the booth. I still can't believe it!

Let me tell you this: I had high expectations for this machine and it did not disappoint!! In fact, it surpassed my expectations. Sizzix has really hit a home run with the Eclips - offering precision cutting with 12" capability and the convenience of cartridges with fabulous Sizzix designs. Check out what I have cut so far:

[click to enlarge]

A few notes:

*The Eclips machine is extremely user friendly. I was up and cutting within minutes of unpacking the box. The remote control is very intuitive and easily became second nature to use. I was worried it may take a while to get used to but that was not the case at all. It is amazing to me that the machine has so much capability but is so easy to use - typically a machine with this many features would have a steep learning curve, but Sizzix has done a great job in making it very user-friendly.

*The screen resolution on the remote is great - very clear images but easy on the eyes. No guesswork whatsoever and that saves time. I'm all for crafting efficiency!

*The images on the cartridge samples are not an exhaustive list of shapes on each cart - they are just the base images, but each one has various creative features, many of which include other shapes.

*When a shape offers embellishment pieces you can choose whether to cut one piece or all of the pieces - so no need to cut three times if you want three different colors of paper. I did not expect that option and it is so convenient to have!! Rock on!

*Almost every shape has a shadow feature which is fantastic in my book! I'm a shadow girl.

*The creative features are applied on a shape by shape basis, not on a cartridge by cartridge basis. In other words, on any given cartridge you may have one shape that has a border feature, while another shape has an embellishment feature. Sizzix looked at each image to determine which creative features were appropriate for that shape. Awesome!!

*I love that many of the images offer a traditional steel-rule die cut design with dotted lines for detail, but also offer layers ('pieces') so you can choose to make a layered design or a traditional looking cut. You can get multiple looks with one image. Fabulous!!

*The feel of the machine and the cutting mechanism is very solid and sturdy. It definitely has a high-end feel to it and it even sounds cool (according to my 7 year old!).

If you're attending the show this weekend be sure to stop by the Scrap-Mart booth and say Hello! I'd love to meet you and show you how amazing this machine is in person. I might cry when I need to give it back, but I am totally excited for the official release!!

FedEx Just Made Me Very Happy!

2010-04-01T13:02:00.003-05:00

They just delivered a huge box to me from Scrap-Mart! What was inside that box made me smile from ear to ear, as I have been dying to get my hands on what was inside!! I will be posting information and (hopefully) a few videos about the contents of the box here and on the Scrap-Mart blog very soon!
It is so exciting I.just.can't.wait to show you!!!!

It's Almost Easter!

2010-03-25T22:23:00.004-05:00

...so I figured I needed to get last year's photos scrapped! I used the new Cricut Seasonal Easter Cartridge for the all cuts on this layout (other than the bead border which is a Quickutz die).

[click to enlarge]

I've had this Basic Grey Lemonade paper in my stash for months now (not too many occasions to use it with a house of boys). I love scrapping Easter photos because it allows me to pull out some pink and flowery paper! Here is a close-up of the title. I used Ice Stickles to add some sparkle.

[click to enlarge]

Here is a close-up of the basket and bunny. I added more Ice Stickles to the basket cut-outs. The eggs were all cut from the Easter cartridge as well - I cut the zig-zag at 1" and adhered it to the middle of the egg.
I had an open area so I added a few butterflies from the CM Micro Maker punch and decorated them with my Copic Spica glitter markers so they weren't so flat. I also added a small circle to the center of the bow and colored it with the glitter markers again for the same reason. The grass was outlined with a Copic sketch marker, and I used a touch of fluid chalk on the outside of the other cuts.

[click to enlarge]

Finally, here is my favorite cut from the cartridge - this beautiful Easter Cross. I love the detail (but note this does not cut very well at small sizes). I added the Ice Stickles here again to add some sparkle. I couldn't quite capture all of the sparkle with my camera, but you get the idea!

[click to enlarge]

I also did a layout for our egg dying from last year. For this layout, I used my Quickutz Silhouette and cut the tile and eggs. I'm on a stickles kick lately because I added them here too...hehe. The papers are from the American Crafts Dear Lizzy line and I just love the little chicks in the egg print paper.

[click to enlarge]

And here are some close-ups...[click to enlarge]

I used a True-type font called Boyz-R-Gross for the title and added a double layer of shadowing. The eggs are digital design downloads from the Silhouette Gallery.

I still have one final LO to do for some other Easter pics so hopefully I will have that up soon!
Thanks so much for stopping by!!

A Rare Page Without Diecuts (almost)

2010-03-24T09:52:00.001-05:00

I wanted to showcase some October Afternoon papers for a Scrap-Mart blog post a few weeks ago, and I acutally used the die cuts that came with the collection. This is so not typical of me! I did have to add some die cut scalloped and bead borders, but the title and cherries are die cuts that came with the collection. The cherry paper is just delicious, don't you think?

[click to enlarge]

The striped paper is from Scenic Route that matched up perfectly with the colors in the cherry paper. The layout of this page was started with a Page Maps sketch that I altered to fit my needs. I'm not sure if you can tell (maybe if you enlarge the pic), but I took my black Copic Glitter pen and went over the title to give it a bit of sizzle. Both the title and the cherries are adhered with popdots to add some dimension.

I'm trying to make cards with my scrapbook layout scraps. Here I took a mini die cut card that came with the collection, another cherry die cut and a strip of the Scenic Route striped paper. This would be a great little gift or note card.

[click to enlarge]

Thanks for stopping by today - have a great day!!

Baseball Layout - super fast scrapping

2010-03-22T10:04:00.003-05:00

If you have a lot of photos for a page, but are short on time, consider using a 'cluster' for your photos. Well, 'clustering' is what I call it, but I've been seeing variations of this colorblocking technique being used in magazines quite a bit of late, so I decided to give it a name. Notice the left, right and top edges of my photos line up, with the bottom edge being random. I will add some journal strips above the baseball guy.

[click to enlarge]

The photos were all very busy and had lots of different colors, so I decided to keep the layout background largely solid. I didn't want to crop out all of the detail in the photos - that's what I was trying to document! I have a pet peeve when I see scrapbook layouts that are of an event or place, but the photos are ALL only closeups of faces with the backgrounds blurred out. Don't blur out all your backgrounds in every pic - those are the details you will love to examine in the future! Ok, I'm off my soapbox now...hehehe.
I used up some of my old Creative Memories shortcuts (I've almost tossed them many times but I'm glad I didn't because they worked great here). The baseball guy was cut with the Cricut Baseball Solutions Cartridge - my oldest son just loves those sketchey baseball guys on my layouts. I cut the title with Quickutz Khaki font and the bead border is a Quickutz die as well.
My boys are off on spring break this week and I am juggling the days with my husband and our babysitter, so I hope to sneak in a bit of crafting this week too. Have a great day!

Read To Me Layout (Post Updated to Add Sketch)

2010-03-20T21:22:00.004-05:00

I just loved these photos of my son with my niece. After always being the younger brother, it was nice for him to get a chance to feel like the big kid when my sister's family came to visit.

[click to enlarge]

These new Jillibean Soup patterned papers were perfect for this layout. You can find them at http://www.scrap-mart.com/ of course! I distressed the edges of the book page paper with my Heidi Swapp distressing tool and a little Quick Quotes chalk. The Bookworm is a Bosskut Die that is one of my favorite dies in my collection (also available at Scrap-Mart). I'm always so happy when I get to put him to use. Here is a close-up of him [click to enlarge]:

The title was cut with Quickutz Marigold font and I chose it because I thought it matched a book-type font more than any other font in my die cut collection. Thanks for stopping by today - hope you are having a great weekend!!

ETA: Look I made a sketch! If you like to work from sketches, here is one for the above layout:

[click to enlarge]

I'm going to try to do more of these in the future - it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be - I just used PowerPoint and was able to colorize the image as well.

Inspiration is everywhere...

2010-03-16T08:28:00.001-05:00

While I craft most of my layouts around the photos I am working with, when I am stuck for an idea I sometimes turn to sketches. This layout is based on a Becky Fleck sketch which I also saw used by Karen in the Quickutz Community Gallery for a Halloween layout. I did my own variation of it here, adding the circles in the upper right hand corner to balance out the pages and to carry the polka dot paper to the right hand side.

[click to enlarge]

Yes, that is my husband dressed up as Darth Maul and boy did that ever make Halloween the best for my youngest son - haha. The patterned paper is Rusty Pickle from a Halloween and an outdoors collection. The orange is Creative Memories. I cut the title on my Silhouette using a Harry Potter knock-off true type font. I love how easy it is to make the perfect title by using my Silhouette. As with most of my layouts, this page is pretty simple but I really love how it turned out. I will definately be using this pattern again. Thanks so much for stopping by today!
Happy Crafting!!

Simple Double Page Layout

2010-03-14T17:11:00.003-05:00

Here is a layout I put together quickly to showcase the action shots of my son's 'trampoline dodgeball' birthday party. The lighting was odd and I was having issues with my camera settings so none of my photos turned out great. I decided to block mount them to give the photos more impact and to show the action from the party. I plan to add my journaling in a straight line under the photos.

[click to enlarge]

The striped paper and decorative circle stickers are from Basic Grey, but the background and accent paper are Creative Memories. The colors paired together perfectly and I love how the circles mimic the dodgeballs. I cut the Sky Zone title on my Silhouette using the Star Wars font - it was similar to the actual logo and worked well for my title. Thanks for stopping by!

ETA: I love posting my layouts here because I get to view them in a different manner. After looking at this layout agian it now looks unbalanced to me - too much weight on the right hand side. I'm thinking of tearing off the bottom left corner and replacing it with a bit of the striped paper, but I'm not sure yet. I think I will add my journaling first and see how it looks. Hmmm.....need to think about this more....

Easy Cupcake Pocket Cards

2010-03-12T17:11:00.004-06:00

The Silhouette library has all kinds of card designs you can purchase and download so I thought I would give this Cupcake Pocket Card design a try - always good to have a few birthday cards on hand.

[click to enlarge]

The stickles were still a bit wet when I took the picture, but you get the idea. These were super easy to cut and assemble, but they were kind of plain. To add some shizzle, I simply ran the cards through my Sizzix texture boutique using a Swirly Cuttlebug embossing folder for the top portion of the insert (simply leave the rest of the card hanging out of the folder), and using the Swiss Dots embossing folder for the wrapper. A little chalk to accent the swirls, a Happy Birthday stamp, and a dab of stickles and I was done.

My dog Tabitha kept me company and I couldn't resist snapping this photo of her sleeping to the sound of my Silhouette humming. Isn't she precious??

Thanks for stopping by. I hope to get some scrapbooking done over the weekend as we have rain predicted and I love to hang out in my Nook when it is raining. I'll be back with more posts soon!

Weekend Scrapping

2010-03-07T08:25:00.003-06:00

Trying to get caught up of my 10 year old's album, so I was working on scrapping his 9th birthday yesterday. This layout turned out a bit busier than I had intended but sometimes you just need to call it good and move on!

[click to enlarge]

The title was cut from the Cricut Storybook Cartridge and the rest of the elements were cut from Cricut Sweet Treats. Oh, and I did use a Quickutz border die for the scalloped edging. Here are a few closeups of the elements, stickled of course!

I need to go back a fix the title because it started lifting up from the stickles and I didn't notice until I looked at this photo.

The paper is the delish Basic Grey Lime Ricky with some Creative Memories papers tossed in to complement. I like using the CM papers because they don't bulk up my albums. Thanks so much for stopping by today and enjoy the rest of your weekend! I off to Mass followed by a Mother-Cub Pancake Breakfast this morning so I better get moving......

Relax!!

2010-03-04T07:35:00.002-06:00

Here is a quick card I made using some of the new Spellbinders dies released at CHA. In order to get the Impression to look right, I found that inking up my Sea Scape Impressabilities stencil die before I ran it through my machine worked to give me the best result. I used my new favorite chalking inks by Quick Quotes in Mango Mai Tai.

[click to enlarge]

If you have never used the Impressabilities stencil dies before, I shot a video not too long ago showing how to use them in a Sizzix Big Kick/Big Shot machine. A link to that video (look for Video #9) is HERE.

The umbrella is from the Spellbinders Surfs Up Shapeabilities set. The Relax sentiment was cut on my Silhouette using the font from the Jingle Portfolio. The ric rac strip across the bottom is a piece of cardstock I cut using the Sizzix Hello Kitty Ribbons Decorative Strip and then inked up with the same Mango Mai Tai ink. All of the supplies can be found at http://www.scrap-mart.com/ of course!
I don't know about you but I am sooo ready for summer!

Drumroll please.........

2010-03-03T13:36:00.000-06:00

I'm pleased to announce the winner of the Blog Candy giveaway is "Helen" who is CricutMom from the Cricut message board. Congrats!! I just sent Helen an email to let her know. Thank you so much for everyone who left a comment to enter - I truly appreciate it! Have a fabulous day!!

Exciting News!!

2010-03-01T11:43:00.000-06:00

I'm very excited to announce that I was selected as one of the Club Ruby Designers for Above Rubies Studio! Click here for a link to the official announcement. I'm very exicted to work with Megan and the great team she has put together. Also, I will be announcing the Blog Candy winner sometime on Wednesday, so be sure to check back then! Thanks to all who have entered so far and if you haven't done so yet, the details can be found here so check it out! Have a great day!

November Sun Layout and Blog Candy!!

2010-02-27T15:02:00.008-06:00

I've been on a mission lately to get some pages DONE in my scrapbooks. I use this layout quite a bit when trying to get a lot of photos on one page. These colors make me so happy!

[click to enlarge]

Ignore the black textured backdrop - that is just my treadmill track (gets more use as a backdrop than as a treadmill lately :). The patterned paper is American Crafts from the Backyard collection. I loved the tiny caterpillars in the top print, so I created my own to match. I couldn't believe that in all of my die cut inventory I did not have a catrerpillar!! I used a circle punch and the Cricut Storefront catridge (for the antenae which is on the bughead cut) to make the caterpillar. Here is a closeup:

The sun is from Cricut Doodlecharms. I used my new Peachy Keen face stamps on both the sun and the caterpillar and embossed them with American Crafts Zing embossing powder (my new addiction). I won these stamps on the Peachy Keen Facebook page - thanks Peachy Keen!!

The pink title tab is the new Tim Holtz On The Edge die (love it!). November is from the 2008 Quickutz Calendar set and Sun is Sizzix Groovy Girl font (which I covered with Diamond stickles). Finally, the scallop trim is a Quickutz Border die.

I've had such a great crafty week, so I decided to add some......

BLOG CANDY

for all my Cricut-ing friends!! How does a Mother's Day Seasonal Cricut Cartridge sound? (1) Just sign up to become a "Follower" my blog, and (2) then leave a comment on this post with a way to get in touch with you and I'll draw one name in a few days.
Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Shop Til You Drop!

2010-02-26T07:02:00.004-06:00

his layout was fun for me because I don't often get the chance to scrapbook with flowers and glitter! My sisters live out of town, but my younger sister came to visit over Thanksgiving and we hit the stores on Black Friday. One of our stops was Michael's where I purchased the Paisley Cricut cartridge and when I saw the title 'Shop Til You Drop' in the handbook, I knew I had to do this page! We had quite an escapade that evening - one of those nights where if I told you all the things that went on you wouldn't believe me! The shopping bag was cut from Doodlecharms and it is raised up with foam tape so I can type up my journaling of the stories from that night and tuck it in the bag. I thought this turned out rather Vera Bradley-ish, don't you think??

I had a hard time getting the color right on the photo and the page was too lumpy-bumpy to scan. Here is a close-up of the stickled title. I offset the blackout cut just a bit to add some depth. The shimmer brads I used were white which made them stand out more than I wanted, so I used a light pink Copic marker to tone them down to a subtle pink hue.

The paper is from K& Co which I got for a steal at Tuesday Morning. Thanks so much for stopping by today!!

Easter Cards

2010-02-25T13:58:00.002-06:00

Can you believe Easter is right around the corner? Monday is March already. Whew...where is this year going!?! I've been working on trying to update my slideshows under my "Gallery" tab for this blog, and I came upon two Easter cards I made last year, but never posted here. Click to enlarge.

The paper is from Scenic Route's Lynden collection (except for the brown satin paper on the Chocolate Bunny which is made by Sizzix). The bunny, chick and egg are Quickutz dies. Thanks for stopping by today!!

Sunshine Blog Award!!

2010-02-25T10:54:00.013-06:00

I'm so excited that I have been given this blog award by Denise at http://www.paperpastime.blogspot.com/ - Thank you Denise!!

Along with this blog award comes some rules:
1.Place the award in your post or within your blog
2.Pass this award to six of your nominees - ok, so here are 6 crafty blogs I love:
www.creativetimeforme.com by Emma
www.jensbrainthings.blogspot.com by Jen
www.mysecretheart.typepad.com by Mindy
www.katiepiotrowski.blogspot.com by Katie
http://www.cricutcritters.com/ by Tammy
http://www.scrapendipity.blogspot.com/ by Shar
3.Link the nominees to your post
4.Let the nominees know they have received the award by commenting on their blog

So later today I'll pay this forward and edit this post for the receiving blogs here!

Simple Embossed Image Cards

2010-02-22T19:07:00.002-06:00

Happy Monday everyone! Here is a video project I did for Scrap-Mart.com's blog today. Enjoy!

And the finished products:

Thanks for stopping by today!!

More Flags, More Fun! Six Flags Scrapbook Layout

2010-02-19T18:38:00.003-06:00

Did you ever finish a layout and you were just tickled pink at how an element turned out? I love how the Six Flag logo worked here - it is even better than I imagined! I found the true-type font equivalent for the Six Flags logo by googling and was lucky to find a free download of it to cut with my Silhouette. [click to enlarge]

The open spot is for journaling which I will add later. Here is a close-up of the sign:

The new American Crafts Dear Lizzy line patterned paper was perfect for my Six Flags Scrapbook Layout because the little pennant flags are oh-so-Six-Flags, no? I couldn't help myself from adding the 'More Flags, More Fun' title. The colors complemented the photos well too and I love how they help move your eye accross the page. The only problem I had was there were no black flags, just dark brown and I really wanted to tie the flag paper into the layout title, so I colored in some of the dark brown flags with a black marker, then added some black stickles glitter glue to hide the marker lines. It worked perfectly because some of the other flags were already glittered. You can find the Dear Lizzy line at Scrap-Mart.com of course!

To make the flags, I simply cut some of the pennants out of the patterned paper, added some embossing glue to six toothpicks and rolled those into white American Crafts Zing embossing powder. I raised up the Six Flags title with pop-dots to allow my toothpicks to be secured to the back. Thanks for stopping by today!

Explore

2010-02-13T13:24:00.000-06:00

I've been working on updating my Gallery slideshows (see Gallery tab above) and found a layout I posted on the Cricut forum a while back, but never posted here. [click to enlarge]

I used the Cricut Life's A Beach cartridge for most of the cuts, but the seaweed was cut on my Silhouette and the treasure chest is a Sizzix sizzlit die. Lots of stickles were added for some bling (if you enlarge the photo you can see more of the detail). My son loved the big yellow submarine at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and when I saw this cut on the Life's A Beach cartridge I just had to use it for the page. Thanks for looking!

Panda Hugs

2010-02-12T20:21:00.005-06:00

I took the day off work today because my boys' school had a teacher in-service day. I got most of my Nook cleaned up, but made a few projects, including this quick card using the Cricut Pagoda cartridge and some super cute paper I found at my LSS. [click to enlarge]

The paper is old Prima from the Peaches line, and I love those little pandas. I may have to go back to buy a few more sheets just to have on hand! I also used my Sizzix Frills #2 Decorative strip for the tiny bead border, as well as a Martha Stewart punch 'Crowns'. These pandas just make me smile. The sentiment says 'Hugs' and I embossed it but it reflected funny in the photo. Thanks for stopping by!

Super Simple Baseball Layouts

2010-02-12T12:24:00.006-06:00

When you have an event with a bunch of photos you want to scrap, keeping the pages simple allows the attention to focus on the pictures. I had a ton of great pics from a baseball tourney I wanted to scrap for my son, but didn't want to do an entire album for them. So here is what I came up with to include all of the pics in his album. Click any pic to enlarge.

Products used: Ellison Thin Cuts Preppie Alphabet; Ellison Thick Cuts Clipboard Clip; Stampin Up notebook punch; Creative Memories papers.

Products used: Ellison Thin Cuts Preppie alphabet; Quickutz arrow die; Silhouette cut and shadowed title in Ballpark Weiner TTF; Cricut Baseball Solutions cartridge for the home plate; Creative Memories papers.

Products used: Ellison Thin Cuts Preppie alphabet; Creative Memories papers and letter stickers (Gasp! I used letter stickers!) - I also had my son write the team names under the group shot in his own handwriting.

Not to be left out, here is a simple baseball layout for my other son from last summer's camp. They made an exception to the minimum age requirement to allow him to attend the camp and gave him an award at the end - he was on Cloud 9!

I used two phrase cuts from the Cricut Baseball Solutions cartridge and Creative Memories papers.

These pages are a lot less decorative than most of my layouts but I was really happy with how they all turned out. Thanks for stopping by today!

Tim Holtz Edge Die Is In The House!!!

2010-02-03T22:28:00.002-06:00

Woo-Hoo - the folks at Scrap-Mart are the best!! Knowing what a Sizzix junkie I am, they brought me back an awesome souvenir from CHA - the Ornate On The Edge Sizzix die from Tim Holtz's collection!!

These dies are so cool! I put it to use right away to make this Valentine Treat Bag full of Good N Plenty candy [click to enlarge]:

I first folded my black cardstock, then ran the doubled open end through my Sizzix Big Shot Express to get the decorative edge on both sides of my bag topper. I then embossed the cut with my Cuttlebug Plum Blossoms embossing folder (both the Sizzix die and the embossing folder are available for pre-order at Scrap-Mart). I used Quick Quotes Powder Puff chalking ink (my new favorite chalking ink) in 'Pink Cheeks' to add some pink color to the flowers. A bit of chiffon ribbon and a little heart charm finished it off. My Mom loves Good N Plenty candy, so this treat bag is going to her! Thanks for looking!

Blog Design Giveaway

2010-02-01T11:49:00.001-06:00

Hi Everyone! I just wanted to post a note that my fabulous blog designer Pam from The Posh Box is hosting a blog design giveaway on her site. Be sure to check it out and enter to win! http://www.theposhbox.net/giveaway.shtml

Inked!

2010-01-30T19:34:00.000-06:00

Well I've been in an Asian-Inspired papercrafting mood lately so here is a layout I put together today with a dragon from the Cricut Pagoda Cartridge. My son would not leave Six Flags without this tattoo last summer - boy did it make his day - LOL! [click to enlarge]

I added my own eyes to the dragon though - it looked like there was something missing when I finished making him and I'm happy with how the eyes turned out (I used a bubble punch to get the small circles). The title was cut on my Silhouette using a TTF called "Black Rose" with two different offset sizes done in the software. The border is an old Creative Memories shortcut (yes, I still use those on occasion!). The background paper is SEI bought on super sale at Michael's last week. I plan to add some journaling alongside of the far right photo. Thanks so much for looking!

A Different Kind of Valentine!

2010-01-29T19:57:00.000-06:00

I couldn't resist giving the new Silhouette print-n-cut Japanese dolls a try - they were just too cute! The Chinese character means 'love' and it is also a Silhouette digital design. I embossed the background with the new Cuttlebug embossing folder called 'Japanese Scales.' I used coordinations cardstock because it has a bit of sheen to it and I popped the doll up a bit with pop-dots but it doesn't really show in the photo. Thanks for looking! [click to enlarge]

SIZZIX ECLIPS DETAILS....FINALLY!!

2010-01-24T08:43:00.000-06:00

At long last, the Sizzix Eclips info is public! Scrap-Mart.com has the machine, cartridges and accessories up for preorder. They also have posted a download of the starter cartridge handbook HERE that shows all the details of the features this machine will offer. ETA: Check out the Scrap-Mart video from the CHA floor to see the Eclips in action HERE.

Although they use a similar concept, I already see many differences between this machine and the Cricut. Being able to control and design your cuts on the remote before sending them to the machine is a huge benefit - no more guesswork or wasted paper! The border function actually repeats the image to make a border, it doesn't just make it huge to adjust to the length like the Cricut (a cricut pet peeve of mine). There are also more creative features available on the cartridges (at least for the starter one). Sizzix will be posting demo videos later today, and I can't wait to see the machine in action. Everyone is showing a preorder date of May - I sure hope I can get my hands on one sooner! Don't you just love CHA??? I wish I was there!

CHA Sneak Peeks

2010-01-19T08:06:00.001-06:00

Don't you just love CHA sneak peeks??? Here is a LINK to some of the new Sizzix line from Tim Holtz. I've been waiting for someone to release a bricks embossing folder!!

Valentine's Day is Approaching!

2010-01-18T16:35:00.000-06:00

I love Valentine's Day and it will be here before we know it! I saw a cute idea in this month's Scrapbooks, Etc. magazine where they paper pierced a gumball machine. I wondered if there was one available for the Silhouette and sure enough there was - even cuter than the magazine pattern to boot! So I put together this page. I think I am going to add some heart shaped photo mats to the page to keep with the theme, but here it is for now:
[click to enlarge]

I used a downloaded digital design word "Candy" for the title and cut the rest using a true type font called A&S Black Swan (I love that font because it welds and shadows so easily). The patterned paper is Basic Grey from the Lucky line and I used my Creative Memories mini heart punch for the candy. Just realized the colors match my blog - haha!
Thanks for stopping by today!!

Sizzix Eclips Sneak Peek!

2010-01-09T23:04:00.000-06:00

I had to remove my later post, but in case you haven't seen it yet, here is the Sizzix Eclips Sneak Peek - updated for released pictures [click to enlarge]:

I'm so excited to see all the details of the new Eclips! Imagine being able to cut Sizzix designs electronically - woo-hoo!

New Year's Resolutions!

2010-01-03T22:56:00.000-06:00

Have you thought about your New Year's Resolutions yet? I thought I would actually record ours this year so there is evidence of the promises made! We haven't finalized them yet, but each family member will record their resolutions on the corresponding tag. [click to enlarge]

Products used: Quickutz Spotlight font (filled in with Stickles glitter glue); Quickutz Silhouette to cut title and names; Quickutz library pocket and tag dies. Spellbinders Impressabilities embossing stencil (used on the pockets) and Cat's Eye chalk.

If you have never used Spellbinder Impressabilities and wonder how they would work in a Sizzix machine, I recorded a simple demo video for Scrap-Mart to show how I do it. Enjoy!

Ride 'Em Cowboy!

2010-01-03T21:00:00.000-06:00

The new Old West cartridge released by Cricut was perfect for this layout of my nephew's birthday party. If you click to enlarge the photo, you can sort-of see the stickles on the horse's mane and tail. The grass cut is from Sizzix, but the horse and the title are from Old West. I added a shadow background to the title so it would stand out against the burlap paper. [click to enlarge]

"Ride 'Em" was cut at 2 1/4 inches and Cowboy was cut at 2 1/2 inches. The burlap and denim papers are from Hobby Lobby and the red paisley paper is retired Creative Memories. TFL!