Happy New Year!

Just wanted to wish everyone a very Happy and Healthy New Year from my family to yours! Here is to another wonderful year of crafting and exploring new ideas!

~Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. Benjamin Franklin ~

Challenge #6

I always look forward to doing the challenges for the Whimsical Scraps and Bugs blogspot that Cindy and I host, but this one I think I have enjoyed the most! Cindy LOVES snowflakes so I wasn't surprised when she picked this for our challenge. We had to create a layout using a snowflake(s) cut from a Cricut cartridge. The result is what is currently my fav layout I have probably ever done, and let me tell ya, I have more than a few favs!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this photo of our fur baby Sid so he got to be the focus of this layout. I used Home Accents to cut all of the blue snowflakes. They were actually labeled as flowers, but can easily be used as a variety of shapes. LOVE THIS CARTRIDGE! The Wishes title was cut using the Opposites Attract cartridge. The white snowflakes are from a Cut RAK I did on the Cricut MB. VJBeads cut the white snowflake borders from Stretch Your Imagination for me and they ended up being perfect for this layout. Thanks Victoria!!

All papers used were by Hobby Lobby's The Paper Studio. I can't remember the brand of stamps I used, but they were foam ones and I used some blue ink I had picked up at Target's Dollar Spot awhile back. You can't see it very well in the photo, but each snowflake also has a bit of bling on it in the form of a rhinestone. The rik rak ribbon came from Michael's I believe and the white stripe is a Sakura jelly pen. And by the way, God Bless the creator of pop dots - I wouldn't know what to do without them!

If you get a chance, hop on over to our site at www.whimsicalscrapsandbugs.blogspot.com by clicking the link at the bottom of the page. There are some really beautiful layouts the design team did for this challenge. Also, check out our next challenge and join along. We would love to see what everyone comes up with!

Happy Scrapping!

Family Layout

As you know from a previous post, my family took some fall photos on Thanksgiving Day at our new home. I was finally able to get a chance to scrap one of my favs (have so many more I need to scrap!) over the holiday weekend.

I used the Cricut solutions cartridge Home Accents for the title and for the flourishes by the journaling tag, but you can't see the flourishes very well in the photo. I also used some suede and leather metallic leaves for accents that I received in a RAK on the Cricut MB from Heart2Hand. I knew those leaves would be perfect on just the right layout! I did cut the background paper shape myself using a template from a previous page I had cut using an Accucut die cutting machine. The papers, I believe, are by Reminiscence, as well as Stampin' Up!, and the journaling tag is Basic Grey. Not sure about the ribbon - it was on a beautifully wrapped package I received for Christmas and came in very handy!

I just love how this page turned out & my hubby did too! I think this one just might go in frame instead of in my scrapbook!

Happy Scrapping!

A Little Gir's Christmas Wish

I was just visiting a friend & fellow scrapper's blog, RobynStamps, and seen a post there that I wanted share with everyone else. This is such a small thing to most of us so let's all help out and make the most of her Christmas wish! This is what the meaning of Christmas is all about!

What follows is part of Robyn's post, as well as the original post for the request. . .

Hannah's Christmas Wish

"My brother received a request from a girl that he works with and I wanted to pass it on to the
This is the true story of my 5-yr old 2nd cousin, Hannah Garman, who was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, a rare and incurable brain tumor. She was going to be the flower girl in our wedding in May, but was diagnosed a week after we asked her to be the flower girl. This is especially sad because her mother died 2 yrs ago from breast cancer. Right now she has lost most of her motor skills. She is confined to bed and cannot really do anything or play with the gifts she is getting from people, but she LOVES getting cards - she has gotten so many from people she does not know and just loves to have grandma read about the people who send them and see their pictures and is so proud of all her cards. Her room is just filled with cards. When asked what she wants for Christmas she said she wants to see how many Christmas cards she can get. Many people have passed this wish along to their churches, prayer groups, friends and family. There are school groups where children are making her cards. People are including pictures so she can see who it is that is sending her the card. If you would like to help with her wish, you can send a card to her at:

Hannah Garman
704 Orchard Rd
Lititz, PA 17543

Merry Christmas!

Wow! I can't believe it is already Christmas Eve! We are heading to my hubby's parents this evening to celebrate Christmas and then on to my parents' house later in the week. Such a busy time of year that we often forget the really important things - like what Christmas means and how blessed we all truly are at this very moment. I just wish everyone the very merriest Christmas ever!

I also had so many plans on getting so much accomplished this holiday season. I have met so many amazing people via my addicting hobby, especially through the Cricut Web site. One of the things on my list that I did not get done in time were Christmas cards. I had the best of intentions, but they didn't go out. I got so many amazing hand-crafted cards this year from some very dear people and I just want to say, "Thank You." All of them were absolutely beautiful and made my day brighter when I opened them. Next year, I will definitely start early so that I can make sure to get cards out to those who have been so kind to me! To all of you, Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart!

By the way, is that not the cutest photo of our Boxer baby, Sid?! I took it a little bit after FINALLY getting our tree up a week or so ago and he just looked so cute! Can't wait to scrapbook this one - already have the LO in my head!

Happy Scrapping!

More Christmas Cards & Tags

Here are some more Christmas cards that I am making for someone special! On both cards I used Stampin' Up! products. On the first card I used Old Olive ink, but the stamps themselves are some Studio G clear stamps. I just used stickles on them and then pop-dotted the holly leaves. I also used my fav ribbon - American Crafts. The cardstock is Cloud Nine Designs and Bazzill.

On the second card, I used a Stampin' Up! stamp, as well as their Riding Hood Red ink and again, Old Olive. Can you tell this is my fav color ink! I then cut out the stamped image and used pop dots to make it stand out. I also used brads and I believe the paper is Paper Studio. The button and ribbon are from HL.

For the tags I used a stamp from Stampin' Up!'s Heritage Holiday collection and my Cricut to cut the tags using the George cartridge. I then used some Studio G stamps to stamp the snowflakes using a glue pad and then sprinkled them with glitter. I love doing this technique - especially for snoflakes! Love the way they turn out. When I finished the tags I used some ribbon to finish them off. Pretty simple, but I really like them - especially the color combos - and I hope you do as well!

Happy Scrapping!

Challenge #5

Here is the result of Challenge #5 for Whimsical Scraps & Bugs Blogspot. The new challenge required us to use one of our Cricut cartridges Christmas Tree cuts on either a card or LO. I have to say that this challenge made me stress just slightly but I still enjoyed completing it!

Not only did I use my Cricut for this cut, but I also used some Stampin' Up! products, including a stamp from the Bella's Bloom set as well as ink in Riding Hood Red. I just really love their products and am really exploring my stamping side!

Hope everyone hops on over to the blogspot Cindy and I host - you can click the link at the bottom of the page in my fav's list! Don't be too shy to join in on our challenges!!

Happy Scrapping!

Butterfly Bling Card

So I decided I needed a card for a special someone recently and decided to go about doing it using my Indie Art cartridge. I really liked the final product even though it does vary some from my original sketch I had done!

I used the butterfly on the Indie Art cart. at 3 inch blackout and then cut it again at 3 inch shadow. I layered the butterflies using pop dots and applied bling to the wings. I used Bazill cardstock for the card base and some French script scrapbooking paper I had laying around - don't know who the manufacturer is unfortunately. I cut that paper and proceeded to tear the edges and then ink them before placing it on the front of the card. I then followed it up with ribbon and then adhered the butterfly as well. On the inside of the card I simply placed a piece of plain white paper to write the sentiment. I have to say that so far this is one of my fav cards!!

Happy Scrapping!

They Grow Up So Fast!!

Our son had a Christmas band concert the other evening and had to get all dressed up for it. When he initially told me what he had to wear, I had to admit I couldn't quite picture it. Then when he brought home his red blazer and put on everything else, Behold! A young man stood in front of me. And while he is technically 12 going on 25, he will always be two years old in my mind, telling the moon goodnight each evening before he went to bed.....

Fall Family Photos

Since we moved into our new home that we are so thankful God provided us with, we had everyone over to our house for Thanksgiving! We had an amazing time with our family and friends, as well as ate way too much yummy food!! My mom knows how much I love her bread dressing so she always makes me extra and I am still hoarding some in the fridge! YUM!!!

Anyway, we took some family photos on our property and they turned out great! Just wanted to share some with everyone!!

Happy Scrapping!

Simple Christmas Card

I am actually attempting to make some of my own Christmas cards this year for at least my closest friends and family members. I have been into card making less than a year so I am still learning so many new things.

This card is actually super easy and is the product of an old, scrap Christmas card. I simply cut up the old card the way I wanted to use it and used it to help embellish the cardstock. I also added some ribbons and stickles to jazz it up a little.

Like I said, it is pretty simple, but my hubby liked it a lot so that is good enough for me. Plan to work on a few more in the coming weeks for everyone to see as well!! I have some new Stampin' Up products to play with and some new techniques I want to try so I am super excited!!

Happy Scrapping!

Hello Tags

Since we just moved, I decided to bake the neighbors some cookies and say hello. I needed a quick and easy tag, so of course, I whipped out my Cricut!! And, some recycled take out boxes.

I used the George cartridge two rounded squares the same size. I used Stampin' Up Old Olive ink and two Studio G Stamps - the bird, which I trimmed out, and the Hello stamp. After stamping and adhering it all, I used a small rhinestone for the center of the "o" and then tied on some coordinating ribbon!

It was super easy, didn't take me 5 minutes and the neighbors really liked them -- and the cookies too! :)

Happy Scrapping!

Here are a few more views of the star up close to take a look at!!

Altered Barn Star Challenge - Christmas

I was super excited about doing this challenge with our wonderful Design Team for Whimsical Scraps and Bugs blogsite. And the challenge didn't let me down either - I had a blast while doing it and surprisingly, it was not that difficult at all!

I used a ton of products to alter the medium size star - too many to list completely! As always, I did use my Cricut for the words (except family - i used a rub on for that one) - the Opposites Attract cartridge and the Beyond Birthdays cartridge. I also used stickles, skittles, rhinestone bling, American Crafts ribbon, Prima flowers, Martha Stewart gold paint pen to outline all the edges, Stampin' Up inks, Studio G stamp (for the bird, which i then cut out and adhered onto the star) and so much more!

Hope everyone hops on over to http://www.whimsicalscrapsandbugs.blogspot.com/ to take a look at all the wonderful altered stars when they are completed. I can't wait to see what everyone came up with because everyone on the DT is so talented! I hope everyone takes on this challenge and make their own altered star!!

Happy Scrapping!

2009 Calendar Swap Cover

This is a cover for a calendar swap I am in on the Cricut MB. I had a rough time trying to decide what to do and this is the end result. Not my fav work, but I like it okay.

I used a variety of papers for it including My Mind's Eye and Cloud Nine Designs. I also used stickles, skittles, ribbon, buttons, and the flowers are from some patterned paper I purchased and cut them out. For the numbers I used Making Memories paper and the Opposites Attract Cricut cartridge. I also used a friend definition stamp at the bottom of the page.

I wanted this cover to serve a dual purpose so that when the swappers are finished with the calendar next year, they can use it as a LO in their scrapbooks if they wish - which is why I included the photo mat! I hope everyone in the swap likes it!!

Happy Scrapping!

Christmas Paint Can Swap

I am always involved in swaps over on the Cricut MB and this one was so much fun. Similar to the Fall Can Swap I did, this was a Christmas Can Swap to send out to your can partner filled with scrapbooking goodies. I hope my can sister likes it as it goes in the mail Friday!!!

For the can I used the Beyond Birthdays Cricut cartridge, as well as the Opposites Attract cartridge. I also used the Divine Swirls Cuttlebug folder on the dove. For the top of the can, I used a Stampin' Up Christmas stamp that I cut out and used pop dots on. I also used pop dots on the dove embellishment too. Stickles are on the top of the can as well as on the top of the candle in the word, "Christmas." A ribbon on top finishes it off!

The small card that is attached to the can was made using the George cartridge template and I used Stampin' Up stamps for the outside Santa and the card sentiment, as well as stickles on Santa's hat.

Happy Scrapping!

Mini Christmas Album

This is the latest challenge for the blogspot that Cindy and I co-host together. Cindy had the terrific idea (she always comes up with such neat ones!) of doing a mini Christmas-themed album out of altered flash cards. I have to say it was fun. I have had a lot going on lately with our family's move into a new home that God blessed us with, but I enjoyed taking the time out of my day to sit down and make it. Besides, it was my very first project in my new scraproom!

I altered the flashcards using a variety of papers that included Making Memories, Paper Studio, Cloud Nine Design, My Mind's Eye and Bazzill. I then inked the edges of each page with coffee-colored ink for a distressed look. For the title and the bird on the front page, I used the Cricut Beyond Birthday cartridge. I also used a bit of bling, as required, on the bird by using red rhinestones near the tail. I punched holes in my corners, attached a jump ring, and then tied red, green, and white ribbons around the jump ring. The green and white ribbons were purchased at Michael's and the red sheer ribbon was purchased at Hobby Lobby.

Make sure to check out our blog, www.whimsicalscrapsandbugs.blogspot.com, to see all the Design Team creations for the Mini Christmas Album challenge. Also, check out what our next challenge will be and join us! It is always fun to take on a new challenge and have fun!

Happy Scrapping!

Simple Season's Greetings LO

I am in a swap over on the Cricut MB that is a pick your theme swap. You get to decide what level and what theme you would like to do, and then make the coordinating 2-page LO. I decided to do the beginner level for the swap because I have not had a lot of time to spend on my scrapping lately and wanted to do something a bit simpler with all the other swaps I am in. And besides, sometimes simple is better! You get to accomplish more and your photos take the focus on the page and not all the elements.

Anyway, for this LO (which I hope my swap partners like!) I used the Cricut Beyond Birthdays cartridge for the title and the star embellishments, as well as George for the tag shape on the facing page. All the paper is by Cloud Nine Designs and the ribbon I picked up at Michael's.

I am really starting to get into the holiday spirit with all the Christmas swapping going on over at the MB! Plus, Cindy's idea for our latest blog challenge at www.whimsicalscrapsandbugs.blogspot.com was a terrific holiday project too! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!

Happy Scrapping!

Family Frame

One of my fav pics I have ever taken was of my son, TJ, & niece, Destiny, at a family reunion last year. I loved how it turned out and decided to alter my first frame for it shortly after I got my Cricut last Christmas.

I used the George cartridge for the title, and the heart and flower glitter chipboard embellishments are Heidi Grace. The papers for the background are by The Paper Studio and the brown ribbon I picked up at Michael's. The unfinished frame came from Hobby Lobby, as well as the brown paint I used to cover the outer and inner edges of the frame.

Happy Scrapping!

Big Love LO

This is a LO of my amazing hubby and I in Austin, Texas a few months ago. There is a lot of detail here, but I don't think you can see all of it in the photo unfortunately.

I used the Indie Art Cricut cartridge for this LO, as well as Opposites Attract. All of the flowers & swirls on the LO are hand stitched with Bazzil In-Stitches thread and I also used stickles on the wings and the word, "Big."

I added Prima flowers with skittle centers to the LO and the photo mat paper is Making Memories.
The background paper (not sure of brand) was bought at a LSS in Austin - Felicia's Scrapbooks. (check out her Web site if you would like, she had an amazing store and was super sweet! if you live in the area or visit, i would definitely recommend you check it out! www.feliciasscrapbooks.com)

My hubby isn't a huge fan of the photo, but like I told him, it may not be the best photo of us and we may be tired in it, but we are happy, together and in love and that is all that matters!

Happy Scrapping!

Downtown Layout

Not an extremely detailed LO, but still one of my favs since it includes our son, TJ, in one of my family's fav places - Austin, Texas. The photos were taken a year ago on Sixth Street in downtown Austin.

I used the Cricut cartridge Stone Script for the title and I believe the paper is DCWV. I also used an Accucut for the large orange flower shaped mat. Some Prima flowers and skittles finish out the embellies! Happy Scrapping!

Strawberry Shortcake Recipe Layout

We do so many recipe swaps over on the Cricut Message Board and it is always so much fun! We always have new participants who have never created a recipe LO before or others who need ideas. This is the first one I ever did. Participating in a recipe swap is such a great way to meet new people, share ideas, and get great recipes to try. I used the Cricut Opposites Attract cartridge for the title, and I believe I used George for the heart, as well as silk flowers and skittles. Happy Scrapping!

Hello Friend Card

Here is another card I did for a friend awhile back. I used the Cricut Beyond Birthdays cartridge for the sentiment, then just black cardstock, white cardstock, faux lace paper, red rick rack riboon, two layered white silk flowers, and a red button. I love my Cricut because it makes everything just so easy! Happy Scrapping!

Boo! Card

Well, this was the second challenge for the Whimsical Scraps & Bugs Design Team and we had to incoporate the word "Boo!" as well as the colors black, purple, orange, and yellow - and we had to use glitter somehow too! It was a great challenge and I enjoyed it so much since my fav holiday is Halloween!

Once again, I used the Cricut Paper Pups cartridge (i love this cart!) for the word "Boo!" This is also the first time I did hand stitching on a card (usually do it on LOs) and I liked how it turned out. Definitely time consuming, but worth it! The witch's hat and stars are glitter chipboard by Junkitz.

Looking forward to our next challenge (think it will be a Christmas one because Cindy just loves Christmas!) and don't forget to take a peek at the blogspot. We are getting ready to take Design Team submissions again for our upcoming team. We would love to see everyone's amazing work! Happy Scrapping!

I Ruff Fall DoggieTreat Bag

The first challenge I had to do for the blog Cindy and I host together had to incorporate the colors brown, red, orange, yellow and be fall themed. I decided to go with a doggie treat bag and really liked the results. I used both the Cuttlebug and the Cricut on this project, more specifically I used the Divine Swirls and Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folders and the Cricut Cartridges I used were Paper Pups, Opposites Attract, and George.

This was so much fun and I am looking forward to future challenges as well. Make sure to check out our blog, wwww.whimsicalscrapsandbugs.blogspot.com (or click the link at the bottom of my papge) and the Cricut Web site at www.cricut.com as well! Happy Scrapping!

Eureka Springs 12X12 LO

A simple 12x12 layout I did featuring Eureka Springs, Arkansas, where my hubby and I eloped. I love blues and browns together, and I love taking architectural photos as well - especially when they are historic buildings.

Trick or Treat Candy Gift Box

I made this little Trick or Treat gift box for Cindy as well. I used an old Godiva Truffles box that I had saved. No Cricut or Cuttlebug here - just good old paper, glitter chipboard, ribbon, stickers, and dimensional paint! I also wrapped the Hershey's Nuggets inside the box with patterned paper.

Additional Fall Blessings Paint Can Photos

Here are two more views of the can: a close up of the tree, on which I used the Cuttlebug folders to emboss and then inked over the embossing; and also a view of the can from the top.

Fall Blessings Paint Can

I did this can for a Fall Paint Can Swap I was in on the Cricut MB. My friend, Cindy, was my can sister and I had so much fun decorating it for her - as well as buying all the fun goodies to stuff in side! I used a variety of items on the can, but the Cricut cartridges I used were Paper Pups, Opposites Attract, and Beyond Birthdays. I also used my Cuttlebug and the folders Swiss Dots and Divine Swirls.

Welcome!

Scrapbooking is wonderful!