Giving Back Blog Hop for Erica

Welcome to the Giving Back Blog Hop!  We wanted to give back to the person who has given so much to us!   So, this is in honor of Erica from My Cricut Craft Room. 

You should have come from Samantha's blog. If you are starting at my blog, you will want to start with Kat’s blog so you don’t miss any of the great layouts.   When you get done hopping, you will want to go to Erica’s Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/EricasCraftRoom)    and leave a comment on her page.   We will be randomly selecting someone from those comments to win blog candy.

I have a long list of things to be thankful for this year, but there are many reasons just to be thankful for Erica....I won't type the entire list here but my page showcases just a few of those reasons.  Thank you for everything you do Erica!  It does not go unrecognized or unappreciated!

The next stop on the hop is Pattie's blog.  Here is the entire lineup in case you get lost....thanks for visiting and be sure to pay a visit to Erica's page and show her some love of your own to let her know how much we appreciate her generosity and all she does for us!  Have a great day!

http://katscrapfever.blogspot.com                    kat schriber
http://papercrafteranonymous.com                  heather flaherty
http://pinkpolkadotscrapping.blogspot.com       melissa pinter
http://grammiejudys.blogspot.com                   judith ashmore
www.lezlyes.blogspot.com                               lezlye lauterbach
http://gscraptime.blogspot.com/                      gayle schrader             
http://suzyssimplecrafts.blogspot.com               sue-ann lovell

http://kleymanr.blogspot.com/                         rosa kleyman
http://cema1cema.blogspot.com                      christina bartels capps
http://www.funkycards.blogspot.com/              madison
http://micraftygal.blogspot.com                        patricia holloway

http://samanthascricutcreations.blogspot.com/  samantha sickles
http://manicexpressionsdesigns.blogspot.com/   ricki sholler tidd
http://sweetpsscrapbooks.blogspot.com/           pattie mcginnis
http://craftsbyamanda.blogspot.com                 amanda haynes
http://conniescraftycloset.blogspot.com             connie benford layman
http://craftyandgreen.blogspot.com                   tina ondrus keller
http://allmadebylisa.blogspot.com                     lisa
http://mississippihippycrafts.blogspot.com         enjoli collums
http://kccroppers.blogspot.com                        shelly lynn
http://www.creativecraftcorner.com                  karey
http://www.lauriecandoit.blogspot.com             laurie

A Time For Thanks

Hello ladies and gents...you should have made your way here by way of  Laura's blog and if not then you definitely want to go back to the beginning at http://mycricutcraftroom.blogspot.com/ so you don't miss anything!  Yep, it's that time of year again when we all turn our thoughts to the holidays.  Naturally most of us think of Christmas shopping and the stress that goes along with it, who we must purchase gifts for, will they love it, did I forget anyone....I absolutely love Christmas but I also tend to skip ahead and stress a little over all the parties and events and sometimes forget to stop and remember all that we have to be grateful for.  I believe that Thanksgiving should be every day of the year and I try to live by that but when we are really stressed and busy I know it is sometimes hard to think about what we do have instead of what we don't have or need to do, etc.  Especially in this world where everything is so materialistic it seems.  So to slow down and remember what is important I decided to create a Give Thanks banner to decorate for Thanksgiving day and leave it up for the entire month until then just as a reminder of all I do have to be thankful for and to take a moment to appreciate it.  I began with basic brown kraft paper for the banner pennants and cut at fit to page from the Teresa Collins Chic and Scary cart.  The paper I used for the font was from the DCWV Citrus Bloom Stack

. The white background of the paper was a bit stark in comparison to the kraft paper so I inked the edges with a Tim Holtz distress ink pad in antique linen.   I also inked the edges of the pennants with Staz On ink in Timber Brown for added dimension.  The font was cut at 4 inches from Lovely Floral.

I then embellished the pennants with some die cuts and Inkadinkadoo stamps using Tim Holtz distress inks in Frayed Burlap, Wild Honey, Dried Marigold, Antique Linen, and a few were done with the Staz On Timber Brown also.  I used Mini Monsters to cut the pumpkin at 3 in and the Pilgrim Bird was of course 3 Birds On Parade and he was cut at 4.25 in.  I have to give a special thanks to Shelly Lynn for the cute little leaves on the center pennant.  We exchanged these in a swap last month and although I have the same little punch I decided to use hers just because I loved the colors she chose and I appreciated the extra little surprise!  ;)

I apologize that my pics are not as good quality as normal, I am having issues with my laptop connection so I did most of this through my hubby's iPhone and my Blackberry so my editing software had to be eliminated.  I hope you like my little project and more importantly I hope that when it gets down to the last shopping trip of the season and people may be getting a little testy in the malls, I hope you are reminded of the little things we have to be so thankful for...like having people we love enough to go through all this for just to see their face light up on Christmas morning.  Happy Holidays everyone, I'm thankful for each and every one of you as well.  You should be moving on to Madison's awesome blog because I know she has something there you'll definitely want to see!  Have a great day! 

Ricki

In Case you get lost along the way here is the line up for today hop

1.My Cricut CraftRoom- http://mycricutcraftroom.blogspot.com
2.Sharon- Sharon  http://simplysweetbysharon.blogspot.com/ - 
3.Melissa http://pinkpolkadotscrapping.blogspot.com - - 
4.Holly  http://hollys-hobbie.blogspot.com/ - 
5.Yvette  http://gammascreativecorner.blogspot.com/ - 
6.Samantha http://samanthascricutcreations.blogspot.com/ - - 
7.Heather F http://www.papercrafteranonymous.com/ - 
8.Suzy's Crafts http://suzyssimplecrafts.blogspot.com/ 
9.Tracy http://www.scrappininthewoods.blogspot.com - 
10.Heather S http://operationcricutdesign.blogspot.com/ 
11.Shelly http://kccroppers.blogspot.com - 
12.Laura  http://laurascraftsandmore.blogspot.com/ - - 
13.Ricki http://manicexpressionsdesigns.blogspot.com/ - 
14.Madison http://funkycards.blogspot.com/ --NEXT--
15.Jen BowkerRanney -http://myimagitivity.blogspot.com 
16.Blog candy- http://ericasblogcandy.blogspot.com/

Eeek!!! It's almost Halloween!!!!

Hi boys and girls!  I am so excited about this post because I (like many of you too I'm sure) waited for what seemed like FOREVER for this cartridge even though I ordered it as soon as it was released!  Yep, you guessed it...Teresa Collins Chic & Scary.  You should have come here from Erica at Cricut Craft Room's blog.  If not, definitely check it out, you don't want to miss the other awesome work the other ladies have done today.  So every year we have a huge Halloween bash in our barn, and each year it seems to get bigger and bigger.  We try to add several new decorations each year also just to keep it fresh, we're big fans of day after sales!  I decided to make a little wall hanging that I will later attach a black sparkly ribbon to the back.  Alas, as I reached for my ribbon I realized I had run out of black so I decided to post as is.  I think you have good imaginations and can picture it on there.  ;)  I used the word montage from the cartridge, and glued all the negative spaces onto the orange background.  My little Tweezer Bee tweezers are invaluable for projects like this with tiny little pieces!  I trimmed the edges of the black paper before gluing so a bit so more of the orange showed around the border.  I then went back and used a set of clear Inkadinkado stamps that Erica was so kind to give me.  Instead of using ink however, I used the Martha Stewart glue pad and then sprinkled some of the Martha Stewart fine glitter in Onyx on top.  I then took a corner rounder and rounded the edges and that is it!  I normally take forever with my projects and this was literally done in about an hour, so that's how easy it was!  

I think it will be really cute in the lights after we are done decorating.  I love this cartridge and can't wait to make more projects, I hope all of you that bought it love it just as much!  Happy Halloween to all of you, be safe and have lots of fun!!!

Magnets!

Hello all!  Sorry it's been so long since my last post, I promise I didn't forget about you all!  So much has happened since I've posted last I wanted to share with you.  I contemplated long and hard before I decided to sell my pet spa.  It was an extremely hard decision for me as I started this business from the ground up and love animals dearly.  However, it was very hard to find quality help in our small town and the stress from doing it all was really taking it's toll on me.  So I decided to move back into the salon, as I worked as a cosmetologist and color specialist for years before branching out into grooming pets.  I am planning on attending school soon to further my education and not have to kill my back bent over the shampoo bowl either.  So having settled back into a routine again (somewhat, LOL) I wanted to create a quick post in regards to the little magnets I've made that have gotten SUCH a great response from everyone.

These are SO simple to make and fun to get children involved as well.  I had a little trouble locating the marble gems, I'm not sure if it's because everyone is making these or why but I finally found mine at JoAnns.  I prefer the ones that do not have a luster effect to them but you could certainly use those if you like.  

Next, choose your paper or I have discovered that cardstock or a thicker paper is actually preferred as the glue seems to soak through thinner paper as it dries.  

Due to the fact that each marble is not shaped exactly the same, I lay the marble over the design on the paper that I wish to put on my marble and trace around it with a ballpoint pen.  The line will not show and I trim on the inside of the line anyway so you could use whatever you like to mark it.  I chose to center my marble over some of the accents on the paper but simple patterns like a plaid or polka dot would be adorable as well, whatever ties in with where they will be hanging.

Cut your design out (again, on the inside of the line you marked so there is no overhang on the edge) and line up to see if you like the way it is centered on the back of the marble gem.

Then, I used some E-6000 and also Glossy Accents to glue the paper onto the gem and discovered that I preferred the Glossy Accents so that is what I used for the majority of these.  It dries much faster and doesn't smell as bad either, so those were my reasons for using it over the E-6000.  Others have also suggested that you may use a hot glue gun or even Elmers glue to adhere your paper, although I have personally not tried those as of yet.  Then just glue a magnet disc or I personally love the rolls of magnet at the craft stores and you simply cut whatever length you need for you project and glue it onto the back.  Tada!  All done!  SO simple it's crazy!

Here are some pics of the ones I've made so far....

Now keep in mind, you can also add any sort of embellishment you desire on the top of the gems.  I would personally choose some crystals, maybe paint some details to give additional depth, your imagination really is the limit here.  Oh, and people seem to go ga-ga over these so they would make great little handmade gifts or stocking stuffers for the upcoming holidays and really don't cost much to make at all.  Everyone wins!  Have fun!

 

100 Cricut Cart Blog Hop!

Hi everyone!  I unfortunately do not have a project to share today, but if you check back VERY soon I promise to make it up to you!  Please keep hopping and see what the other ladies have put together for you...oh, and BLOG CANDY!!!  You should have come here from..... Patricia's blog at http://micraftygal.blogspot.com/
If you did not please start at the beginning of the hop at
http://mycricutcraftroom.blogspot.com/

Next you should go to Rosa's blog at http://kleymanr.blogspot.com/

If you get lost along the way here is the entire line-up...

1.      My Cricut Craft Room http://mycricutcraftroom.blogspot.com

2.      Mayra http://gettingcraftywithma.blogspot.com/

3.      April http://www.curlsngrins.blogspot.com/

4.      Melissa http://pinkpolkadotscrapping.blogspot.com

5.      My Project http://mycricutcraftroom.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-project-for-100-cartridge-blog-hop.html

6.      Pattie http://sweetpsscrapbooks.blogspot.com/

7.      Patricia http://micraftygal.blogspot.com/  

8.      Ricki http://manicexpressionsdesigns.blogspot.com/  

9.      Rosa http://kleymanr.blogspot.com/  

10.  Samantha http://samanthascricutcreations.blogspot.com/  

11.  Sharon http://simplysweetbysharon.blogspot.com/

12.  Shelly http://kccroppers.blogspot.com/  

13.  Suzy's Crafts http://suzyssimplecrafts.blogspot.com/  

14.  Tammy S. http://thepurplemuse.blogspot.com  

15.  Tanya http://nonnascraftcorner.blogspot.com/  

16.  Tracy http://www.scrappininthewoods.blogspot.com/

17.  Yvette http://gammascreativecorner.blogspot.com/    

18.  Amanda http://craftsbyamanda.blogspot.com/

19.   Giveaway http://mycricutcraftroom.blogspot.com/2011/09/surprise-giveaway-saturday-september-3.html

20.  Autumn http://autumnsbuggycreations.blogspot.com/  

21.  Connie http://conniescraftycloset.blogspot.com/  

22.  Courtney http://craftingwithcourtney.blogspot.com/  

23.  Gayle http://gscraptime.blogspot.com/  

24.  Heather F http://www.papercrafteranonymous.com/

25.  Heather S http://operationcricutdesign.blogspot.com/  

26.  Holly http://hollys-hobbie.blogspot.com/

27.  Jen R. http://memorieswithjen.blogspot.com/

28.  Jenny R http://myimagitivity.blogspot.com/  

29.  Laura http://laurascraftsandmore.blogspot.com/  

30.  Lisa allmadebylisa.blogspot.com  

31.  Karey http://www.creativecraftcorner.com/

32.  Kat http://katscrapfever.blogspot.com/  

33.  Lezlye http://lezlyes.blogspot.com/  

34.  Lucinda http://thegrowinggibson.blogspot.com/  

35.  Blog Candy http://mycricutcraftroom.blogspot.com/2011/09/reserved-for-this-weekends-blog-candy.html

One happy camper!

Hi everyone!  Welcome back, I know my posts have been few and far between lately and I apologize for that.  I have had so much going on that I honestly have been struggling to get the few I have done and posted on time...I promise I will be better after next week when things slow down for me at least a little bit.  I hope everyone has had a wonderful summer.  Here in Ohio at least, it has really felt like it's winding down into fall the last week or so with temps in the 50's at night and low 80's during the daytime.  This time of year always makes me think of camping because I don't like to camp unless I can have a good bonfire to sit by...if it's too hot for a fire then what's the point of camping without marshmallows?!?  LoL!  When I was fortunate enough to be able to meet some of my crafty friends in person for the Cricut Circle Event at Kings Island Erica gave us all some ADORABLE Imaginisce paper that had yet to be released.  We decided we would take a day like Theme Day Thursdays over at Cricut Craft Room and share our creations all using the same papers.  I decided I was going to deviate from my usual cardmaking and make my first ever scrapbook layout.  I really wanted to add more Cricut cuts but I had an issue with my E2 that I believe is due to an update that I have yet to get done...please refer to above =)   

These papers were great quality and I really enjoyed the bright colors and the nice weight as I prefer the heavier cardstock the better.  

I used:

Papers: Imaginisce Happy Camper line, DCWV kraft paper

Cindy Loo Cricut Cartridge

Darice Finishing Accents wood tag

Staz On Timber Brown ink

Pop Dot adhesive under the tag

Twine

I have to say I am pretty pleased with my first attempt at a layout although I am going to make time to update both my Gypsy and my E2 this week.  Both are great machines but I need to do my part and support their "continuing education".  ;)  Thanks so much for stopping by, I hope you all have a great rest of your week and don't forget to stop by for our 100+ Cricut Cartridge Blog Hop the first weekend in Sept.  You will see some amazing projects by some VERY talented ladies, I promise!  

Lot of love, Ricki

I was supposed to do what???

Hi folks!  If you are anything like me, you need notes to remember things EVERYWHERE!  I mean everywhere, I am amazed how many notes and lists I have been able to fit into the notepad in my Blackberry.  Come to think of it, maybe that's why it runs so slow.  Hmm...anywhoo today is Imagine-ation Monday at Cricut Craft Room and I am one of the featured designers.  I decided to create a new chalk/magnetic board to store my many notes and reminders.

 

So sorry for the bad lighting and my shoddy camera work.  I had to apply many more layers of magnetic paint than anticipated and it was dark by the time I was ready for my pic.  :(  You however, can learn from my mistakes and know that when you use RustOleum magnetic primer you should apply many more than the recommended 2 or 3 coats.  I have 5 as shown and still am not pleased with the strength of the magnetic qualities.  I will more than likely be adding a couple more layers.  

I used:

Teresa Collins Baby Boutique cart

Rust o leum magnetic primer paint

Chalkboard Paint

pre-cut wood plaque

Duncan acrylic paints

Swarovski crystals

Mod Podge gloss finish

resin magnets purchased from JoAnns

 I began by painting my wooden plaque with the magnetic primer, I did not actually prime the bare wood first and that is perhaps where my mistakes lies.  I then used the acrylics to paint the colors onto the plaque, selected the 3rd layer from the invite on the Teresa Collins Baby Boutique on pg. 8, cut at 9in. and Mod Podged the cut.  I added another layer of Mod Podge directly onto the plaque and then layed the cut on top, being careful not to get any more Mod Podge onto the area that was to be painted with the chalkboard paint.  While the Mod Podge was still wet, I layed my Swarovski crystals in place as it can also be used a glue as well as a sealer.  Once sufficiently dry I applied the chalkboard paint in very thin layers to the center of the cut being careful not to cover the flourishes coming towards the middle.  I used 3 layers of chalkboard paint and was pleased with the results from that.    I am very pleased with the results other than the strength of the magnetic paint.  I will definitely be working on that since I love this and want it to be able to hold whatever papers I stick up there without worrying about it falling off and losing it.  Kinda would defeat the purpose, huh?  I appreciate everyone taking the time to check out my little blog, please follow and/or subscribe and as always, I LOVE comments!  I hope you have a great day today!