LOVE STRUCK Projects Using the Cricut Cartridge Doodle Charms

Greetings everyone … This is ♥Carol♥, I hope you are all having a spectacular week. Thanx for visiting me here in My Little Creation Corner. Today I am sharing the details of my “LOVE NOTES” creations which were designed for the Cuttlebug Challenge Blog.

As most of you know by now, I am a Design Team member on the SWEET TREATS THURSDAY Team at the Cuttlebug Challenge Blog. This special team of designers will tantalize your taste buds with a delicious selection of yummie creations using their favorite crafting tools (Cricut and Cricut Cartridges, Cuttlebug, YourStory, YuDu and the Gypsy). I’m very pleased to be included with this wonderful team of talented crafters as a Design Team Member. I hope you’ll pop over and take a look … and be sure to check back every Thursday as the SWEET TREATS THURSDAY Design Team will be presenting fun new crafts, tutorials and/or other helpful hints and tricks to help keep you inspired.

This Week’s assignment was to use our Cricuts and the Doodle Charms cartridge to create a set of projects. We were instructed to use not less than 2 cuts from the DC cart, but were allowed to use as many as we liked. I selected to use the Mail Box, Hearts, and the Dragon Fly … but as you will see here … I also used cuts from the new Limited Edition Mini Cricut Cartridge, Love Struck.

My “LOVE NOTES” projects …

The Card

(Please click on any image to see Full Size)

The Envelope

The Card and Envelope Set

The Mail Box

The Project Trio

Supplies Used:

Cricut Expressions

Doodle Charms Cricut Cartridge
Love Struck Limited Edition Mini Cricut Cartridge
Patterned Paper and Card Stock from S.E.I. Chacolat Paper Pack
Metallic Silver card stock
Pink Lace & Pearls Ribbon from Wrights Creative Classics
Textile Texture Cuttlebug A2 Embossing Folder
Jumbo Java Dew Drop Chalk Ink
Adhesives (Glue Glider Pro, Zig 2-way Glue Pen, Dimensionals, Glue Dots)

The Card - measures 4.25x5.25 inches and fits beautifully in the envelope.  I Made the base card out a wine colored colored card stock, placed a pink card stock mat on top (4x5 inches) on top and inked the edges in brown and added another mat of patterned paper (3.75x4.75 inches) on top and again inked the edges in brown.  I then ran the entire card face thru the cuttlebug ... the size was a perfect fit to do this and gives the card a beautifully embossed surface.  The mailbox was cut at 2.5 inches.  The dragon flies were cut at one inch and have three layers, one of card stock, then patterned paper, and then the dragon fly body ... I folded the wings up to give the card some extra dimension.  The letters were computer generated and matted to the wine card stock.  All embellishments, except the lace and pearl ribbon, were placed on the card using dimensionals to add extra visual interest.

The Envelope - was cut from the Love Struck cartridge and was cut "fit to page" which was a perfect fit for the card.  It's cut from the same patterned paper as the card face.  I added a strip of card behind the heart cut outs to give it extra interest ... but added the strip of lace and pearl ribbon, which helped coordinate the card and envelope together beautifully.

The Mail Box - was cut out of patterned paper and was cut at 11.25 inches.  Again, I used the Love Struck cartridge for the mail box.  I added a silver mail box flag and attached it with a mauve heart brad, then added a small mauve colored bow, and a heart from the Doodle Charms cart.  I also added the same lace and pearl ribbon around the mailbox that I used on the card and envelope.  The letters and dragon fly were both cut at 1.75 inches. 

WOW, was I ever amazed at how easy both the mailbox and envelope were to cut out and put together.  If you do not yet have the Love Struck cart, I highly recommend it ... there are so many beautiful and intricate cuts on this cart.  Here's a look at all that this cart has to offer ...

(Click on Image to view full size)

I hope you enjoy these projects as much as I did making them and sharing them with you … feel free to leave comments, I would love to hear what you think. As always, thank you for visiting me here at my Little Creation Corner and don’t forget to stop by and check out the creations made by the other talented Sweet Treats Thursdays Design Team members at the Cuttlebug Challenge Blog. 

HAVE A GREAT WEEK EVERYONE!


Hugz,
♥Carol♥

Thanksgiving Centerpiece and Invitation - Using the Cricut Expressions and the Animal Kingdom and Winter Woodlands Cartridges

Greetings Everyone and HAPPY THANKSGIVING … This is ♥Carol♥ … Welcome to my Little Creation Corner ... today I’d like to share a couple of simple Thanksgiving projects I made with a little help from my Cricut Expressions and the Animal Kingdom and Winter Woodlands cartridges.


The first is a centerpiece I made for the Thanksgiving table. This project was very easy and inexpensive to make. I purchased a couple of fall floral stems from my local craft store (and as luck would have it, they were on sale for $.79 each). I added some turkeys which were made from scraps of card stock I already had, using the Animal Kingdom cartridge and cut at 5.5 inches. The turkeys were attached to the arrangement using a 3 foot, 1/8 inch dowel I purchased from the same craft store (for $.39) cut into 4 equal pieces. The copper colored pail was purchased for $.99. It’s tied around the center with a bit of raffia I already had. After all the turkeys were made, this centerpiece took less than 20 minutes to put together.

The total cost for this project is as follows …

$0.79 Fall Floral Stem
$0.79 Fall Floral Stem
$0.39 1/8 inch 3 ft. dowel
$0.99 Small Copper Pail
$0.00 Rafia from stash on hand
$0.00 Google Eyes from stash on hand
$0.00 Card Stock from stash on hand
_____

$2.96 (plus tax) Total out of pocket cost
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Here is the completed centerpiece …

(for details, click on any image to see full size)

To make the turkeys, I used the Animal Kingdom cartridge. Since this cartridge only has minimal layering pieces, I cut 5 turkeys in various colors for each turkey made. I then cut them apart and pieced the various colors together (similar to a jigsaw puzzle) to make them more colorful. By adding wiggly eyes and a small raffia bow tie, it gave them more depth, dimension and character.

Cut turkeys from Animal Kingdom

(Brown is the background piece)

I then made a matching card using the same turkey … in this case, I made an invitation to Thanksgiving Dinner and included the menu and a short verse I wrote. I used scraps of different colored fall papers I had on hand. All words were computer generated and printed on card stock. The little tag on the face of the card was made using the Winter Woodlands cartridge, layered with different colored papers and attached together with brads. Both the turkey and tag are popped up using dimensionals.

Here is the card face …

Here is the card center ….

Supplies used were from stash on hand

(cardstock, patterned scrapbook paper, raffia, wiggly eyes, brads and dimensionals)

REMINDER … You can click on any image to see full view.

Both projects were super easy to make, and the great thing is, they were also very inexpensive too!

I hope you enjoy these projects as much as I did making them and sharing them with you … feel free to leave comments, I love hearing your thoughts. As always, thank you for visiting me here at my Little Creation Corner.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

♥Carol♥

Provo Craft Sweethearts Cartridge - Review and Card

Greetings Everyone and WELCOME to my Little Creation Corner … This is ♥Carol♥ … and today I'd like to share my personal review of the new Cricut Sweethearts Cartridge and a card I made with it too!

(NOTE:  Click on any image to see full size and detail)

I originally ordered this cartridge because there were a few images that I really wanted to have … the bicycle built for two, the couple sitting at a café table, the adorable little cupid, and several others. However, my excitement over this cartridge increased ten-fold when my girlfriend asked me if I would mind cutting a few images and sending them to her. The list of images she wanted cut ended up being at least two dozen … which gave me the chance to really work with this cartridge and check everything out closely right away. OH MY … This cartridge is loaded with so many wonderful images, and each one was so easy to cut. In fact, I found it was much easier to work with than many others. My mind is swimming with all the creative possibilities.

First, let’s talk about what’s on this cartridge … A wide selection of images, perfect for weddings, engagements, lovers/sweethearts, dating, anniversaries, Valentine’s Day … couples in various poses, hearts, gifts, bouquet, cupid and bow and arrow, shoes, gown and tuxedo, umbrella, bicycle built for two, cake, his and her towels, frog, cat, puppy, man proposing, ring and ring in box, envelope image, bells, church, birds in a nest, champagne glasses, scrolly pieces and design cuts, locks and keys, etc, plus word sentiments like love, sweetheart, bride, groom, I Do, puppy love, smitten kitten, kiss me, you’re invited, bridal shower, happy anniversary … and much more. BTW, you will also find shadow/blackout options, as well as layering features for most of the images. In addition, this cart also has a nice selection of cards, envelopes and tags.

Here’s a glimpse of some of the images on the Sweethearts cartridge …

Following is a glimpse of the other goodies with the special features options …

Keypad with Main Images

(Remember to click on images for full detail)

Layers

Tags

Cards

Envelopes

Shadow

Blackout

Now that we know what’s on this cartridge … what can we do with it? How about some of the following for a starter …. scrapbook layouts for your wedding, anniversary, bridal shower, reception, first date, or even your first kiss, Valentine’s Day, etc. Perhaps etching a picture as a gift for a special couple or etching glasses or candle holders, making T-Shirts, pillow cases, quilts, or even a table cloth and napkin set for a shower … how about making table decorations or centerpieces … and, let’s not forget the creative card making possibilities … WOW, the creative opportunities on this cartridge are endless! In fact, I’ve made a card for you to show one sample of what you can create …

Both the card and envelope were made using the Design Studio Program … the card was cut at 4.5 inches and the envelope was made at 7 inches.

(one more reminder to click on any image to see full detail and size)

I mated the envelope cut with red card stock.

(Note the little star above the jewel ... I use that cut out on the inside of the card)

For the shaped card, I used two images of the ring in the shadow feature, flipped one, added a rectangle (size .5”x2”) between the two to use as a connector piece, which were over lapped very closely together and then welded. This gave me the base shape of the card which I scored in the center. Next, I cut the box shape out in red and ran it thru my Cuttlebug. I cut the ring shape out using a silver metallic paper, and cut the jewel out using a silver hologram origami paper … the hologram paper gives the illusion of an actual sparkling diamond … the effect in real life is truly dazzling!

For the inside of the card, on the left side, I cut “save the date” out of the silver foil paper and backed it with a red shadow at a 2” size. For the right side, I added the red ring in the box, cut at 4.5” and layered the box in solid white to allow room for writing … I also added the white star to the jewel which was actually taken from the cutout on the envelope.

HELPFUL HINT: This "HINT" applies to those using the Design Studio Program. Unfortunately, there was a glitch of some type when this cartridge was added to the cartridge library … when you open it up, the function keys do not appear. There are only empty spaces where the function keys should be.  HOWEVER, when you click on the space where the function keys should be, the function options will appear on the keypad  ...  or select the "features" option in the top menu to see all the available functions.

Please Note: all function keys appear correctly on the actual keypad overlay that comes with your cartridge. Also, for those with the Gypsy, all function keys appear normally.

I am having such fun working with the Sweethearts cartridge ... with the great selection of adorable images and sentiments that have such wonderful detail (yet are very easy to cut), plus layering pieces, shadows, blackouts, cards, envelopes and tags ... this cartridge offers endless creative possibilities. Even with the function key glitch in the Design Studio Program, it's so easy to work around it (as noted in the "Helpful Hint" above), that I don't see it as being a problem at all. Whether you are creating layouts, cards, home decor items, or a number of other crafts ... I am sure you will enjoy this cartridge as much as I do. Oh, and by the way, my girlfriend liked the cuts I sent her so much, that she couldn't resisit it ... she now owns the Sweethearts cartridge herself!

I hope you will take the time to leave a comment and let me know how useful this review was for you and if you'd like me to do other reviews of this type (I really enjoy your wonderful comments) ... I hope you'll join me as a follower of this blog too!

Thanx again for visiting my Little Creation Corner …. Happy Crafting everyone!

Hugz,
♥Carol♥

Chicken Soup - Tri Fold Card - FROM MY KITCHEN

~*~*~

Special Note

 Imagine my surprise ... this card was highlighted

in the November 3, 2009 issue of the

Cricut CHIRP ...

you can see the entire newsletter here ... http://www.cricut.com/newsletters/volume.aspx?ID=207

~*~*~

Greetings Everyone … This is ♥Carol♥ …

Today I’d like to share a card I made using the new Cricut Cartridge From My Kitchen. As you know, one of my passions, besides creating crafts with my Cricut, is writing poems and short verses … this has turned out to be a wonderful compliment to my greeting cards. Today’s card combines the two. It’s a simple little verse, but seems to fit perfectly for this card.

This is a tri-fold “Get Well” card. The base of the card was made with double-sided paper, which worked out really well when I folded up the two pocket flaps. BTW, I've also included a diagram with the measurements for making this card. (click on any image to see it larger). All cuts were made using the From My Kitchen Cricut cart. The print is computer generated onto card stock. I also added one wiggly eye and a ribbon for closure. A little hand doodling and the card was done.

Here is the face of the card ... 

(just a reminder ... click on any image to view it larger).

This is the card with the first flap open ...

Here is the card fully opened ...

Here is a diagram of the card showing the measurements and score lines ...

(Remember ... Click on any image to enlarge)

I hope you enjoy this card and will give it a try, it's really an easy card to make, and you're welcome to use the verse as well if you'd like.  Feel free to leave comments, I love seeing your thoughts!

Have a great day everyone ... and thanx for visiting my Little Creation Corner

Hugz,
♥Carol♥

Winter Woodlands Card Birthday Card - Made with the Gypsy

Hello Everyone!

Thanx for stopping by ... hope you are all having a great day.

I did it ... Whewwww ... what a challenge ... I designed my first card using the Gypsy ... It took a while because there were so many cuts in different sizes. I'm proud of myself though because this was a great learning experience. I'm loving my new toy!

This is a birthday card for a MB member's DD who is turning 16 and a half. A long story, but it's a special celebration for them. This is the card I came up with, all cuts were made with the Winter Woodlands cart, including the center cut-out piece. I took the idea from my Ultimate Crafters Companion and designed it with my Gypsy so it could be cut on my "E". Printed paper, card stock, pop dots and a bow ... oh, and of course, one of my silly lil verses . Hope you like it!

This is the front of the card ...

Here's a close up ...

And here is the card Center ...

(Note:  Click on any image to view full size)

I'd love to hear your comments ... Thanx for looking.

Have a Great Day Everyone!

A Simple Card - Playing With Scraps

My friend Maggie invited me to join her at a crop this week-end ... what a great time I had. Lots of fun conversations ... I met several new friends that enjoy the same passion for scrapping and card crafting that I do, and even met up with old friends that I hadn't seen in a while.  What a great group of ladies they are!

Lots of creativity going on all over the place ... I'll share that I was doing more socializing than crafting ... but that's just how I am! (((wink))) We shared tools and techniques ... I had the chance to try out my new Spellbinders shapeabilities and boarderabilities ... which I totally love ... and they were a great hit by many of the other ladies there.

Towards the later part of the evening, I had started putting my things away knowing that the evening would be ending soon and not wanting to start something new that I wouldn't have time to finish. As I sat there and continuted to chat, I started playing with some of my left over scraps. Mostly with the Core'dinations paper. OMG ... I totally love this paper ... if you haven't tried it yet, all I can say is ... WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???? This paper is fabulous!  Ü

Anyway ... here's the card I made from my scraps ... as you can see, there is almost no cuts on it at all ... just a lot of torn paper, some cuttling and a little sanding to bring out the wonderful colors from the core'dinations paper that I cuttled ... a pair of google eyes (which came from one of the ladies there that was kind enough to share from her stash) and a ribbon ... Oh, and I did use my MS branch punch too. That's it ... waaa laaa, a simple little card.

Yes, I know it looks like a child made it ... hey, what can I say, I was having fun playing with scraps! (((big ole grin)))

(click on images for a larger view)