Fun In the Sun

I'm a teacher and we just finished a long week of state testing. My students are tired and I am tired and sooooo ready for summer.

Here's my latest and greatest card that helps me and my students look forward to "Fun In The Sun".

I love challenge blogs and a friend of mine told me about three design teams that are very creative. I checked out their blogs this week and love their work. I entered this card in both of their challenges.

The first is Scrapmaster's Paradise Color Combos (SPCC). They host great challenges each week that call for you to use particular colors. This type of challenge is a first for me but it was a lot of fun coming up with something creative and still stay within the color guidelines.

For this card I used:
♥ Bazzill carstock
♥ K & Company stickers
♥ K & Company Real Wood Die Cuts
♥ American Crafts Ribbon

I think the real wood die cuts really add dimension and a touch of flair to your projects. I bought several of these die cuts and can't wait to use them on more projects.

The next  is Crafty Angels. They host challenges each week as well. Their design team also does amazing work. This week you were to make a project with some aspect of "Summer". I think this "Fun in the Sun" card qualifies for this contest as well.

And the design team over at Easy Craft Projects is hosting a challenge simply called "Orange". You are to create a project to bring in some sunshine this week. I think my card also qualifies for this fun challenge.


Stay tuned tomorrow for projects that help celebrate "National Scrapbook Day"!

Have a Creative Weekend!
Angi

Discover Scouting!

Girl Scouts is a great organization. My daughter Rachel has been involved in scouting since she was in elementary school. She first started out as a Brownie.

Brownies are also a part of the Girl Scout organization and are comprised of girls in second and third grade. This week Rachel and I got a chance to introduce girls involved in Brownies to scrapbooking. This was a lot of fun since scrapbooking is one of my ULTIMATE JOYS in life!

A sweet girl named Elizabeth used my stamps and colored a cute little scout as a gift to Rachel. I used that colored picture on this card. Her coloring is so cute and add sweetness and innocence to the design.

The Scout stamp is from Art Gone Wild. They have some very cute stamp designs. I love to use their products. I also used K & Company - Girl Scouts of America Adhesive Chipboard. For a little fun I added lime green lace behind the word "discover".

I'm hooked on color contests lately and entered this one in the Frosted Design challenge this week. The challenge called for you to use: Aqua, Brown, and Lime Green. 

I also entered this in the "Anything Goes" challenge over at My Partner in Crafting Crime. and the "Don't Be Blue' challenge going on over at Paper Garden Projects.

P.S. If you love Girl Scout cookies you may want to keep reading. I heard today that they are extending cookie sales. So if you are craving something good and sweet....find a Girl Scout in your area and buy more cookies!

Enjoy your weekend!
Angi

Tutorials, Giveaway Winner, & Fantabulous Cricut Blog Hop News!

Love tutorials? Be sure to check out the Fantabulous Cricut Blog each and every Thursday for the latest and greatest tips and tricks that you can use with your Cricut.

This week's spotlight is on Marile and her blog called Made by Momo. She has some great tips on using the "Create a Critter" cartridge.

For details check out the Fantabulous Cricut blog here.  Also be sure to click on over to Marile's blog here.

And as promised........the T.G.I.F. Giveaway winner is -Debra from Conroe, Texas. Debra won the maple wood Peep pendant necklace from Zephyr Woods! Congrats Debra!

Be sure to check back on Friday, May 7th  for the next T.G.I.F. Giveaway!

P.S. - If you love Blog Hops make sure you MARK YOUR CALENDARS. On May 10th visit the blog for our Fantabulous Cricut Crawl. There will be fun-filled surprises so be sure to check it out!

Mom's Day Challenge at Fantabulous Cricut

It's time for Fantabulous Cricut Challenge #7. This week is dedicated to "Mom's Day". You need to create a Cricut project for a special mom.

For this challenge I created a Mother's Day Notecard Set! Why buy notecards when you can make your own with your Cricut?

I used the "Plantin Schoolbook" cartridge to make the flat notecards and the "Sweet Treats" cartridge  to make little crowns.  In the center of the crowns I placed a chipboard heart.  I used a desk set accessory that I had lying around to place the notecards in. I tied the set all together with a colorful green polka dot ribbon.

I didn't decorate all of the notecards. I left some blank for note writing. I also added color coordinated envelopes to match the notecards. I think I may give this set to one of my wonderful teacher friends for Mother's Day!

There are several options to making your own notecards. I used Plantin Schoolbook to cut the rectangles for the notecards. You can use colored cardstock or patterned paper for this.

I also played around with Design Studio to make some of the cards. You can use D.S. to change the size of the rectangle in the "shape properties" box. If you have a Gypsy you can also use it to make notecards. The Gypsy is great because it also lets you manipulate your images any which way you want.

If you don't have anything to put your notecards in......you can make the holder too. I made one last year using the Tags Bags and More cartridge. Cut the shopping bag. You can leave the handles on or off. Then simply place your notecard set inside and tie it with your favorite ribbon or tulle.

Let's see your "Mom" creations. Hop on over to the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog and upload your project today!

Have a Fantabulous Week!
Angi

Turning Stash into "FAB"

I was cleaning my craft room today and found all of this great craft stash just lying around with nothing to do!

I deciced to get busy and turn some of these extra supplies into something creative. My friends all know that I "LOVE" to make altered items. I find such joy when I can take an everyday item and change it into something "FAB" and decorative.

My friend's daughter has a birthday coming up soon. I decided to make an altered paint can for little Bella's gift.  Paint cans are great to work with. I purchase them from my local Home Depot or Lowe's hardware store.


All you need for this project is:

♥ Decorative scrapbook paper

(I actually found this patterned paper on clearance at Michael's)

♥ Lots and Lots of ribbons

(I mixed solid ribbon, sheer ribbon, and butterfly patterned ribbon)

♥ Large flower embellishment

(I used 3 Prima flowers and added glitter to the ends of the petals. I also added a pink button to the center of the flower and topped it with a clear jewel)

♥ Line the inside with matching gift tissue paper

I added a cute pink mini purse, earrings, and other girly trinkets to the inside of the paint can.

There are several wonderful blogs out there that are having some great challenges this week.

I'd like to enter this in the:

♥ For Fun Challenge - Anything But A Card

♥ Fab 'n' Funky Challenge - Get It All Out

♥ Gingersnap Creations - Botanicals

Have a Wonderful Weekend!
Angi

T.G.I.F. Giveaway - Zephyr Woods

Wow! I've had an AWESOME response to the giveaways that I host on my blog. I love to help people win FREE stuff! 

I am making one change. Instead of having them each week, I will now only host them every other Friday. Please frequently check the left and right columns on my blog. If I find out about other freebies, I will have a picture posted for you to click on for more info about that giveaway.

Now for the "Thank God It's Friday" Giveaway! This one is just in time for Mother's Day. You have the chance to win this cute black maple wood Peep pendant necklace. Read the end of this post for contest rules.

Greetings to Linda and her cute shop on Etsy called "Zephyr Woods".  This shop is full of handmade wood pendants that feature beautiful images on each piece.  

What an interesting shop name. How did you come up with it?
My daughter's name is Zephyr and I was once told that every child comes with a dowry, so I decided because of the timing of launching my new jewelry line, it should be called ZephyrWoods.

What do you want customers to know about you and your products?
I make each and every piece in my store and my jewelry supports my existence. All of my jewelry is attractive, versatile and useful. I just love this exchange of raw material, to jewelry, to item of joy for whomever it ends up with. I have always felt that there is a special someone at the other end of this creative moment when I am making a piece. I rarely know beforehand who a piece is for but it is fun to find out. At times it can be surprising!
What other hobbies or passions do you have?
I love to garden and rollerblade. I aspire to be more efficient so that I can devote more time to homesteading. We live on 20 acres and this canvas is just waiting to be manipulated.

What motivates or inspires you to create?
My surroundings. Everyday I look out my kitchen or studio windows and I see nature evolving. The colors are inspiring and ever changing. Taking a deep breath and getting down to business is really refreshing.

You can find Zephyr Woods on the web at: 
Website: http://www.steinvikadesigns.com/
Blog:http://steinvikadesigns.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @zephyrwoods
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/pages/ZephyrWoods-Steinvika-Enamels/273805126567
Zephyr Woods is offering 10% off right now in honor of Mother's Day through May 9th. Also, a portion of Linda's profits are dedicated to lending through KIVA.org. She finds great pride and inspiration in "paying it forward" by helping others as she has been helped. Kiva.org is an organization facilitating the processing and procuring of micro-loans to entrepreneurs worldwide who otherwise have no access to credit. Please visit www.kiva.org to learn more.

Now for the contest rules:

1. Comment below and tell me what item (from Zephyr Woods) you would love to have for yourself or your mom for Mother's Day!
2. If you "FOLLOW" my blog - you get "2" entries in the prize drawing.
3. If you post something on your own blog about my giveaway - you get "3" entries in the prize drawing. (If you post on your blog please leave your blog info with your comment)

Good Luck! The winner will be randomly selected (using random.org) next Thursday, April 29th.

We have a winner. I use random.org to generate the winner. Debra from Conroe, Texas won the peep pendant necklace from "Zephyr Woods". Congrats!
Debra said "I love the jewelry. The owl is so cute." Be sure to visit on May 7th for the next TGIF Giveaway.

Springtime Creativity

Spring is in the air and my creative juices are flowing. I had some extra time this weekend and decided to enter some fun challenges going on around the web.

My inspiration this week was the promise that I made to myself to make more cards and tags for gift giving. Here are my creations so far this weekend!

The card is a pretty in pink inspiration. Here's what I used to make this card:
♥ "Forever Young" Cricut Cartridge - to cut out the shape of the woman
♥ Rub-on sentiment - "Thinking of You"
♥ Flowers by Prima (they have a soft textured feel to them)
♥ Ribbon FX brand ribbon
♥ cardstock & other small embellishments

The tag was inspired for my recent obsession with little cute duckies! Here's what I used to make the tag:
♥ Cardstock and Chipboard
♥  ribbon
♥  Paper Bliss Embellishments
♥  Silver rings (from Office Depot -tie a few ribbons around the ring or fill it with ribbons)

I have entered the card in these challenges:
♥ Creative Belli Blog - Die Cuts
♥ Stampin Sisters in Christ - Flowers
♥ Platinum Scraps - Forever Young Cartridge
♥ Cute Card Thursday - Touchy Feely
♥ Our Creative Corner - Butterfly
♥ For Fun Challenge - Encouraging Card

I have entered the tag in this challenge:
♥ Paper Cutz - Make a tag

If you are feeling creative this weekend hop on over and check out the creativity of all of the DT's of these challenge blogs!

Have a wonderful creative weekend!
Angi

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge #6 - Wings

It's Monday and it's time for another Fantabulous Cricut Challenge. This week you are to use "wings" in your design. Your project can include a fly, birds, butterflies, dragons, etc...

I am redecorating my daughter's room this week. Rachel wanted a peg board for her wall to help remind her of important homework assignments. I purchased a set of basic peg board already cut at Target.

I then did the following:

♥Added ribbon about 1/4" from the bottom.  
♥Added chipbord embllishments
♥Added cardstock for the "To Do List"
♥I cut Rachel's name with the "Plantin Schoolbook" Cricut Cartridge
♥I also made the fairy girl using the "Once Upon a Princess" Cricut Cartridge.
♥To add flair to the fairy dress I added a chipboard heart on the front. I also attached plastic and vellum wings to the heart.

There are so many designs on the Once Upon a Princess cartridge. You can mix and match the designs to come up with a variety of die cuts.

Rachel loves her new peg board. It fits in well with the pink and purple color scheme of her new room!

Now it's your turn to create. Hop on over to the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog and enter your "Wing Themed" design today!

Great News from Practical Scrappers

Wow what a wonderful Monday. I had a busy night helping Rachel with math homework, working on a Cricut layout, and watching Dancing with the Stars. I checked my email once more and got great news from Practical Scrappers.

Woo Hoo! I'm so excited to announce that I was chosen as a design team member for "Practical Scrappers" along with several other talented ladies .

The Practical Scrappers site is dedicated to making use of the supplies that we already have and are neglecting. Each week a challenge will be posted. Our design team will also share some of their ideas and then you are welcome to submit your creative projects! So hop on over and and join us here! Thank you soooooo much Christine for this opportunity!

Hope your Monday was great too!
Angi

Pink Baby Bliss

It's time for a Baby giveaway and to show off some cute items for your little ones.

I love making keepsake boxes and wanted to show off my new Pink Baby Bliss keepsake box for precious little girls.These are great for baby shower gifts, displaying in a nursery, or using it for baby toiletry items.

I made a custom made Baby box recently for Annabelle - a customer from Woodland Hills, California. I lined the inside with soft colored pink tissue paper. Inside I put in a cute girlie bib, pacifier, rattle, and baby booties. Annabelle loved the baby box. She is going to give it to her sister at her baby shower.

Now I'd like you all to meet Laurie and her Etsy shop called Adorable Blessings. Laurie makes the cutest handmade baby items. She is hosting the giveaway this week for a $20 Gift Certificate to her store. See contest rules below.

Laurie is from Ohio and she believes children are a blessing. Her six blessings may be growing up but she can still sew for your Adorable Blessing!

How did you get started selling online?
I made a baby shower gift a few years ago and that made me realize how much I missed sewing for babies and children. I used to make almost all of my three daughter's dresses. They always had matching ones for Christmas and Easter. A friend told me about Etsy. I had never heard of it. Setting up a shop was easy and Adorable Blessings was born.

Tell us about your products?
My items are handmade. I want my customers to have the best so I pay attention to details. All seams are professionally finished. I use pre-washed quality fabrics and Diaper Service Quality diapers as the base for my burp cloths.

What other hobbies or passions do you have?
I enjoy my family, homeschooling, interior design, baking, gardening and church activities.

Where can we find you on the web?
My blog is www.6blessings.blogspot.com I also have a Facebook Page: Adorable Blessings

Tell us more about your background

I have a background in interior design and I used to sew custom window treatments.

What’s your supply addiction; is there a specific color or type of supply you just can’t pass up?
My family would say that I am addicted to fabric! There are so many awesome fabric designers! I like a lot of Michael Miller's fabrics. I also seem to be drawn to rick rack and polka dots.

What motivates or inspires you to create? 
I love to find a great fabric and envision it sewn up. I like to see what's popular in Europe. I am also loving so many of the independent SAHM pattern makers' patterns.

Now for your chance to win. You must do these things to be entered in the prize drawing:

1. Comment below and tell me what is your favorite item from Adorable Blessings.
2. Two Entries if you "Follow" my blog.

Good Luck. The winner will be drawn next Wednesday, April 21st.
Julie won the gift certificate from "Adorable Blessings" baby & toddler store. Congrats! Be sure to check the blog for another chance to win a great prize.

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge #5 - April Showers

Time for more fun over at the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog. This week's challenge is called "April Showers". You are to design a project using "Rain or Water". Examples are a hat, umbrella, life preserver, etc.

My project this week is a Paper Bag Album for my friend Tannya's baby shower. Someone is finally having a boy!  I incorporated blue and orange colors for this album since it matches the colors of the nursery.

I'm a scrapbook paper fanatic and found this beautiful paper by Autumn Leaves. It's called Wellies Glitter Rainy Girl paper. It is designed with a background color called Robin's Egg Blue. It also features the silhouette of a girl, in a puddle, holding up an umbrella.

I cut out an additional orange colored umbrella and the text "It's a Baby Shower" using the "New Arrival" Cricut Cartridge. 

Working with paper bags is fun!  I always sew my paper bags together for more durability. I also punch 5 holes on the sides to tie ribbon or fibers. Once made, paper bag albums are sturdy enough to stand up and display on a shelf, desk, or bookcase. 


Click on over to Fantabulous Cricut and enter your project today. Can't wait to see the creations you all come up with for this week's challenge. You also have the chance to win a wonderful prize from Kiki-Art.

Want to win one of these cute albums? All you have to do is COMMENT below for (1) entry into the prize drawing. Follow my blog for (2) entries and Follow the Fantabulous Cricut blog for (3 entries). And enter the challenge contest for (4) entries. The winner will be chosen next Monday, April. 19th!

Duckie Enters A Challenge Contest

I have been bitten by the "Challenge" bug lately! This week I created a fun twist to the every day notepad. 
I came up with this Spring Duckie altered notebook! Yellow is my favorite color so I had to incorporate it into the design.

I have entered this is the following challenges:

♥ Our Creative Corner Challenge - "Break Out the Buttons"
♥ Sisterhood of Crafters - "Recycled project celebrating Earth Day"
♥ Quixotic Challenge #20 - "The Joys of Spring"


This altered notebook was so fun to make.  Instead of throwing away an old notebook - why not turn it into something new and cute for Spring!

I used the following materials:
♥ One 6" x 4" notebook  
♥ Designer scrapbook paper
♥ Soft orange ribbon for the bow
♥ Pre-printed white ribbon with orange flowers
♥ Yellow buttons
♥ Flower embellishments
♥ "Happy Go Lucky" text embellishment

I decorated the cover of the notebook only. The inside was already pre-printed with orange lines for note taking. This fits in well with the color scheme on the cover. To make one of these all you need is your favorite scrapbook paper, any size notebook, and your favorite embellishments and ribbon.

I think I will make a few more of these to give to my daughter's teachers as end of the year gifts!

Have a creative week!
Angi

A Big Giveaway from Mr. Cloud's Retro T-shirts

I'm always browsing online for unique products to share with all of my blog readers. I recently found a great retro t-shirt shop on Etsy called Mr Cloud's Retro T-shirt Emporium.

Craig has a great collection of music, character, and retro t-shirts.  When I saw all of his cool designs it brought a big smile to my face. His t-shirt designs will make you remember all of the fun days of the 60's, 70's, and 80's. You can find more of Mr. Cloud's products by visiting - http://www.mrcloud.com/

Also be sure to check out the Life Aquatic and Labyrinth t-shirts. Love the designs on these.

Keep reading to find out more about this talented clothing artist. And guess what? Two lucky winners will be chosen from this post to win prizes from his online store.  One person will win an Alice in Wonderland Wool & Water t-shirt. A second person will win a Woolly Mammoth bag made of 100% organic cotton. Please see the end of this post for contest rules.

Now to the interview...............

Your shop name is so unique. How did you come up with it?

We get asked this quite a lot, I guess I should think of something clever! When I was starting the t-shirt shop back in 2003 I came across a piece of art by Takashi Murakami call 'Mr Cloud'. As the name suggests it is a cloud with a smile on its' face, and its' happy simplicity made me want to adopt its' name. People tend to assume I'm called Mr. Cloud, which I'm not. I'm called Craig :)

How did you get started selling online?

Back in 2003 we started a really comically basic site. Since then we have grown to sell through most outlet's like Etsy and eBay and have grown our own shop to something resembling a professional outfit (hopefully!).

Tell us more about your unique products.

Our own original t-shirts are just that - originals. Designed by a small company we can take risks and produce shirts that larger companies won't entertain.

Do you have a blog? Twitter? Facebook? Website?

Our twitter tag is "mrclouddotcom"

Our website is http://www.mrcloud.com/

Now for your chance to win. You must do these things to be entered in the prize drawing:

1. Comment below and tell me what t-shirt from Mr. Cloud's T-Shirt Emporium brings back your most fondest memory.

2. Two Entries if you "Follow" my blog.

Annie from Seattle won the t-shirt and Laci Jo from Idaho won the tote bag from the Mr. Cloud's Retro T-shirt Emporium Giveaway. Congrats! Be sure to comment on the blog for more great prizes.   To see the current list of giveaway winners - please see the left side column of the blog.

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge #4

It's time for another FANTABULOUS challenge. This week you are to incorporate the word "Happy", a flower, and at least 1 cut using your Cricut in your design.

I collect everything Hello Kitty so I'm keeping this one for my craft room display shelf. I'm trying to get more into card making so I hope everyone likes what I came up with.

To make the card I used Bazzill cardstock.  To cut the word "Happy", I used the "Disney Mickey Font" Cartridge.  The Hello Kitty and flower were cut using the "Hello Kitty Greetings" cartridge. I added ribbon and brads to make the design a bit more colorful.

Click on the word FANTABULOUS to view all of the lovely Design Team creations.  Join in on the fun and design your own creation. The winner of this challenge will win a gift from "In A Scrap Creations".  Please comment below if you entered the challenge. I'd love to check out your work.

Have a great day and be sure to check back later in the week for another great giveaway!