April Challenge

Are you ready for some My Mind's Eye Stella & Rose?  That is the featured line over at Auntie Em's Scrapbooking for the month of April.  Melissa and I were given identical paper this time and asked to come up with our own take on the Scrapbook & Cards Today Calender sketch for the month of April.  I'm really liking how this turned out.

I chose a sepia photo for this paper line as it is just begging to be distressed.  I used the Sew Easy to stitch along the left side of my layout. Used a Tattered Angel;s stamp for the journaling box.  I am just loving the new Tattered Angel's glimmer chips, and chose a dove for my embellishment.  My title is Basic Grey stickers from the Capella line.  The "&" symbol is a thicker that I used Distress Stickles on (peeled paint) and then used clear embossing powder over - but I used too much Versa Mark ink - I was in a hurry so the clear embossing looks rather dull and not shiny ... but I like the way it turned out.  The flowers this time are made with leftover scraps and the George cartridge on my Cricut topped with a Prima centre and a Making Memories brad.

The journaling reads:

A rate moment when you two are getting along.  Vanessa is always putting the choke hold on you Nigel. January 2011

Remember all month long at Auntie Em's Scrapbooking all My Mind's Eye will be on sale 10% off. 

Staying Creative

Here are a few cards and a layout that I've been working on recently.

The story behind the layout it that I don't know a THING about Harry Potter - not a dang thing, and when I started working with this lovely collection of Harry Potter papers and embellishments, I had no clue what to do with it.  Don't get me wrong, the paper is lovely - all antique like and my colours too.  The only thing I know that is associated with Harry Potter is the word "Muggles".  You see my husband and I Geocache - that is, we use a GPS to plug in latitude and longitude co-ordinates and play a game of "hide and seek" looking for a 'cache' that is filled with trade able trinkets and a log book.  It is a great outdoor adventure that takes you to places that you likely wouldn't have traveled to if not for hunting for 'tuperware in the woods'.  That being said; a Muggle is a person who is not a Geocacher who happens to stumble upon either the cache or you scouring the woods.  There you go ... there's the link!

Watch Out for Muggles

So, I used three different papers from the collection for this, and printed my story out on ivory cardstock with the font Kristen using my computer. Then distressed the paper and inked with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Vintage Photo, and used two Glimmer mists; Coffee Shop and Wheatfields. I stitched the one paper with my sewing machine, and distressed the edges with Tim Holtz Distressing ink in Vintage Photo. I The title is Basic Grey Chip letters. The button is a vintage military button from my husband's sewing box. The ribbon trim I'm not sure about the brand.

The journaling reads:

"As soon as we introduced Geocaching to you, you were hooked.  The idea of hide and seek and treasure hunting all together  was terrific. Being outside in the woods looking for Tupperware was such a concept.  Watch out for Muggles - those are people who are not familiar with Geocaching - you don't want them to be aware of what you are doing; so they won't accidentally find the Cache"

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The Cards
 
Using the Sew Easy tool from We R Memory Keepers I put together the following 3 cards.
 
For the first card I used an Asian themed background paper (unknown) and Chinese Lanterns stamp (Inkadoo) and kept it simple without a a sentiment. I used Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Vintage Photo, and Glimmer Mist in Wheatfields. Finished off with two butterfly stamps (Martha Stewart)

The second card I used a snowflake patterned paper (unknown) and two different Bo Bunny double dot cardstocks and some white Bazzil. I used the "Burst" wheel on this card and instead of rolling it in a row, I used the burst in the form of snowflakes. I cut a snowflake with the Cricut (Potpourri cartridge) out of vellum and some hemp string. I use the I-rock gem setting tool for the bling on the snowflake.

For the final card - Happy Birthday - I used October Afternoon's Thrift Shop collection patterned papers and red Bazzil cardstock. I used the Cricut to cut the Happy Birthday (Potpourri) and a piece of salvaged ribbon from a box of chocolates.

Product Review - Cricut Storage Binder

The Cricut Storage Binder

What a fantastic purchase I made!  I've been long searching for a Cricut cartridge storage solution.  First I bought some of those boxes, (the same size as the box that the cartridges come in) that hold 8 cartridges and are supposed to hold the co-ordinating overlays and books.  I found that they were too small to hold the books and overlays.  So I was putting the cartridges in the box, and the books & overlays into ziplock bags.  Then I tried the Jukebox - which I found more clunky and cumbersome than useful.  Then I spotted this little beauty on Tina's website!  $30 gave me a storage SOLUTION!  Very neat and tidy, stores everything very well and organized.  I love that it is made of a sturdy, wipe able material.  I adore the fact that it is branded with the adorable green Cricut head on it.  I love that its black and the Cricut green.  Forward thinking that it will hold my Spatula too!  It holds twelve Cricut cartridges and the accompanying books & overlays, without crowding.  The Elastic band holds the books in place and has a snap closure.  (be sure to use the snap closure though - failing to do that can cause the books to all fall out if you pick it up by the handle and its unzipped)  I think the handle on the back, very easy transport.

 My only - and I will stress ONLY grief is that it will not hold the paper books - you know the two page ones that come with the less expensive cartridges that only have a few fonts on them - like Street Sign, Blackletter, and Home Decor. The pockets on the Cricut Storage Binder is too narrow to hold them without folding the paper.

When I was showing it off to my regular Tuesday night group of scrappers, it was a hit.  I need to order two more now!

Let me know what you think! I love it!

***** Update  *****

After 6 months of using this Cricut Storage Binder I have become annoyed with two other factors on it. 

1) the net pockets that hold the cartridge are black and therefore hard to read which corresponding cartridge in in that pocket.  I would suggest in an updated version have these net pockets white so that you can read through them. 

2)My other grief is that the nylon pockets on the right that hold the books is not reinforced very well.  Both of the pockets have torn away from the casing itself.  It is still functional but I'm not sure how long it will stand up.

I Adore You - layout

I was at my local Scrapbooking Store when I saw the new line from Ksiser Craft - English Rose Collection ... WOW the colours are so fantastic just begging for a shabby chic spin on them! Dusty rose, faded burgundy, mossy green and ivory ... simply beautiful.  So I purchased a 9 window frame with it and one of each of the pages from their collection.  I started on the frame and will post that project in a later blog post.

I thought I would work with a sketch from Let's Scrap and see what I could do with the Kaiser Craft papers.  Here is the sketch ...

I also wanted to try out my new sewing machine and there was a great deal of stitching on this sketch.  Sew... I stitched and stitched some more.  I'll have you know though, if you glue something down and then try to sew it (i.e. the lace on my layout) it really gums up your needle and jams up the thread ... so just a word of warning, if you intend on sewing, don't put too much glue down first, keep it minimal. 

I made a couple of rough hearts and stitched around the outside of them, and used my new Stampin' Up wheel with Music Notes stamp (loving that right now) I thought I would try my hand at hidden journaling.  I had some little velum envelopes from EK Sucess (had them for about 5 years actually) the hidden journaling reads:

"Vanessa; you are growing up into a little lady right in front of my eyes; you look so grown up sometimes!!"

I used the Home Decor Cricut cartridge for the word "adore".  I used a prima Tea Rose - in Santa Rosa (this is one of the ones that I won a few months back) it worked perfectly (it is the little one on the bottom; I handmade the larger one on the left at the top).  I also glimmer misted a paper doily using Olive Vine and Viva Pink and misted some of the hearts and ribbons with the same.  I used my I-Rock for the first time on this ... not sure if I'm liking it or not (I know, Mandy, you love yours) but I am having a hard time getting the jems into the positions that I want, and keeping them there until I weld them down.  Any tips??


Let me know what you think of the layout, does it look anything like the sketch?