California Poppies

I'm not sure this layout is complete, but at least it's on its way. I may add some corner flourishes to frame the collage of pictures but then again I may just leave it alone. These pictures were taken a few years back when the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve had a particularly good bloom. So pretty!
'California' was cut with the Calligraphy cartridge--I want to say it was the Gratitude function. 'Poppies' was cut with a TTF from SCAL (and it was so so easy to weld the letters together and give it a shadow--with a simple click of a button). The flourish and the flower below the picture of the single poppy was cut from Home Decor.

Here are some closer looks:

Thanks for looking!

Groovy--my first project using SCAL!

Can I tell you just how much I'm going to love Sure Cuts A-Lot (SCAL)? Wow...I feel like a tidal wave of new cutting possibilities has just washed over me, and it's nearly overwhelming. For now, at the suggestion of other SCAL users, I am sticking to downloading true type fonts (TTFs) from the several internet sites available. The options are almost endless out there! Apart from fonts (like my 60's 'Groovy' font? It's called Action Is) there are tons of dingbats (wingbats--what's the difference?) like the arrow, the peace sign, the flowers and the uber-groovy silhouettes, complete with bellbottoms. How much fun can a scrapper have?

In addition to SCAL, I used the Home Decor for the flourish at the bottom (cut at 1") and I did a little bit of Cuttlebug embossing action on the arrow and some of the flowers using the Perfectly Paisley folder. The scallop along the top is Martha Stewart's Scallop Dot border punch. I inked the edges with a white inkpad to give it a bit of distressing.

Incidentally, you may notice a new link on my blog along the righthand column. I've added a button that has a link to where you can purchase Sure Cuts a Lot. I love the program so much that I've decided to become an affiliate with them. If you're interested in buying SCAL or have any questions, please contact me! I'm just a beginner and I've got a lot to learn (like Inkscape), but I'd be glad to share what I know so far! Stay tuned for some more links that I'll be adding to my blog--I will be linking various font sites and helpful SCAL websites and blogs.

Thanks for looking! Please tell me what you think!

Happily Ever After

During a recent trip to Disneyland, my 3 year old decided he wanted to go visit some princesses. Much to my husband's chagrin, we stood in line so our boys could meet them. Little did either of us know that our Jonah would be such a Prince Charming. He loved all of them so much!! Here are a couple of pictures:
PRECIOUS!! (Okay, if you don't think so, look at them again through a mother's eyes.)
Well, with 2 boys running around and another little boy on the way, I didn't know that I could justify the purchase of the Disney Princess cartridges, but my mom generously let me borrow hers so I could cut out some princesses for our Disney books. We still need to meet Snow White, but we've seen all of the others shown below. Here's the result of the Happily Ever After cartridge:

Those princesses really take a lot of patience to cut! A tip: invest in a white signo pen. Even if you could get the whites of the eyes and the teeth to cut out using the Cricut, they'd be murder to glue! Most of the full princesses are cut at 6". The busts are cut at 3 1/4". The prince and princess cuts are at 7 1/2".

Oh, and my husband is planning on taking Jonah camping. Very soon. ;)

Thanks for looking!

Happy Birthday Cupcake Card

My son Noah turned 2 earlier this month. It's hard to believe how fast the time has gone but it is a joy to watch him grow. This is the birthday card that I made for him. It is made using the Card feature of the Hello Kitty Greetings cartridge, which I found at a steal on clearance at Target!
I used a different Cuttlebug folder for each part of the cupcake--Numbers Collage for the bottom, Swiss Dots for the chocolate, and Divine Swirls for the icing. Finally, I used stickles on the cherry, the swirls, the dots, and the 2. Easy and fun!
Thanks for looking!

Check out Going Buggy!

Enfys over at Going Buggy is giving away a very generous gift of some of her favorite things. If you've never visited her blog, she is a very talented cardmaker and you will no doubt enjoy stopping by! Leave a comment on her post for the chance to win.

Thank you, Leanne!

Thank you, Leanne, for this blog award! I am honored! Be sure to click on the link to see Leanne's lovely creations--she is a fellow design member on Whimsical Scraps and Bugs and a wonderful encourager.
I haven't purposefully been neglecting my blog--I guess life has been a little crazy lately! We've had a lot of ups and downs and we are looking forward to what God will do next--these are exciting times for sure!
My craft room has been on the lonely side lately, but I have completed a few projects. I still have to take pictures of them though, so stay tuned...

Just Thinking of You

Well I'm not sure this could have been any easier. This is another card from the DCWV kit I recently bought. I simply cut out squares of coordinating paper (if I remember correctly they are 1 1/4" square) and used one of the stickers that also came with the kit. I used Martha Stewart's Scallop Dot border punch on the white paper underneath and inked the edges of the card and the squares.
It's nothing fancy but it does make for a quick card to have on hand when you need to send something in a hurry and still have that personal touch!

Thanks for looking!

Micron Pen Sale

I interrupt this crafting blog for an advertisement...

I love Micron pens. I use them for a variety of things--not only for scrapbooking and cardmaking (they are great journaling and doodling pens) but also for marking in my Bible because the tips are fine enough that the ink doesn't bleed through the thin pages. If you are familiar with Kay Arthur's studies and her method of marking the text...or if you just enjoy underlining or writing notes in the margin, you will find these pens ideal.

Anyway, for the month of June, my church's bookstore (for purposes of full disclosure, my hubby is the current manager) GBI books has these pens on sale for $2.19--and if you buy 5 or more, you get free shipping. If they should happen to run out of stock, they will honor backorders throughout the month of June. Just thought I'd pass this info on for those that are either looking to stock up at a good price or to try them out for the first time!

Dad

This card was made for the latest Whimsical Scraps and Bugs challenge. We were issued a Mojo Monday sketch (#88) and asked to make a Father's Day card using masculine paper and a Cricut cut. The patterned paper I used is from Basic Grey--it is actually 2 sided paper-one side with the dots and the other side with the stripes. I embossed the brown cardstock with Cuttlebug's Spots and Dots folder and inked the raised image with Tim Holtz's Distressing Ink. The circle was cut from Plantin Schoolbook, as were the letters and shadows to spell 'Dad' and the bird was cut from 5o states--I believe the cut is Wisconsin's state bird. I cut the little bird at 1 3/4". The ribbon is Offray and I got the spool from WalMart--10 yards for...47 cents! And they carried probably around a half dozen colors. Yes, please!!!

Thanks for looking!

Honest Scrap Blog Award!

Thanks, Crystal, for nominating my blog for this award! Crystal is one of the ladies that makes Whimsical Scraps and Bugs possible and she does beautiful work! Go check out her site when you have a chance!

There are a few requirements to accepting the Honest Scrap Award and they are as follows.
A) I must thank the person who gave me the award and list their blog and link…
B) I must list 10 honest things about myself.
C) I must put a copy of the The Honest Scrap logo on my blog.
D) I must select at least 7 other worthy bloggers and list their links.

Okay, 10 honest things...some will be obvious but you may learn a thing or two about me, too.
1) Papercrafting is my favorite hobby and it helps me relax and unwind.
2) I strive to live for the glory of God and my single greatest goal is to hear 'Well done, good and faithful servant' when I am done with this life.
3) I learn something from my children everyday.
4) I love my family dearly; they are my greatest earthly blessings.
5) I have mixed feelings about moving from California to Illinois later this summer--sad to leave the familiar behind and all I've ever known but excited for the future and all that awaits us there.
6) I have a serious sweet tooth.
7) My hubby is a much better cook than I am. He enjoys cooking, too, and often treats me to a delicious meal that he 'just thought up in his head.'
8) We are thrilled to be in the process of buying our first home...a Victorian home built in 1900 with original woodwork and lots of charm!
9) I think having 3 boys so close in age (oldest is 3 and youngest is due in Oct) will be the greatest adventure and the greatest challenge of my life.
10) I love silence. I know, due to #9, I don't get much of it and truthfully when the boys are away the house is just too quiet. But I love having time to think, study, pray, relax, and focus.

My nominations for 'Honest Scrap' (drum roll please...)
1) Amy (Scrapping Mommy)
2) The Daily Scrapper
3) Southernbelle Scrapper
4) Monique
5) Tammy
6) Jenny
7) Diana