Happy Birthday--Groovy

This birthday card was for my niece that loves all things that are groovy! It was a fun card to make. I used SCAL for the lettering and for the peace sign. I used Home Decor for the scalloped circle and I used Plantin Schoolbook for the circle and for the card base (by welding 2 circles together with the Gypsy). I ran the circle and the peace sign through the cuttlebug using the Perfectly Paisley embossing folder and then adhered the letters. The finishing touch was the addition of stickles to the letters for that added sparkle!
Thanks for looking!

Monogrammed gift card set

I like to make sets of cards for personalized gifts. This is a set I made awhile ago but never posted. The cards are 3x3 and simple to put together once I found the look I wanted. I used my JustRite monogrammed stamps for the image. I cut the circle out with Plantin Schoolbook and the scalloped circle behind it with Home Decor. Then I just cut out some decorative paper that I liked (slightly smaller than 3x3), glued a ribbon around it, and mounted it to a 3x3 square of coordinating solid cardstock. I made the envelopes as well and lined them with paper--some with the decorative paper and some with the coordinating paper.

This card shows the same card but with a blue scallop and ribbon and with the envelope lined with the decorative paper.

I made a drawer box to hold the cards. The directions are from Splitcoast Stampers here, but I did have to modify the measurements to fit my smaller square-sized cards.

Here's the box and the envelopes. I think this makes not only a nice personalized gift but in a way that is packaged nicely for presentation and storage. Hope you like it!

Thanks for looking! Have a great day.

in all things give THANKS

Our latest challenge over at Whimsical Scraps and Bugs was a color challenge from Kristina Werner's blog. I thought of Thanksgiving when I saw these colors and pulled out a couple of our family shots from 2008 to scrap. Here's what I came up with:
I used Storybook for the white borders and the photo corners. I sometimes forget how much I love that cartridge! Home Decor was used for the scalloped circle border. I designed the title using SCAL. Here's a close-up of it:
I decided to use the negative image of "THANKS" and I really like how it turned out.

The circle at the bottom right corner is a customizable stamp from Just Rite Stamps. It was my Mother's Day gift and I LOVE it! It makes monograms so easy but you can use it for more than that, as I did here. To go along with the theme of Thanksgiving, I decided to put "Give Thanks 2008" in the center of the circle, and then list some of the things I'm thankful for as a border. It takes some time to assemble (the letters are pretty tiny) but I think the results are well worth it. Here's a better look:
Thanks for looking!

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!

Easter-Themed Wall Hanging

I just love Easter and the hope that it represents through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead! I completed this wall hanging for a challenge over at Whimsical Scraps and Bugs. We were to alter flashcards and create an Easter-themed project. I decided to make John 11:25 the focal point. It says, "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.' John 11:25" The flowers, leaves, and the frame around the verse are all from Cricut's Home Decor cartridge. The butterflies are from Graphically Speaking. I used stickles on the butterflies (black on the black part and star dust on the blue parts) and I folded their wings up so they are 'flying.'

Here are some close-ups:

Thanks for looking!